Two New Books on the Aftermath of the 2010 Earthquake that Devastated Haiti
Michael Capponi is a successful nightclub owner and well-known philanthropist living in South Beach, Florida. In 2010, he founded Capponi Construction Group to pursue his vision of economic development in South Florida. Since the Haitian Earthquake, Michael Capponi has committed his time, energy, and expertise to helping the people of Haiti redevelop and restore their country.
In January 2013, two books were released in time for the third anniversary of the Haitian earthquake of 2010. Amy Wilentz’s Farewell, Fred Voodoo and Jonathan Katz’s The Big Truck That Went By both attempt to paint a vivid picture of the quake’s aftermath and its effects on people both the Haitians themselves and outsiders who ventured there with a mind to bring relief of one kind or another. Katz’s book maintains a tone that is in keeping with his background as a reporter for the Associated Press, an account filled with the indignation of an outsider watching the glacial pace of redevelopment and the ways government officials at all levels succeeded and failed in the process.
Wilentz, on the other hand, presented her narrative from a far different position. She has lived in Haiti periodically for over 25 years and therefore has a fuller understanding of how the country works (or does not, as the case may be). She offers a consistent critique of all sides for the failures experienced in Haiti following the quake and self-consciously delves into her own role as a non-Haitian living in Haiti.
Michael Capponi 