*Haiti: The Aftershocks of History* by Laurent Dubois

It's now officially published. El V finished reading it last week, all the while exclaiming, "National Book Award! Pulitizer!"  Aftershocks has already been reviewed and highly praised in The Washington Post's book pages. It's that kind of book.
The book is reviewed this weekend in the NY Times Book Review by Adam Hochschild, an excellent choice. Full review here.

Hochschild begins by giving a run-down of Haiti's history through the Revolution, then informing the reader who may not know that Lauren's earlier book is the best book out there for learning Haiti's pre and revolutionary history:

[ " For a gripping narrative of that period, there are few better places to turn than “Avengers of the New World: The Story of the Haitian Revolution,” by Laurent Dubois, a Duke University scholar of the French Caribbean. Now Dubois has brought Haiti’s story up to the present in an equally well-written new book, “Haiti: The Aftershocks of History,” which is enriched by his careful attention to what Haitian intellectuals have had to say about their country over the last two centuries. " ]

It's also appropriate it's NY Times review appears today - tomorrow, since it is New Year's Eve, and NY's Eve has in the later years been a traditionally Haitian Vodoun New Year's Eve -- and this year, plus New Orleans! The spot has been moved from the usual lower east side loft out to Brooklyn, where, among other things maybe a suckling pig is being roasted, They Say.

Yeah, it's warm enough this year. For better or worse, climate change is here to stay for the foreseeable future.  Another mosquito revived today.  We've been killing one or two all through the fall, even after the occasional freezes of this month.  We open the window at bedtime, which must be how they get in the apartment.

I got the Reading essay finished for Da List.  Now we're just sort of thinking about January and 2012.  We know some things that will happen in 2012, but mostly, not, like everybody else.  What we do know is that we are heartily wishing a better 2012 than 2011 for a whole lot of people, including ourselves -- and ourselves don't have anywhere near as much trouble going on as the others on our list.

Happy New Year to us all.

P.S. Several people have thoughtfully instructed me in the history of the icon I've chosen for the holidays. I knew it already, which, people who know me, if they thought about it for a minute, know. :( 

This is part of why I chose it :) 

k?thx