Thompson does a fantastic job covering a nation difficult for most outsiders to understand. Lots of historical details, presented in context to the places he's visiting (situation encountered), so that it's rarely dry or overwhelming; he goes off the beaten path often for stories in such remote areas even Haitians are daunted by his plans. Those reading the book for voodoo details might be somewhat disappointed - Thomson does get an entry to that "scene", though near the end, in basically one chapter. On the other hand, he does meet a zombie, doing a terrific job of explaining the background details of that "phenomenon". Highly recommended.