Danticat's "Create Dangerously" Makes Free-Speech Reading List (Princeton University Press)

Edwidge Danticat's book, "Create Dangerously: The Immigrant Artist at Work," was selected by Princeton University Press for a reading list titled, "On the freedom to read, speak, and exchange ideas."

Her 2010 book was among 11 books the press selected for its topical list published April 14. Danticat is the Wun Tsun Tam Mellon Professor of the Humanities in the Department of African American and African Diaspora Studies at Columbia University.

"The books on this list underscore the enduring importance of dialogue across differences," reads the introduction to the list. "From a history of global protest movements to the challenges that colleges and universities in the United States are currently facing, they demonstrate how open discourse is a necessary force for human connection, social progress, and democratic resilience."

Among the books on the list include the following:

• "Speak Freely: Why Universities Must Defend Free Speech," by Keith E. Whittington;
• "Protest! A History of Social and Political Protest Graphics," by Liz McQuiston; and
• "The Loud Minority: Why Protests Matter in American Democracy," by Daniel Q. Gillion

The piece included the following description of Danticat's book:

"In this deeply personal book, the celebrated Haitian-American writer Edwidge Danticat reflects on art and exile, examining what it means to be an immigrant artist from a country in crisis. Inspired by Albert Camus’ lecture, “Create Dangerously,” and combining memoir and essay, Danticat tells the stories of artists, including herself, who create despite—or because of—the horrors that drove them from their homelands."