For Whom the Dogs Spy

When the 2010 earthquake struck Haiti, Raymond Joseph, the former Haitian ambassador to the United States, found himself rushing back to his beloved country. The earthquake ignited a passion in Joseph, inspiring him to run for president against great competition, including two well-known Haitian pop stars, his nephew Wyclef Jean and Michel Martelly. But he couldn’t compete in a democratic system corrupt to the core.

Joseph’s insider’s account—having served four presidents—explores the country’s unfolding democracy. He unearths the hidden stories of Haiti’s cruel dictators, focusing on the tyranny of François “Papa Doc” Duvalier, who used the legend of voodoo to bewitch the country into fearing him.

Joseph’s terrifying experiences while infiltrating the father-son regime are chilling. Threatened by Duvalier’s budding gestapo-like police, Joseph sought sanctuary in America. His grueling experience in Haitian politics gave him a unique outlook on international affairs, and he excelled in his ambassadorial career in the United States.

Deep personal knowledge of politics allows Joseph to speak candidly about Haitian history. Readers will be surprised at how important the country of Haiti has been in global (and especially American) history. In this decades-spanning work, he challenges common misconceptions about Haiti. The country is rarely referenced without a mention of it being the “poorest in the Western Hemisphere,” a reductive label unfit for summarizing its rich history. There is no discussion around Haitian history beyond the war of independence. In For Whom the Dogs Spy, Raymond Joseph provides a compelling, modern-day look at Haiti like no other.

With this book, Ambassador Raymond Joseph warns readers about Haiti’s current political leaders’ attempts to impose a new dictatorship. His hope is that Haiti can right itself despite the destruction it has suffered at the hands of man and nature.

Raymond A. Joseph was a reporter at the Wall Street Journal for fourteen years. He has worked in international affairs for decades, serving as both the Haitian chargé d’affaires and ambassador. He has collaborated closely with major political figures including Ronald Reagan, Rudy Giuliani, the Bushes, and the Obama administration. Joseph lives in New York.

“For Whom the Dogs Spy is an excellent account of the modern political history of one of America’s closest neighbors by someone who has lived through it . . . . a volume that . . . has great merit, illuminating a country that, for many Americans, remains too much in the shadows.”
—Wall Street Journal

"[An] engrossing memoir of a former [reporter] who ran the best sourced radio program about Haiti during the 60s, mercilessly skewering the evil Papa Doc to distraction."
—Miami Herald

“This book is a great piece of history that will help the world to understand [Haitians] better. The truth will prevail. I wish my uncle had put this book out when I was a Fugee. I could have begun the song, ‘Ready or not, here I come. For whom the dogs spy, I keep a watch with my third eye.’ I’ve been told that the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree. After reading my uncle’s book, I feel just like I was an apple and he was my Big Tree.”
—Wyclef Jean

"For Whom the Dogs Spy follows the arc of [Raymond Joseph's] career in pugilistic detail while tracing Haiti’s history from the 1950s to the present."
—New York Observer

“No doubt the struggle for democracy in Haiti has many heroes, but surely [Raymond Joseph] stands in the top rank. He out-maneuvered a death sentence handed down by the Duvalier regime to play a leading role in the struggle for freedom in a nation founded in one of history's most important slave revolts. All who root for the success of democracy in Haiti —and beyond— will want to read Ambassador Joseph’s memoir.”
—Seth Lipsky, editor of the New York Sun

“Ray Joseph is the voice and conscience of Haiti. Eighty-two now, he’s written a book about his life, and about the tragedy that befell Haiti. Nobody can tell the story better than Ray Joseph.”
—Stanley Penn, Pulitzer Prize winner

“Ray Joseph, among the most distinguished Haitians of recent generations, has given us a compelling memoir that is also a penetrating modern history. Presidents Duvalier, Aristide, Martelly, voodoo, cruelty, carnivals, corruption, and the environmental degradation of Haiti—all are laid bare on these pages. Ray Joseph has been a crusader for Haitian democracy for more than 50 fifty years and has greatly influenced this history that he so skillfully tells.”
—Peter Kann, former chairman and CEO of Dow Jones & Co.