"We used parsley for our food, our teas, our baths, to cleanse our insides as well as our outsides. Perhaps the Generalissimo in some larger order was trying to do the same for his country."

The Farming of Bones is another well-written masterpiece by Danticat. Danticat is an amazing storyteller who creates a narrative that takes the reader along on a journey they won't soon forget. The narrative told by Amabelle puts the reader back into time along the Haitian-Dominican border. The 'Parsley' massacre is a real event that happened under the reign of Trujillo. The entire Haitian population along the Dominican border were murdered or forced to flee.

The unfolding of understanding that severe persecution was taking place is very historically accurate. The sense of urgency and sudden fleeing of the characters in the book is set in contrast with the slow-moving writing style of Danticat. Amabelle's struggle to accept that persecution was happening can be annoying but I think it is an accurate response for people who have coexisted together for a few generations.

I can see why people might not like The Farming of Bones. I do not think I would have liked it either if I had not studied Dominican history this past semester. I loved the little things Danticat does throughout the stories that I could relate back to what I learned this semester. The historical note at the end might need some updating because it has been proven that civilians did participate and help in killing their Haitian neighbours and friends along the border.

The ending had me wanting to pull my hair out. I wanted something that brought me comfort and happiness. I did not really get that. I got some semblance of sad peace at the end. If you want to know more about the 1937 Massacre. Richard Lee Turits' 'Foundations of Despotism: Peasants, the Trujillo Regime, and Modernity in Dominican History has a chapter dedicated to it which is really good.