Book Review: Dear Haiti, Love Alaine by Maika Moulite and Maritza Moulite

Book: 104/150

Rating: 5/5

If you were to ask me what book character I'd want to hang out with my answer would be Alaine Beauparlant. Dear Haiti, Love Alaine has the coolest protagonist I've read in a really long time. This 17-year old Haitian American from Miami is so quick on her feet, funny, sarcastic, headstrong and smart. She was SO fun to read and follow along. You should know by now I'm a sucker for books with multi-media. This book was in the form of a school report by Alaine; she documented emails, texts, letters, diary entries and interview transcripts, which fleshed out the story so well.

After an incident gets her in trouble at school (don't worry, you'll get to read all about it), Alaine is sent to Haiti to intern at her aunt's new non-profit company for a school project. While in Haiti, she gets to spend time with her aunt, her mom, and learns more about her family history in Haiti, including a potential family curse. Back home in Miami she lives with her dad; her parents are separated and her mom is a national political reporter and doesn't get to spend much time with her. So while her trip to Haiti is in a way a punishment, it turns out to be more valuable than she could have imagined because of the time she gets to spend with her mother.

I loved this story that delved deep into familial relationships (especially between mother and daughter), and is a coming of age story which emphasizes the importance of learning about where you come from. Because the story takes place in Haiti you get to learn more about the country, its customs, and the people that live there.

There were so many times reading this book that I was grinning because of Alaine's inner (and sometimes external) dialogue. This is a five star book for me because I love a family drama, a well-written and funny female character and a great story with lots of mediums within it.

Can't wait to read what this sister writing duo writes next!