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almoser's review against another edition
2.0
I was so excited about this book. Josue's story is important. But the writing was elementary and confusing. All I could think while reading it was how disappointed I was by the writing and how disappointed I was that so much meaning got lost in the jumbled stream of consciousness writing. Sigh.
theshaggyshepherd's review against another edition
4.0
Twelve Unending Summers: Memoir of an Immigrant Child by Cholet Kelly Josue is a book that hit just the right spots for me. In the prologue, he posed the questions “Where did I fully belong? Where could I call home?” As a fellow immigrant that also came to the US as a teenager, his story really resonated with me. While I do not come from a country as poverty stricken and in shambles as he speaks about Haiti being, I understand some of the confusion he felt of being torn between different cultures.
“Out of that catastrophe emerged a question of identity that had been simmering inside me for decades, after having spent all my adult life thinking like an American, after having been assimilated into the American melting pot. Or maybe not so assimilated after all.” No matter what country you are from, I hazard a guess that the majority of immigrants in the US has felt this way at some point. If you are looking for a read that will bring back those memories or want to learn about the struggles that immigrants face in the US, this is the right book for you.
I really enjoyed how he spoke about the importance of education, culture, and finding your place in the world. This is the first book I have read since setting my goal of intentionally seeking out authors from different cultures and I am looking forward to reading more from him on his blog Brain Science.
“Out of that catastrophe emerged a question of identity that had been simmering inside me for decades, after having spent all my adult life thinking like an American, after having been assimilated into the American melting pot. Or maybe not so assimilated after all.” No matter what country you are from, I hazard a guess that the majority of immigrants in the US has felt this way at some point. If you are looking for a read that will bring back those memories or want to learn about the struggles that immigrants face in the US, this is the right book for you.
I really enjoyed how he spoke about the importance of education, culture, and finding your place in the world. This is the first book I have read since setting my goal of intentionally seeking out authors from different cultures and I am looking forward to reading more from him on his blog Brain Science.
saralynnburnett's review against another edition
4.0
This was a very interesting and heartfelt account of the authors journey from the Bahamas to his ancestral home of Haiti and then to America as an illegal immigrant. Not at all surprised that surviving a tropical storm in the Caribbean Sea en route to Miami in a wooden boat was FAR less horrifying than his trials once he arrived in the States.
boundtwobooks's review against another edition
4.0
https://bound2books.co/2020/02/05/twelve-unending-summers-the-importance-of-immigrant-stories/
When I first got this book, the controversy that surrounds the novel American Dirt and immigrant stories had not yet come to the surface. Yet, the conflict surrounding Jeanine Cummins’ novel is not really anything new. Since before post-colonialist studies became stronger in academia, and since immigrant and marginalised voices started talking about their experiences there has always been a question of who is allowed to speak, and more specifically, what are they allowed to speak about?
I do not want to centre novels like American Dirt in discussions on immigration, however, they are part of a bigger picture, and a bigger problem. Until publishing companies are willing to give marginalised voices the platforms they deserve, then there really is no equality. The question of who is allowed to speak is also wrapped up in the question of whose voices get the most praise? Or who are the voices that are the most uplifted in media and publishing? I am a small blog in the grand scheme of things, but I will use this tiny platform to try to do just that, praise and raise awareness of marginalised stories.
With that all said, let’s dive deeper into Twelve Unending Summers. The memoir explores the multifaceted identity of Bahamian-born Haitian Cholet Kelly Josué who immigrated to the U.S. when he was a teenager. His immigration story is complex as he came to Florida with the help of human trafficking boats from Haiti. His mother went first and then later brought him to the U.S. His immigration story is also a story of community and resilience. It is also coupled with grief and anger at the system that made him illegal in the first place. There is love for Haiti and his childhood, and there is also real pain at seeing the poverty and corruption in the country of his childhood.
“I was both sad and relieved to leave Haiti and return to my comfortable life, the guilt almost suffocating as I stood in the long line of passengers waiting to board the American Airlines flight back to Miami.”
Throughout the memoir Josué seems to grapple with the push and pull of Haitian culture and his subsequent americanisation after he arrived in Florida. The extreme’s of this coming out in the Haitian practices and superstitions surrounding voodoo, and learning how to do things, the American way.
“One of the main reasons some people feel they have no other options than to take the illegal route is that they realize that the immigration system has been corrupted across multiple borders, rendering it a transnational form of corruption.”
Having been an immigrant myself, and being married to an immigrant has given me, for better or for worse, a deep understanding of the fears and hopes that immigration stories share. People in government offices hold your life in their hands and you are forced to give over your agency to someone else. That person will ultimately judge you worthy, a ‘good’ immigrant, or not. Immigration laws tear families apart and the real anxiety and worry about keeping families together can feel overwhelming sometimes. On top of that, immigration laws can change whenever governments feel like it, so the rules that got you into a country might not be the same when you ask to stay longer.
Josué’s memoir offers another voice to the immigrant experience, one that is extremely important for people to read in today’s current political climate. I urge people to listen to immigrant voices and their individuality. Look beyond lumping everyone in the same tarnished group and look for compassion and understanding. Josué’s life is extremely lucky. He was one of the immigrants that was able to become legal in America. To obtain degrees and become a fully functioning member of society as a doctor, yet his story is not the same for everyone.
What memoirs are you reading at the moment? As always, share the reading love.
Note: this novel was accessed through Netgalley for review purposes.
When I first got this book, the controversy that surrounds the novel American Dirt and immigrant stories had not yet come to the surface. Yet, the conflict surrounding Jeanine Cummins’ novel is not really anything new. Since before post-colonialist studies became stronger in academia, and since immigrant and marginalised voices started talking about their experiences there has always been a question of who is allowed to speak, and more specifically, what are they allowed to speak about?
I do not want to centre novels like American Dirt in discussions on immigration, however, they are part of a bigger picture, and a bigger problem. Until publishing companies are willing to give marginalised voices the platforms they deserve, then there really is no equality. The question of who is allowed to speak is also wrapped up in the question of whose voices get the most praise? Or who are the voices that are the most uplifted in media and publishing? I am a small blog in the grand scheme of things, but I will use this tiny platform to try to do just that, praise and raise awareness of marginalised stories.
With that all said, let’s dive deeper into Twelve Unending Summers. The memoir explores the multifaceted identity of Bahamian-born Haitian Cholet Kelly Josué who immigrated to the U.S. when he was a teenager. His immigration story is complex as he came to Florida with the help of human trafficking boats from Haiti. His mother went first and then later brought him to the U.S. His immigration story is also a story of community and resilience. It is also coupled with grief and anger at the system that made him illegal in the first place. There is love for Haiti and his childhood, and there is also real pain at seeing the poverty and corruption in the country of his childhood.
“I was both sad and relieved to leave Haiti and return to my comfortable life, the guilt almost suffocating as I stood in the long line of passengers waiting to board the American Airlines flight back to Miami.”
Throughout the memoir Josué seems to grapple with the push and pull of Haitian culture and his subsequent americanisation after he arrived in Florida. The extreme’s of this coming out in the Haitian practices and superstitions surrounding voodoo, and learning how to do things, the American way.
“One of the main reasons some people feel they have no other options than to take the illegal route is that they realize that the immigration system has been corrupted across multiple borders, rendering it a transnational form of corruption.”
Having been an immigrant myself, and being married to an immigrant has given me, for better or for worse, a deep understanding of the fears and hopes that immigration stories share. People in government offices hold your life in their hands and you are forced to give over your agency to someone else. That person will ultimately judge you worthy, a ‘good’ immigrant, or not. Immigration laws tear families apart and the real anxiety and worry about keeping families together can feel overwhelming sometimes. On top of that, immigration laws can change whenever governments feel like it, so the rules that got you into a country might not be the same when you ask to stay longer.
Josué’s memoir offers another voice to the immigrant experience, one that is extremely important for people to read in today’s current political climate. I urge people to listen to immigrant voices and their individuality. Look beyond lumping everyone in the same tarnished group and look for compassion and understanding. Josué’s life is extremely lucky. He was one of the immigrants that was able to become legal in America. To obtain degrees and become a fully functioning member of society as a doctor, yet his story is not the same for everyone.
What memoirs are you reading at the moment? As always, share the reading love.
Note: this novel was accessed through Netgalley for review purposes.
gothicvamperstein's review against another edition
4.0
Twelve Undending Summers is a raw and honest memoir about being an immigrant, ending up having several identities and not quite fit into any of them. It's also a book about hope, courage and doing what you got to do in order to survive.
books_with_tutusandsons's review against another edition
3.0
Although the author himself is really an impressive character and the story of his coming to America and becoming a citizen is indeed a story of sucess and persistance, I found the writing a bit confusing. It took me time to get through first few chapters and although I got caught up in it afterwards, I still feel like its missing someting.
Anyway, I reccomend it as a way to learn more about Haitian lifestyle and as a short insight in a immigrants way of life / story of a succes.
Thank you NetGalley for a free copy in exchange for my honest review
Anyway, I reccomend it as a way to learn more about Haitian lifestyle and as a short insight in a immigrants way of life / story of a succes.
Thank you NetGalley for a free copy in exchange for my honest review
samanthaisonline's review
3.75
Twelve Unending Summers is a memoir by a Haitian-Bahamian-American man as he explores his tangled sense of identity and self. He discusses illegal immigration and being sent away from home and losing the most important people to you.
It's a very interesting read and it's actually quite short. There are a couple chapters near the beginning that drag a little but overall it's a moving memoir that's full to the brim of life.
(Thanks to NetGalley for giving me an advanced readers copy in return for an honest review.)
It's a very interesting read and it's actually quite short. There are a couple chapters near the beginning that drag a little but overall it's a moving memoir that's full to the brim of life.
(Thanks to NetGalley for giving me an advanced readers copy in return for an honest review.)
hypocritehippie's review
5.0
As a white woman from NYC, I don't have much in common with Dr. Josue except for one major similarity: not being from just one place and trying to identify oneself according to where one is from. I've bounced around Queens and Brooklyn all my life and now am a Californian transplant. Dr. Josue's book has made me reflect on my own upbringing and background, and has invited me to consider what parts of me are from where. I enjoyed this book so much. It was a lovely read and I found such delight in the imagery used to paint the picture of those hot Caribbean summers. Looking forward to following him on his journey.
books_with_tutusandsons's review
3.0
Although the author himself is really an impressive character and the story of his coming to America and becoming a citizen is indeed a story of sucess and persistance, I found the writing a bit confusing. It took me time to get through first few chapters and although I got caught up in it afterwards, I still feel like its missing someting.
Anyway, I reccomend it as a way to learn more about Haitian lifestyle and as a short insight in a immigrants way of life / story of a succes.
Thank you NetGalley for a free copy in exchange for my honest review
Anyway, I reccomend it as a way to learn more about Haitian lifestyle and as a short insight in a immigrants way of life / story of a succes.
Thank you NetGalley for a free copy in exchange for my honest review
saralynnburnett's review
4.0
This was a very interesting and heartfelt account of the authors journey from the Bahamas to his ancestral home of Haiti and then to America as an illegal immigrant. Not at all surprised that surviving a tropical storm in the Caribbean Sea en route to Miami in a wooden boat was FAR less horrifying than his trials once he arrived in the States.