Publisher's Synopsis
Miami, Florida in the 1980s was not a friendly place for Haitian immigrants. It was especially hard for teenagers trying to fit in. In 1984 a young Haitian teenager, Phede Eugene committed suicide rather than face the shame of being "outed" as a Haitian to his American friends. This middle-grade fictional story does not address Phede's suicide, but it is informed by the struggles of Haitian and other immigrants trying to acclimate to their new homes.
When Noel and his family move from French-speaking Haiti to Miami, they think they are moving to a better life. But for Noel the move is anything but better. Gramps seems to be getting sicker, Papa and Mama are fighting all the time, and school is terrible! Even soccer, the sport he loves more than anything, seems out of his reach as the boys at his school tease him for being Haitian. Maybe changing his name to sound less Haitian will help him to fit in.
