"For Ezra had dedicated himself to study the Teaching of the Lord so as to observe it, and to reach laws and rules to Israel."

(Ezra 7:10)

"The Holy One, blessed be He, says: If a man occupies himself with the study of the Torah and with works of charity and prays with the congregation, I account it to him as if he had redeemed Me and My children from among the nations of the world."

(Babylonian Talmud, Berakhot, 8a)

This detailed volume presents and analyzes the two worlds of Haiti: one, the rural masses from whom have emerged an original and vibrant culture, and two, the urban-based elites who have saddled the land with an immobile political order unwilling to tackle the enormous economic and social problems the country has faced from independence in 1804 to the present day.

BARBED-WIRE SURGEON is the heroic bestselling WW2 memoir written by Dr. Alfred A. Weinstein originally published in 1948 by the MacMillan Company in hardback. It was also republished in 1965 by Lancer in paperback. From 1948-1965 there were eight printings. It was a selection for the popular Book of the Month Club. In October 2013, BARBED-WIRE SURGEON will be republished once more by Deeds Publishing after being out of print for almost 50 years. A description of the book is best told by Dr. Weinstein himself from the Prologue.... This is a story of G.I. Joe in prison: how he lived, how he adjusted himself to life under the Nips, what he thought about and what he dreamed about. They were a motley, ragged, hungry throng. Under an ugly patina of filth and starvation, their basic individualities continued to glow feebly and occasionally to break forth into flame. Some were rugged, some were weak. As the months faded into years, the feeble faded out of the picture. In the witch's caldron of a Jap prison, G.I. Joe fought for his life with all the breaks against him. Against a somber tapestry of chronic hunger, starvation, and disease, a thin golden thread of the love of a man and woman weaves back and forth. It disappears for months and years, but is ever present. It snaps and breaks, but reappears more vibrant and glowing. Can a woman's love for her man be responsible for the survival of individuality in the face of pestilence and torture? In its broader aspects this is a tale of mankind with his veneer of civilization stripped away.

Political systems seek to bring about improvement in people's lives; but politics in Haiti has only made the Haitians' lives worse. The notion that politics has failed the Haitian people is explored in this in-depth and balanced analysis of Haiti covering the government, economics, history, external relations, social structures, and future possibilities. The Haitian people have significant self-respect gained from independence in 1804 and sustained by widespread ownership of the land. While other books portray Haiti as a passive victim of U.S./capitalist manipulations, this book identifies the causes of widespread poverty and political instability as the result of multiple external and internal factors centered in the elite-mass relationship, with the resourcefulness of the people blocked by greedy governments. While the authors agree that we have made some mistakes in our relationship with Haiti, they do not blame the United States for Haiti's worst political failure, the Duvalierist system. The authors conclude that if the new government of President Aristide keeps its promises, Haiti can improve. Essential to Haiti's recovery are closer ties to the Caribbean and to the EEC, along with a continuing relationship with the United States.

In showing readers the broad historical and cultural patterns in Haiti, the authors contend that while Haiti may seem to be hopeless, its situation economically and politically can be improved. The portrait of the Haitian people is one of self-reliance and creativity, a people eager for free enterprise. Since 1986, Haiti has encountered a favorable external context with the prospect of help from Europe and North America. The Duvalier regime grew out of Haitian realities, and with the help of external relations, the new government may be able to change those realities that still haunt the nation. Scholars and journalists interested in Latin American and Caribbean development, and students of comparative politics and third world countries, will find this study essential reading.

"For Ezra had dedicated himself to study the Teaching of the Lord so as to observe it, and to reach laws and rules to Israel."

(Ezra 7:10)

"The Holy One, blessed be He, says: If a man occupies himself with the study of the Torah and with works of charity and prays with the congregation, I account it to him as if he had redeemed Me and My children from among the nations of the world."

(Babylonian Talmud, Berakhot, 8a)