When she was 12, she moved from her native Haiti to the United States.
At 25 her first novel, "Breath, Eyes, Memory," was published. This was soon followed by Krik? Krak!, a story collection that was nominated for the National Book Award.
By age 30, "The Farming of Bones," her third novel, was climbing the best seller list.
So who is this young woman with such a mature voice? Her name is Edwidge Danticat.
A graduate of Barnard College with a Masters of Fine Arts from Brown University, Danticat was named as one of the 20 "Best Young American Novelists" by Granta in 1996. She is also a recipient of a Lila Wallace-Readers Digest Foundation grant.
After reading two of her books, it is easy to understand how Danticat received such early acclaim. "Breath, Eyes, Memory" begins in Haiti. Sophie Caco is preparing for her journey to New York City, where she will be reunited with her mother. Aunt Atie, who has raised her since infancy, is helping her come to terms with why she must leave the only home she has ever known and live with a woman she barely remembers.
However, Sophie's real journey begins with relearning what it is to be a daughter. As she travels along the road from childhood to motherhood, we shares the secrets of her family and the political violence of the world she was born into.
Along the way we are introduced to the Haitian culture, traditions and to a country that is as beautiful as it is dangerous. We become involved with the conflicts between her two sets of beliefs and her struggle to make them one. Danticat's third novel is also set in this politically scarred, supernatural region. "The Farming of Bones" is a fictional account, based on history, told to us by a Haitian orphan.
Amabelle grew up in the Dominican household of wealthy landowner Don Ingacio as a servant to his daughter, Valencia. Her saga begins just prior to the 1937 massacre of Haitian immigrants by the military forces of President Trujillo.
Through Amabelle's eyes we experience this modern chapter of Caribbean history. We live with her through the indignity and barbarity of one people against another. We also learn about love, endurance and possibilities of a given lifetime. Again, Danticat paints a picture with her words that is intriguing and inspiring. It is a beautiful narrative of survival in a harsh environment. Both novels are a tribute to the strength and wisdom of Haitian women and to her native Haiti.