HAITI, THE FIRST INSIDE ACCOUNT: THE DUVALIERS AND THEIR LEGACY Elizabeth Abbott Toronto, McGraw-Hill Ryerson, 1988. 381pp, cloth, $27.50 ISBN 0-07-046029-9 Grades 11 and up/Ages 16 and up Reviewed by Thomas F. Chambers. Volume 17 Number 4 1989 July Haiti has the reputation of being the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere. In a region known for bad governments, it has had one of the worst. Any history of the small island republic is therefore bound to be depressing. Elizabeth Abbott lives in Haiti. She is the senior editor of Haiti Times and is also the sister-in-law of Lieutenant General Henri Namphy, who became the head of Haiti's interim government when Jean-Claude Duvalier (Baby Doc) fled to France in February 1986. The book is more than a history of the Duvalier family, which governed Haiti from 1957 until 1986. It also gives a his­tory of the island during its control by France. Without this background, the Duvaliers are impossible to understand. Haiti was France's richest colony, a source of sugar, coffee, cotton and indigo. To harvest these resources the French im­ported slaves from Africa, who were worked so brutally that they died after a few years. In one hundred years the French killed one million slaves. The French were forced out in 1804 and Haiti was then governed by a succession of ruthless dictators. The Duvaliers were no worse than previous leaders. They simply became better known because communi­cations have improved. There is too much detail in this book. The reader drowns in a sea of petty facts, many of which are unnecessary. Abbott also makes up so much of her story that it borders on fiction. It certainly cannot be considered die authoritative history of Haiti. Thomas F. Chambers, Canadore College of Applied Arts and Technology, North Bay, Ont.