Broken But Not Shattered A Gripping Story of Domestic Abuse Author: Anick Lavigne ISBN: 0741426676 Format: Paperback, 490pp Date Published: 2005 Publisher: Infinity Language: English Price: $21.95 BBP Price: $17.00
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Broken But Not Shattered by Anick Lavigne - A Gripping Story of Domestic Abuse

REVIEWS:

Full of insight and wit, Broken is a personal narrative of recollections of the
critical life events which forged the resilient and resourceful personality of
a Haitian woman. In clear, incisive prose, as well as sacred verses opening
each chapter highlighting major themes, Anick Lavigne certainly adds an
important chapter to autobiography, Haitian creativity and women's Literature.

Broken takes you through the journey of an unconventional heroine who has born
witness to or suffered almost every abuse and familial travesty that exists.
But there is no quitter in this woman. Anick Lavigne does us a great service
by bringing us this istwa-story which bears testimony to the lives of many
women living in Haiti and as immigrants in a new country. She challenges us to
open a door that has been closed for much too long in the Haitian communities
across the United States. The narrative conveys sensibility, courage,
creativity and power. Anick Lavigne is especially adept at treading the path
between oppression and grace. At times, it's a particularly painful path, but
always a compelling one.

- Farah Tanis
Co-Founder, Executive Director
Dwa Fanm


Broken offers a unique perspective into the horrifying conditions that many Haitian girls and women have to endure in abusive families and relationships, and the power of endurance and loving yourself. The narrator experiences more hardships by the time she reaches adolescence than most people experience throughout their lives and in the end finds the strength to live on and even help others. It encompasses the very essence of what it is to struggle, and to persevere. Women find strength in impossible places, and the narrator doesn't hold anything back. At times the reader is pushed beyond their comfort zone, but the author finds a way to keep the pages turning despite the unpleasantness. The author writes about beauty beyond the terrifying, if we might all be so fortunate to find it.

- Estella Rae