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The Black Count

Glory, Revolution, Betrayal, and the Real Count of Monte Cristo
Jan 04, 2016Janice21383 rated this title 5 out of 5 stars
The breathlessly romantic true story of the founder of the Dumas family. Alex Dumas seems to have had the same fondness for a good yarn as his son and grandson. But the facts are wonderful enough: born the son of a slave and a disgraced french aristocrat on an outlaw tobacco plantation in Haiti; sold into temporary slavery by his own father; education at a prestigious Parisian school; years of urbane indulgence; renunciation of his aristocratic heritage and enlistment in the army at the lowest rank, just in time for the French Revolution; a steady rise to the rank of general; encounters with Napoleon; shipwreck (literal) and imprisonment; discrimination and downfall. Among this book's many pleasures is a refreshing view of French culture, civil rights, colonialism and slavery -- so many books available in North America dwell on the U.S. experience. Highly recommended; it will leave you wanting to know more.