KRIK? KRAK!

"Krik?" children ask. "Krak!" adults answer. At this ritual exchange, a Haitian adult, who often can neither read nor write, launches into a story about the child's ancestors. It can range from horror to love, from poverty to grace. Narrating Danticat's tales, Robin Miles and Dion Graham permit listeners entrance into a world few Americans can imagine. A boatload of Haitians drowns off Miami, a woman suspected of having flown dies in prison, an American-born daughter is about to marry. In an echo of Danticat's own Haitian experience, a woman who decides to write stories is viewed as shaming the 99 women who have gone before her. Luckily for us, Danticat, like her characters, paid no heed. R.R. © AudioFile 2007, Portland, Maine [Published: OCT/ NOV 07]