Paul Lea

Live or Die: the Struggle to Survive by the People of Haiti Paul Lea

When Paul Lea's daughter, Victoria, told him about her planned mission trip with a group of students to Haiti in 2003 to work with orphans, he was not certain how to react-especially when she surprised him by telling him that he would be joining her. After he got used to the idea, he worked closely with his daughter in preparing supplies for them to take for the Haitians. When the day of their trip finally arrived, Victoria became ill-and was ultimately too sick to make the trip. Paul decided to go without her and document everything that he experienced to share with her. In Live or Die, he chronicles, in aching detail, the terrible conditions in which the children live in Haiti. Through his narrative, we come to know the orphan children he met and the Haitians who worked alongside him. To Paul, the real tragedy is that the women and children of Haiti cannot escape the vicious cycle of poverty and terrible living conditions. Even though the Haitian people have suffered unspeakable abuses throughout their country's history, they have remained a proud people. Despite the fact Haiti is considered the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere, they have never given up their dream of being able to live freely and govern themselves. In Live and Die, Paul Lea shares his unforgettable experiences and hopes for the people he worked with in Haiti.