4 out of 4 stars
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Perspective Is Reality, by Orlando Morel, gives an account of the author's life journey as a Haitian immigrant in America. At the age of six, Orlando and his mother boarded a small overcrowded boat bound for Florida, fleeing from the harsh political and economic conditions in Haiti. Afterwards, the boat was intercepted by the United States Coast Guard, and instead of being sent back to Haiti, Orlando's mother was separated from her son and taken to a hospital in Maryland, due to her health condition. Later on, Louise, her translator and a medical technologist who immigrated from Haiti many years ago, tracked down Orlando, and a few weeks later, he and his mother were reunited.
After a short while, Orlando's mother passed away, and Louise adopted him. She took good care of him; put him through school, instilled discipline in him, and ensured he made the right choices. Eventually, in spite of racism, identity crisis, and other life challenges, Orlando became an officer in the United States military and got engaged to his girlfriend in the White House. Actually, this publication reveals life in America from the author's point of view. According to him, some of the people he wrote the book for are "Black Americans who are or were called white and not deemed black enough throughout their lives." He encourages them, telling them not to mistake culture for race or let their skin color define them.
Perspective Is Reality is engaging and inspiring. It's fascinating and easy to read. I like the author's straightforward writing style. The narration is smooth and gripping. Being a short read, under 200 pages, I finished reading it in one day, and it was enjoyable and worth my while. From Orlando's life journey, I could see that anyone can become successful in life if they stay focused on their goals, no matter where they were born and the challenges that come to them. Included in the book are some photos which make the story more relatable.
This nonfictional book shows the tough life in Haiti before and after the 2010 Haiti earthquake. Also, it reveals Orlando's experiences as a Coast Guard. After telling his story, he examines racism and white privilege in America, stating that "black people do not hate white people. What black people hate is racism, white privilege, and the unjust system." Again, he tells that the book is for every race, especially blacks, to enable them to change the way they live. He advises them to respect others.
Overall, I rate Perspective Is Reality 4 out of 4 stars. I didn't rate it lower because it is intriguing. It contains some valuable life lessons, and it was well edited; I noticed only a couple of grammatical errors. I don't think there is anyone who wouldn't enjoy reading the book, except readers who don't like reading non-fiction books for personal reasons.
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Perspective Is Reality
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