Brother, I’m Dying is the latest in an impressive body of work from critically acclaimed author Edwidge Danticat. Danticat took the literary world by storm with her 1994 debut, Breath, Eyes, Memory, which was actually her master’s thesis. Since then, the author has won several awards, including National Book Award finalist for Krik? Krak!, and an American Book Award for The Farming of Bones. Most recently, Danticat became one of the 2009 recipients of the prestigious MacArthur Foundation grants.
Her latest work is a powerful memoir that builds on her reputation as a poetic storyteller who weaves her native Haitian Creole tongue and folktales into her stories to give voice to a sorely underrepresented culture in modern American literature. Brother, I’m Dying also deals with the very timely and controversial issue of immigration, as she recounts her family’s experiences as immigrants, as well as the cruel treatment that her uncle receives as a refugee.
From Haiti to America–The Immigrant Experience
Danticat uses flashbacks to recount the story of her family’s immigration to America. Her parents leave first, leaving her and her brother in the care of their uncle until they are able to secure papers for them. Rather than confusing the reader however, the flashbacks serve to show the powerful connection between past and present, ancestors and youth, that is a common theme in her stories.
Also of significance is the juxtaposition of life and death created by the fact that Danticat finds out that she is pregnant on the same day that her family learns that there are no more treatment options available for her father’s lung disease. As new life grows inside of her, she watches helplessly as her father’s life slips away. Danticat involves her readers on a very personal journey as she explores the emotions inside of her and the family dynamics that were shaped in part by their separation and their hopes to find success in America.
Tragedy at the Hands of American Immigration Officials
Central to the book is the tragic fate that befalls her uncle as he flees political violence in Haiti and attempts to seek asylum in America. His detention by U.S. Customs officials and subsequent death made national and international headlines and fueled an already intense debate about immigration.
While much of the immigration debate in America is currently centered on illegal immigrants, there is another aspect to immigration that is often overlooked. Danticat brings up the issue of the double standard of treatment regarding Cuban vs. Haitian refugees. “In Florida, where Cuban refugees are, as long as they’re able to step foot on dry land, immediately processed and released to their families, Haitian asylum seekers are disproportionately detained, then deported.” (Danticat, 2007, p. 222).
The release of official documents surrounding her uncle’s detention and medical treatment shows horrifically substandard care. Using these records, Danticat pieces together a painful timeline of her beloved uncle’s last days and reflects on the irony that he died in a country in which he had hoped to find safety. Even more tragic is the fact that he cannot be buried in his beloved Haiti as he wished, because the family receives word that the same gangs that caused him to flee for his life plan to mutilate his body if it is returned. In life and in death, her uncle becomes a refugee with no real place to call home.
The Death of Danticat's Father
The last chapter, titled simply “Transition”, recounts her father’s last days. He has survived the shock of hearing of his brother’s fate and prepares to be reunited with him in death. Danticat is able to take some solace in the fact that he lives long enough to see her newborn daughter, who she names Mira after him. In doing so, her family circle remains unbroken. One spirit passes but at the same time lives on in a new child.
Brother, I’m Dying is a compelling, satisfying read that deals with issues of family, immigration, and death in a compassionate, poetic tone that is a hallmark of Danticat’s writing style. Her latest work shows why she has become one of America’s beloved young authors.
Danticat, Edwidge (2007). Brother, I’m Dying. New York, Alfred A. Knopf. ISBN 9781400041152
Alana Tutwiler - Alana Tutwiler is a Contributing Writer for Suite101.com. She has a bachelor's degree in Special Education from the University of North ...
