A history of Haiti’s long struggle for freedom and civil society.

Milien begins his study of Haiti’s troubled past on a personal note—he recalls putting on his best clothes and attempting to participate in his native land’s first free democratic election in decades, only to have the day dissolve into the infamous violence of the Ruelle Vaillant massacre of 1987. That event led the author to ask one essential question: Why must democracy cost so much in blood? Milien provides a comprehensive tour of Haiti’s past, including its long tenure as a colonial possession worked by African slaves, followed by the 1804 revolution (“which created the world’s first Black republic but also provoked isolation and punishment from the global powers of the time”), the U.S. occupation from 1915 to 1934, the Duvalier dictatorship, and the poverty and turmoil of recent years after the nominal establishment of democracy in 1994. Key inflection points are fleshed out, perhaps most crucially the end of the Duvalier dictatorship, when Jean-Claude “Baby Doc” Duvalier fled into exile in France. “He took with him millions in stolen state funds and left behind a broken country,” Milien writes, “bruised, impoverished, and desperate for change.” Alongside all these events, the author traces the spiritual practice of vodou, which he points out is usually badly misunderstood outside Haitian society. “To understand Haiti’s democratic struggle, one must understand vodou,” he contends, “not as folklore but as a living force of cultural identity.” He concludes his treatment with a series of prescriptions for Haiti’s future.

Milien’s prose is engaging and unadorned, mostly at the cost of granular detail; no matter what period of Haiti’s history the author addresses, many far more in-depth studies are available to readers wanting more information (the book’s References section isn’t extensive, but it’s a good place to start). The narrative’s greatest strength by far is not historical rigor but rather the evocation of the kind of spiritual resistance the author attributes to vodou. Milien returns regularly to the philosophical underpinnings of national rebirth, applying these precepts to the steps Haiti would need to take in order to strengthen its chances for a brighter future. “What Haiti needs is a moral awakening—a transformation that touches not just laws but lives,” Milien writes. “A return to conscience. A resurrection of the spirit.” He outlines the social pillars that are essential to a working free country, laying out ideas about reforming tax codes, improving schooling, and changing the role of the media, which “must not simply report what is—it must illuminate what could be,” the author writes. “In a land often flooded with bad news, journalism must become a lantern, not just a mirror.” Readers coming to the book hoping for a more in-depth history of Haiti’s history might find the ideological emphasis a bit disappointing, but the defiant optimism Milien expresses about his country’s future—his strong belief that “no obstacle is insurmountable” if the country stays true to its own aspirational past—is the book’s most memorable element.

A spiritual and uplifting look at how Haiti can build on its troubled past to build a brighter future.

In this “guidebook for the soul,” Milien offers his thoughts on the inner transformation necessary to unite with the Monad, or “the divine and indivisible” source of all beings.

Early on, the author states his belief that one’s highest purpose is to evolve spiritually; unfortunately, he says, society focuses on materialism, leading to moral failings and “unchecked desires and vanities.” Milien cites historical figures, such as Siddhartha Gautama and Mahatma Gandhi, as examples of people connecting with the divine essence. According to the author, “true morality” arises out of “universal principles that guide humanity toward righteousness, self-discovery, and self-development.” He argues for moral responsibility, awareness of one’s knowledge and freedom, and application of the Golden Rule. In order to achieve a life of integrity and fulfillment, Milien asserts that people must “become virtuosos of virtue.” Embracing life’s beauty and being aware of potential danger are crucial, as is developing one’s willpower, he says. The author bemoans the deterioration of the “sacred bond” between men and women and encourages couples to “complete each other.” Readers are warned about how negative peer influences, powerful institutions, and harmful pleasures can give rise to “vampires” who drain the spirit and incite despair. He also recommends boundaries regarding media consumption to protect one’s mental health. Milien asserts that deliberate choices and intentions direct people’s lives more than external circumstances do, and he advises readers to slow down and let life unfold at its own pace. He concludes by reiterating that transcendence should always be one’s goal.

This essay collection effectively aims to provide a clear, persuasive way to align oneself with moral laws and the divine essence. Milien emphasizes traits such as prudence, temperance, and restraint, which, in some circles, seem to have fallen out of fashion. He also approaches ethical dilemmas from creative vantage points; for example, he uses William Shakespeare’s Macbeth to discuss how violence leads to disorder and self-destruction. Milien also considers the ethics of advanced technology and its psychological implications. Throughout, the book asks probing questions, such as, “Will we choose the path of wholeness, or will we persist in the emptiness of resistance?” However, at times, it idealizes the past and makes broad generalizations, particularly regarding marriage: “Over time, human beings created civilizations, and they thrived on such sacred relationships. However, due to such factors as moral decay, lust, greed, and jealousy, this balance has eroded in the modern era, giving rise to discord in relationships, weakening family structures, and contributing to societal fragmentation.” The work also makes gender-essentialist claims, such as that “many women no longer see themselves as life-givers” and that men are “abusing their partners, using them for pleasures or economic profits,” but fails to provide empirical evidence supporting them. Also, although this guide draws inspiration from a wide range of thinkers, from Aristotle and the Buddha to Carl Jung and Nelson Mandela, its sources are overwhelmingly male. Female philosophers, theologians, and psychologists are excluded from the conversation, and female authors are mentioned only in the context of their male characters or subjects, although Mother Teresa and Helen Keller are mentioned as role models.

A thought-provoking guide to spiritual ascendance that’s hampered by a few outdated notions.

A plan for developing greater self-fulfillment in the modern world.

Wisdom, writes Milien, is “the leverage we need to find happiness in this world,” and according to him, one of the central requirements of wisdom is a belief that one possesses an immortal spirit inside their body: “We are a vehicle of the divine spirit,” he writes, “the invisible and immortal principle within us, our divine essence, the spark of the Great Light within us, which is not extinguishable, not a body that must satisfy its craving at the expense of others.” According to Milien, humans are not merely their physical forms or personalities, but something more profound: “We are a spirit, and when we stop to identify ourselves with them, we will be happy.” He attempts to delineate three different intersecting worlds of human experience—the divine, the intellectual, and the physical—and maintains that concentration on each one of these worlds will yield different results: “If our will is sincerely interested in divine affairs,” for instance, “if it wants to reflect in this world the will of God to manifest good and prevent evil, our mind will inevitably be oriented toward that purpose.” If a person is not genuine in how they’re “enjoying the material world, possession in the name of God, or glorifying God,” Milien asserts, the person will be a “pretender,” enjoying what the author calls “fake happiness.” One can’t become wise if one “ignore[s] the concept of morals, laws, will, the mind, and the imagination,” Milien contends, further asserting that without such self-knowledge, one can’t be happy.

Since the central tenet and requirement of Milien’s worldview are essentially matters of religious belief, his book is clearly intended for readers of spiritual texts who mostly align with his own beliefs. Some of his claims aren’t convincingly supported, as when he writes that “we will sustain our happiness and create a story when we believe we are a Spiritual Being and understand that spirituality is KNOWING before experiencing the divine experience”; many readers will immediately think of plenty of people who create stories without believing that they are Spiritual Beings. Similarly, when the author writes that “life is very complex, making happiness merely an affair of genuine intelligence, not continued follies,” readers will immediately think of counterexamples. That said, the writer’s concepts of spirituality and personal growth are vague enough that some readers will find them applicable to their own lives, and some, such as “If we have a genuine will, we will see the light shine in our environment and the happiness we seek,” may strike some as a bracing breath of fresh air. But at every turn, readers will find assertions that are contradicted by their own experience, such as “Nothing can resist a firm will that loves the truth and justice.” Readers who share Milien’s version of fundamentalist Christianity, who are apparently his target audience, may take away some inspiration from these pages. Others, however, are likely to find themselves confused.

A highly spiritual but muddled look at finding inspiration in life.