Reviews for A civilization that perished

The average rating for A civilization that perished based on 2 reviews is 3 stars.

Review # 1 was written on 2007-08-19 00:00:00 Moony Zarazki Thompson does a fantastic job covering a nation difficult for most outsiders to understand. Lots of historical details, presented in context to the places he's visiting (situation encountered), so that it's rarely dry or overwhelming; he goes off the beaten path often for stories in such remote areas even Haitians are daunted by his plans. Those reading the book for voodoo details might be somewhat disappointed - Thomson does get an entry to that "scene", though near the end, in basically one chapter. On the other hand, he does meet a zombie, doing a terrific job of explaining the background details of that "phenomenon". Highly recommended.

Review # 2 was written on 2010-07-27 00:00:00 Dillon Shelton Not the best travelogue I've read. At times reads like a personal journal-- and not in a good way. Occasionally inaccurate or incomplete, it gives a broad overview of a good portion of Haitian history, but not enough to make it worth the read. The author sometimes falls into the familiar trap of writing about Haiti with a slightly superior air, and he doesn't do nearly enough to talk with or examine the lives of everyday Haitians, instead focusing mainly on priests, historians, locally famous "oddballs" and the like. The structure of the book also leaves much to be desired, as he bounces back and forth between points in his trip and Haitian history with no real sense of order.