Maps Are Lines We Draw:
A Road Trip through Haiti
Winner of the Gold Book Award from the Society of American Travel Writers
“Pick up this book if you’ve never read anything about Haiti or if you’ve read everything about Haiti: Maps Are Lines We Draw forges a new path.”
— Jen Hirt, author of Under Glass, Hear Me Ohio, and professor at Penn State
“I have read many books on Haiti, but Maps Are Lines We Draw is something different. It is a wonderful and a remarkable work. I recommend all my friends and colleagues read this book.”
— Jean Gardy Marius, MD, founder of Organizasyon Sante Popile
“While travel narratives tend to exalt adventure and escapism, this is a more analytical work… She unpacks the construct of place into a ‘here’ and ‘there,’ and in the process, proves that we are indeed, not as separate from others as certain lines would make us believe.”
“There is a magnitude here, a rare ability to articulate a global empathy despite privileged origins, a stripping of the ego in order to embody the other. Coffelt’s steady gaze and sharp intellect guide and inform without faltering. I’m certain her words will help us re-envision the world and reassess our individual positions in it for years to come.”
— Angela Palm, author of Riverine: A Memoir from Anywhere But Here and winner of the Graywolf Press Nonfiction Prize
“Reflections that are steeped in humility like Coffelt’s are rare and should be required reading for people pursuing short-term work in countries like Haiti.”
— Joia Mukherjee, MD, Chief Medical Officer, Partners In Health, author of An Introduction to Global Health Delivery