Fault Lines

“When I first went to Haiti in 1990, everyone said I couldn’t find a better teacher than Beverly Bell. Now, over twenty years later, the same is still true. Bell’s firsthand reporting reveals much to readers about Haiti's history and tragic earthquake, but the real takeaway is about the brighter future that social movements are building there. Fault Lines is a must-read for everyone—in Haiti or elsewhere—who wants to be a part of building that brighter future because, as Bell explains, it is going to take us all.”—Annie Leonard, creator, Story of Stuff

“In this magnificent book, Beverly Bell has captured the soul and spirit of the Haitian people. She brings their experience with the earthquake to life on the page and makes it clear how much energy and vision they have for the rebuilding of their country and how regularly they are ignored, abused, squelched in their fervent desire to be part of the effort. She castigates the government and private interests whose post-earthquake investments in Haiti are in their own interests and not in the interests of the Haitians.”—Ruth Messinger, President, American Jewish World Service

“Fault Lines could just as well be called Hold Strong. These stories of individual Haitians’ resistance and commitment, love, and hard work, compel us all to recommit to social justice and change. Whether our focus is rights at work, community organizing, or democracy, this read—while at times heartbreaking—is in the end inspirational.”—Larry Cohen, President, Communications Workers of America

“Fault Lines is a pathbreaking book. It is very well written and poignant. It is gripping, emotionally rich, and hard to put down. It contains detailed information that will be useful in the classroom and for churches, labor unions, solidarity movements, activists, and aid workers involved in Haiti’s recovery from the earthquake. Beverly Bell gives readers an ultimately inspiring account of the disaster from the point of view of the Haitian people.”—Mark Schuller, Northern Illinois University, author of Killing with Kindness: Haiti, International Aid, and NGOs

“The breadth and scope of observation and analysis Beverly Bell offers in Fault Lines is very rare. The length of time she has spent in Haiti, the wide array of experiences she has had there, and the variety of roles she has played both ‘on the ground’ and from a distance (as a writer and activist in the United States) allow her to provide a level of insight that would be virtually impossible for most observers of Haiti to achieve. The numerous quotations she provides from Haitians themselves are powerful and, again, all too rare in accounts of Haiti.”—Jennie Smith-Paríolá, author of When the Hands Are Many: Community Organization and Social Change in Rural Haiti