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    Krik? Krak!
    Krik? Krak!
    Krik? Krak!
    Audiobook4 hours

    Krik? Krak!

    Written by Edwidge Danticat

    Narrated by Robin Miles and Dion Graham

    4/5

    ()

    About this audiobook

    American Book Award-winning author Edwidge Danticat earned a National Book Award nomination for this brilliant collection of stories, which includes Pushcart Prize winner "Between the Pool and the Gardenias." A "remarkably gifted writer" (Publishers Weekly), Danticat examines the brutality of her native Haiti, particularly as it affects women, in tales that soar with raw emotion. "Spare, elegant and moving, these stories cohere into a superb collection." -Publishers Weekly
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherRecorded Books, Inc.
    Release dateMar 4, 2008
    ISBN9781440797279
    Krik? Krak!
    Author

    Edwidge Danticat

    Edwidge Danticat is the author of several books, including Breath, Eyes, Memory, an Oprah's Book Club selection; Krik? Krak!, a National Book Award finalist; The Farming of Bones, an American Book Award winner; and the novel-in-stories, The Dew Breaker. She is the editor of The Butterfly’s Way: Voices from the Haitian Diaspora in the United States and The Beacon Best of 2000: Great Writing by Men and Women of All Colors and Cultures, Haiti Noir and Haiti Noir 2, and Best American Essays 2011. She has written several books for young adults and children—Anacaona, Behind the Mountains, Eight Days, The Last Mapou, Mama's Nightingale, and Untwine—as well as a travel narrative, After the Dance, A Walk Through Carnival in Jacmel. Her memoir, Brother, I’m Dying, was a 2007 finalist for the National Book Award and a 2008 winner of the National Book Critics Circle Award for autobiography. She is a 2009 MacArthur Fellow.

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    Reviews for Krik? Krak!

    4/5

    243 ratings14 reviews

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    • 5/5
      Powerful short story collection giving insight to the political turbulence in Haiti, the culture & immigrant experience. It shows the lived experience of individuals vividly and profoundly.
    • 5/5
      So well written. Full of passion, lyrical, poetic, mystical. I thoroughly enjoyed it.
    • 5/5
      Another wonderful novel by Author that always weave a nostalgic tone of the Haitian culture
    • 5/5
      Breathtaking. I find that Danticat creates rich scenes, characters, dialogues, and ideas in her vignettes, but they somehow weave together to create a cohesive story collection. While I typically give short story collections 3 or 4 stars, this one wrapped the stories together, not by character or cohesiveness of plot, but by the beauty of the idea ("Krik?" "Krak!") as a means of how we tell stories about ourselves and our histories. Highly recommended.
    • 5/5
      These are painful, beautiful stories of families struggling under the reign of the Tonton Macout. Most are set in Haiti; others take place where exiles have sought safety.Many of the stories show the strain on families in these terrible times: a woman who lives by prostitution prays that her son won't hear the noise from the corner where he sleeps; people attempt escapes on leaky boats; a daughter visits her mother in prison, where she stands accused of witchcraft even after she dies; a woman unable to hold a pregnancy picks up a dead infant left on the street, and pretends the child is simply quiet. Threats are everywhere, and illogical. These are pictures of a country in the midst of trauma, and families trying not to look, not to be targets themselves.
    • 5/5
      Short stories of the Haitian experience (both in Haiti and New York). Some of these (especially Night Women) can almost be read as poems . Excellent.Contents: Children of the sea; Nineteen thirty-seven; A wall of fire rising; Night women; Between the pool and the gardenias; The missing peace; Seeing things simply; New York day women; Caroline's wedding; Epilogue: Women like us.
    • 4/5
      rabck from sweetsangria; short story collection, most set in Haiti, last few in New York with ties to Haiti. From living in Florida, with many Haitian refugees, this is reality for today's Haiti. Harsh and difficult life in Haiti is spotlighted in some of the stories.
    • 5/5
      This was a gripping journey through multiple generations of Haitian women and the people they love. The lyrical prose and stark reality of this work of fiction keep a firm grip on your heart as you read. It is foreign and familiar at the same time.

      I always appreciate folklore and this is a fine example of folklore translated by a modern women on the cusp between cultures and times.
    • 4/5
      a friend gave me this book during rather a difficult time in my life - witnesses have said that my eyes were pointing in different directions, whatever - and what i remember appreciating most is the fact that they were short stories, so i could set the book down at regular intervals.

      but. then i started reading it. and the stories, they were wonderful. touching, enigmatic (but that might not have all been the stories), and written in a crystalline style that i have always appreciated. the book never got put down for any significant length of time.
    • 5/5
      Why did I wait so long to read this book?! This collection of short stories, focusing on Haitian women and women of Haitian descent, deftly demonstrates the social and political culture of the country. Danticat gives readers a real feel for island values and beliefs through her characters' actions and words. Some of the stories are heart-wrenching, but all of them are beautifully told. I love it when an author gets her message across without directly stating what she wants readers to know.
    • 5/5
      This novel weaves the narrations of various female narrators from Haiti. The narrators or storyteller each have strong cultural ties to Haiti, and their narrations capture the hardships of their lives. The stories are written in dialect, which can be challenging for some readers. There are also some adult themes that may not be appropriate for a younger audience. The text is rich with symbolism, thematic meaning, and various literary devices. Can be taught as a whole novel or as individual short stories.
    • 4/5
      Krik? Krak!, a book of short stories about Haitian women, is my favorite of Edwidge Danticat's works. Aside from the first and middle stories, men are tangential to women's lives, being portrayed only as love objects, parental figures or feared oppressors. The stories show Haitians living lives filled with beauty, love, intelligence and fear, in an environment of the most severe poverty and oppression. I would recommend it to anyone as an introduction to Danticat. Then if they could stand the mother in the last story they could move on to Breath, Eyes and Memory where her personality is multiplied by 10.
    • 5/5
      Great collection of short stories set in Haiti and in New York City. They are all intertwined, with characters in one, also in another. Junot Diaz, Dominican Republic short story collection, follows this style.
    • 3/5
      In the wake of the recent tragedy in Haiti, I picked this book from my shelves hoping to learn more about the island than what’s routinely published and/or reported. I believe some of the incidents in the stories relate to the author’s own experiences and/or personal observations. These tales of sadness have allowed me to see beyond the peaceful countenance prevalent on many of Danticat’s jacket cover photos. They confirm the wistfulness I thought I detected under her peaceful expression. I’m convinced this complex of emotions contributes to her skill as a writer. A “Krik? Krak!” session is a celebration of Haiti’s oral culture. The storyteller will inquire of the audience, “Krik?” (pronounced “cree”). The collective response, “Krak!” (pronounced “crock”) signals the storyteller to begin. Though some of the stories are quite depressing, I appreciate the author’s use of the playful, love-struck, parent-defying characters usually found in more light-hearted works. Writing is in Danticat’s blood; and her love for it is subtly revealed throughout this fictional collection by the connecting thread of an underlying reference to writers, journalists, tourists, etc. I was pleased at the reappearance of some of the characters in subsequent stories. It introduced a cohesiveness throughout the collection that I did not expect. I was intrigued by Danticat’s use of undated journal entries in “Children of the Sea,” a charming tale of distant lovers. It opens tenderly with an entry from the young man’s journal. He has been forced to the sea, in escape of authorities for acts of civil disobedience. The young girl is at home with her protective parents. As I read through the couple’s exchanges, I came to the understanding that their separation was merely physical. Through their journal entries, they were essentially communicating soul-to-soul. I think the author used this form to demonstrate the power of the written word on the heart.Other favorites in this collection were “New York Day Women” and “Caroline’s Wedding.” I would have liked to read about hope or promise in the epilogue. Instead it was a narration based on the prior generation’s viewpoint; and, therefore, equally depressing -- offering only doses of mother-wit and discouragement for an aspiring writer. Krik? Krak! satisfied my quest for a working knowledge of the culture, customs, and political oppression in Haiti. After viewing the author’s suggested reading list, I have potentially selected The Rainy Season: Haiti Since Duvalier by Amy Wilentz as a trusted and documented source for more information.Due to problems I have with religious differences that became apparent in this work, I recommend it with reservations. Danticat is a very talented writer. But I don’t think I want to tackle, Breath, Eyes, Memory just yet. I've begun reading The Farming of Bones which, from all appearances, will merit a more favorable review of this great young author’s talent. (1995, 224 pages, $20.00)