Behind the Mountains - by Edwidge Danticat (Paperback)

About the Book

It is election time in Haiti, and bombs are going off in the capital city of Port-au-Prince. During a visit from her home in rural Haiti, Celiane Esperance and her mother are nearly killed. Looking at her country with new eyes, Celiane gains a fresh resolve to be reunited with her father in Brooklyn, New York. The harsh winter and concrete landscape of her new home are a shock to Celiane, who witnesses her parents' struggle to earn a living and her brother's uneasy adjustment to American society, and at the same time encounters her own challenges with learning and school violence. National Book Award finalist Edwidge Danticat weaves a beautiful, honest, and timely story of the American immigrant experience in this luminous novel about resilience, hope, and family. --Back cover.

Book Synopsis

A lyrical and poignant coming-of-age story about one girl's immigration experience, as she moves from Haiti to New York City, by award-winning author Edwidge Danticat.

It is election time in Haiti, and bombs are going off in the capital city of Port-au-Prince. During a visit from her home in rural Haiti, Celiane Espérance and her mother are nearly killed. Looking at her country with new eyes, Celiane gains a fresh resolve to be reunited with her father in Brooklyn, New York.

The harsh winter and concrete landscape of her new home are a shock to Celiane, who witnesses her parents' struggle to earn a living and her brother's uneasy adjustment to American society, and at the same time encounters her own challenges with learning and school violence.

National Book Award finalist Edwidge Danticat weaves a beautiful, honest, and timely story of the American immigrant experience in this luminous novel about resilience, hope, and family.

Review Quotes

Praise for Behind the Mountains:

"The excellence of the writing and the resilient outlook of both first-person fictions set a high standard for this series." -- The Horn Book

Praise for Anacaona, Golden Flower:

"Readers will connect with Danticat's immediate, poetic language." -- Booklist

Praise for Untwine:

NAACP Image Awards Outstanding Literary Work

2015 VOYA Magazine Perfect Ten

CCBC Choices List selection

Bank Street College of Education Best Children's Books of the Year, 2016

New York Public Library Best Books for Teens selection

"I fell in love with Untwine. It's a book I want to give my daughter, my sister, my best friend. Danticat is a master." -- Jacqueline Woodson, National Book Award-winning author of Brown Girl Dreaming

"A genuinely moving exploration of the pain of separation." -- The New York Times Book Review

* "Danticat... shines in this young adult novel... A bit mystery, a bit romance... a touch of humor, well-crafted characters and strong writing make this a book to recommend." -- School Library Journal, starred review

"This tale of grief and resilience should appeal to people who love Danticat's fiction for adults, too[.] Danticat takes several staples of young imaginations (and some old ones, too) -- and spins something beautiful yet down to earth out of each one. While Danticat fully grounds Giselle in her identity as a Haitian-American teen in Miami, this gentle young artist could speak to any teen anywhere coping with a major loss." -- The Philadelphia Inquirer

*"At once heartbreaking and uplifting." -- Publishers Weekly, starred review

"An honest, endearing exploration of family, grief, and perseverance." -- Kirkus Reviews

About the Author

Edwidge Danticat is the author of many award-winning books, including Untwine, an NAACP Image Awards Outstanding Literary Work; Breath, Eyes, Memory, an Oprah's Book Club pick; Krik? Krak!, a National Book Award nominee; Brother, I'm Dying, a National Book Critics Circle winner and Huit jours. She is also a recipient of a MacArthur Genius Grant. Edwidge lives with her family in Miami, Florida.