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43 pages 1 hour read

The Big Truck That Went By: How the World Came to Save Haiti and Left Behind a Disaster

Nonfiction | Book | Adult | Published in 2013

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Key Figures

Jonathan M. Katz

Jonathan M. Katz is been a reporter and editor for the Associated Press. His many assignments include stints covering Jerusalem, the Dominican Republic, and the Pentagon. He lived in and reported on Haiti from 2007 to2011 and was the only full-time American reporter stationed there during the 2010 earthquake. His extensive reporting included the collapse of the Pétion-Ville school, election fraud, obstacles to post-quake reconstruction, American political interference, and the cholera epidemic triggered by a United Nations peacekeeping force. Katz won the 2010 Medill Medal for Courage in Journalism for his reporting on the earthquake and its aftermath. Later assignments include reporting on the drug wars in Mexico. and police violence in North Carolina. Katz is also a regular contributor to The New York Times. As of 2020, he is currently working on a book about the legacy of the American empire.

Evens Sanon

Evens Sanon, a Haitian native and "fixer," acts as Katz's intermediary, translating when necessary, providing transportation, and negotiating logistical and cultural obstacles. Sanon is also a journalist in his own right, reporting on political and social issues in his native country. Sanon's assistance is crucial in a variety of situations. He helps Katz escape the crumbling AP house during the earthquake; he adds a persuasive