Beginning ~ in a taxi

Homelands: Women's Journeys Across Race, Place, and Time ~ edited by Patricia Justine Tumang and Jenesha de Rivera, foreword by Edwidge Danticat, 2006, women's studies

I always talk to cabdrivers, because my father was one.  If they are black and from the Caribbean, I survey their ID cards and mull over their French-sounding names before cautiously asking, "Haitian?"

Edwidge Danticat wrote that, which comes from the first page of the foreword.  I really liked her 1994 novel Breath, Eyes, Memory, which was my introduction to the Haitian-American experience.  Now she is drawing me into a book about immigrants from a variety of places.  Summary from the back cover:

"In these poignant essays, women writers explore the complexities of immigration, war, exile, and diaspora as they seek to redefine and reclaim the meaning of homeland.  Whether home is an actual geographic place, a self-defined community, a cultural heritage, or a wavering memory, Homelands reveals a truth that is known by all who have wandered from their roots."

If you want to play along, this meme is hosted by Katy at A Few More Pages. Share the first sentence or two of the book you are reading. (Sometimes it takes several sentences to get the full thought.) Then, share your impressions of that beginning.  Click this link to see what others say about the books they are reading this week.