From the Back Cover

A young domestic worker devoted to her prominent urban employers in Les Cayes, Haiti, Clerise progressively renounces the traditional values of her rural background. When she later marries and opens a small business, class conflicts and divided loyalties develop amid the terror of the Duvalier regime, and she is ultimately caught in the escalation of violence.

Clerise of Haiti is a story of three generations of Haitian women, and covers a thirty year span ending in the late 1970s. Full of humor and resilience, Clerise’s unique perspective into the upper classes and the world of the poor explores the complexities of life in a provincial town and highlights the socioeconomic and political forces at play in Haiti.

Marie-Thérèse Labossière Thomas was born in Les Cayes, Haiti, and migrated to the United States as a young adult. As an educator and writer, she conducted multicultural teacher training through local school systems and universities; designed and implemented courses in Creole/English literacy for adults; produced and hosted Kafou, an educational television program in English, Creole, and French, in conjunction with the DC Public Schools television channel. That program included series on Haitian history and African liberation struggles in the Americas, entitled Perspective from a Small Island and A Tradition of Freedom.

Her articles on Haitian political and social issues have appeared on several newspapers and internet sites, including Haiti Observateur, Haiti-en-Marche, Le Nouvelliste, Alterpresse, Pikliz.com, lavilledescayes.com, as well as in Kiskeya, a community newsletter that she published for four years in the Washington Metropolitan Area. She also authored Nou Di, We Say, Nous Disons, a trilingual survival skills manual used in conjunction with educational programs.

Ms. Thomas has served on community boards, as well as on committees and task forces of educational and cultural institutions; she spoke at museums, public hearings, school and community venues, and through the media. Clerise of Haiti is her first novel.

Recent Articles by Marie-Thérèse Labossière Thomas and currently available links

The Big Business of Haitian Adoption

Pikliz.com:
http://www.pikliz.com/absolutenm/templates/2testtemplate.asp?articleid=11680&zoneid=1

Alterpress:
http://www.alterpresse.org/spip.php?article9376

À la découverte de Kwanza

Pikliz.com:
http://www.pikliz.com/absolutenm/templates/2testtemplate.asp?articleid=11102&zoneid=1

Alterpress:
http://www.alterpresse.org/spip.php?article9099

Caraïbe Express:
http://www.caraibeexpress.com/spip.php?article1321

Le Monde du Sud/Elsie News:
http://elsie-news.over-blog.com/article-a-la-decouverte-de-kwanza-par-marie-therese-labossiere-thomas-41242142.html

La rançon du mépris

Alterpress:
http://www.alterpresse.org/spip.php?article8431

Pikliz.com: 
http://www.pikliz.com/absolutenm/templates/2testtemplate.asp?articleid=10125&zoneid=1

The above articles also appeared on other Internet sites and print media.

    

Where to find the book?

Clerise of Haiti is now available at Amazon.com, Barnes & Noble,
and other online retailers; it can also be ordered from your local bookstore.

The book is published by Trilingual Press and can be  purchased also at the following addresses/links:  tanbou.com/trilingualpress  and  ahaitianexperience.com.

Please check this site for updates on other distribution channels,
or contact the author at: thesydescayes@yahoo.com 

To join the mailing list and share your comments:
thesydescayes@yahoo.com

 Viré monté