How we cite our quotes: (Part.Chapter.Paragraph)
Quote #10
She was real Haitian too and that's why she couldn't say certain words like the word for parsley or anyone's name that had a j in it, which meant the family was like camp, everyone with nicknames Chucha could pronounce. (3.1.85)
The pronunciation of the Spanish letter j was especially hard for Haitian immigrants, who spoke French. Pronouncing the word for parsley, 'perejil,' wasn't just an innocent exercise for Haitian immigrants living under Trujillo. In the "Parsley Massacre" of 1937, Dominican soldiers used the word to test anyone they suspected of being Haitian. If you couldn't say perejil, you died. Yikes.