Cannonball Read 17

Sticking It to Cancer One Book at a Time

Women, Brave as Stars at Dawn

Breath, Eyes, Memory by Edwidge Danticat

by Leave a Comment

Bingo: UnCannon Several years ago I read Brother, I’m Dying by Edwidge Danticat. As I recall, I was in tears by the end of the first chapter. It is a beautiful, unbearably sad book. Breath, Eyes, Memory is in the same vein (and once again, I was crying before I was even 30 pages in). It’s the story of Sophie, who is being raised in Haiti by her aunt, as her mother has emigrated to New York. When the story starts Sophie is about 12 […]

Day Five was the most emotional part for me…not sure I will ever truly get over that one. 

Eight Days: A Story of Haiti by Edwidge Danticat

by 2 Comments

Edwidge Danticat writes about Haiti with love and realism. With the picture book, Eight Days: A Story of Haiti they created a beautiful and sad story about a young boy trapped for over a week after the earthquake of Haiti a few years ago. However, this came out soon after the actual event, so it was timely. Now, one might have to explain the actual event, but sadly, we still have natural disasters, and this could be used to talk about them as well. Based […]

But no no no, she did not want to be found.

Claire of the Sea Light by Edwidge Danticat

by Leave a Comment

Next books for mowing! So this book feels almost like an accidental sequel to my previous book, Bernice L McFadden’s Gathering of Waters. This book takes place in Haiti, where we meet a fisherman and his young daughter. We begin with this fisherman trying to give her to a local fabricstore owner. And we learn soon enough that he’s in deep despair and mourning for the death of her mother, who died when Claire was born. The fabric store owner was there when the mother […]

“My father was dying and I was pregnant. Both struck me as impossibly unreal.”

Brother, I'm dying by Edwidge Danticat

by 2 Comments

Do you like to cry? Do you like to be reminded about sadness, loss and the general unfairness of the world. Then boy! Do I have the book for you. In the very first chapter we follow a daughter as she takes her dying father to the hospital, and then later in the living room at home when he gathers the family turns to his wife and asks “What would you like to happen after I am gone?” So there we are, not just in […]

What is Better than Mommy and Daddy Love?

by Leave a Comment

What is better than mommy love? Two books about how awesome moms are (and for good measure one dad, too). My Mommy Medicine given to us by Edwidge Danticat and illustrated by Shannon Wright (due late February 2019) talks about when a little girl wakes up not feeling well she and her mom can do all sorts of things to make her feel better. Sometimes it is hugs, reading, taking naps, drinking hot chocolate or tea, telling stories, dancing and sometimes real medicine. Based on […]

A Miscellaneous selection of books

by 1 Comment

Goodbye, Vitamin – Rachel Khong  The story of this novel is a 30 year old woman returns home to care for his father’s debilitation into Alzheimer’s immediately after her engagement falls through. It is written as a series of diary entries and this format often creates a lot of the problems the novel has. For the most part the novel is well-written and interesting, and it’s generally heartfelt, but it’s also pretty flawed in a couple of ways that I think relate to its connection […]



Help Our Mission

You can donate to CBR via:

  1. PayPal
  2. Venmo