Hold Tight, Don't Let Go is the vivid story of two teenage cousins, raised as sisters, who survive the devastating 2010 earthquake in Haiti, though they lose the woman who raised them, Manman. They must fend for themselves in the aftermath, living in a camp set up by a charity. Magdalie and Nadine are inseparable, making the best of their new circumstances with an affectionate, lively cameraderie, until Nadine, whose father lives in Miami, sends for her but not Magdalie. As she leaves, Nadine makes a promise she cannot keep: to bring Magdalie to Miami, too. The novel follows Magdalie as she gradually accepts that she will not be reunited with Nadine and re-embraces her life in Haiti and the possibilities for her there--for love, friendship and a future. Her story parallels the author's hopes for Haiti.

 

There are 272 pages in this book. This book was published 2015 by Abrams .

Laura Wagner is a PhD candidate in anthropology at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill. She spends part of the year in Haiti, studying the culture and running a writing center for teens. This is her first novel.