The Black Count The Black Count

The Black Count

Glory, Revolution, Betrayal, and the Real Count of Monte Cristo (Pulitzer Prize for Biography)

    • 4.4 • 129 Ratings
    • $13.99
    • $13.99

Publisher Description

WINNER OF THE PULITZER PRIZE FOR BIOGRAPHY • ONE OF ESQUIRE’S BEST BIOGRAPHIES OF ALL TIME

General Alex Dumas is a man almost unknown today, yet his story is strikingly familiarbecause his son, the novelist Alexandre Dumas, used his larger-than-life feats as inspiration for such classics as The Count of Monte Cristo and The Three Musketeers.

But, hidden behind General Dumas's swashbuckling adventures was an even more incredible secret: he was the son of a black slavewho rose higher in the white world than any man of his race would before our own time. Born in Saint-Domingue (now Haiti), Alex Dumas made his way to Paris, where he rose to command armies at the height of the Revolutionuntil he met an implacable enemy he could not defeat.

The Black Count is simultaneously a riveting adventure story, a lushly textured evocation of 18th-century France, and a window into the modern world’s first multi-racial society. TIME magazine called The Black Count "one of those quintessentially human stories of strength and courage that sheds light on the historical moment that made it possible." But it is also a heartbreaking story of the enduring bonds of love between a father and son.

GENRE
Biographies & Memoirs
RELEASED
2012
September 18
LANGUAGE
EN
English
LENGTH
432
Pages
PUBLISHER
Crown
SELLER
Penguin Random House LLC
SIZE
16.1
MB

Customer Reviews

Flakygirl ,

Fantastic Read

What a great book from Tom Reiss! The story of Gen. Alex Dumas is finally brought to life after being shuttered away for so long and forgotten.

Reiss obviously did so much research not only into Dumas life and circumstances, but to the 18th century society in which Dumas thrived. A life and story such as this shouldn't be forgotten.

Reiss' writing style is very conversational educating the reader as to the beliefs, norms and politics of the day so one has a clear understanding of how and why Dumas life is so enthralling.

Dumas was an 18th century action hero, and a somewhat of an unconventional one. I can't see how this won't be made into a movie! It has everything; a strong leading man, love, betrayal and war. In fact it could be a story written by the General's son, the author Alexandre Dumas.

Hudsucker2 ,

A True-life Dumas Adventure Story!

After I finished “The Count of Monte Cristo” last year, the Books app recommended this biography of the author’s father — a major inspiration for Edmond Dantes — and I could not put it down. The author spins this tale as deftly as Dumas, weaving the elder Dumas’s multiple battles with enemies on the field and with racism, the latter of which made his insights into the French Revolution and Napoleon Bonaparte, for me, true revelations. I can’t recommend this enough for fans of Dumas or anyone who wants to meet one of history’s most fascinating, and unsung, characters.

PharaohXIII ,

Awesome Book

A great book about an inspirational hero scrubbed from history. The obstacles he faces in the late 1700s to early 1800s are so similar to Blacks who have risen to high achievement in today's time. He was able to take advantage of opportunities so few like him had in order to achieve remarkable feats by anyone's standards. As with the familiarity of the obstacles he faced in his rise to prominence, his later demise and whitewashing of his achievements are unfortunately familiar as well.

The book also cover some Haitian and French history to set the environment for the time period.

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