Alex Dumas was a mulatto- the son of a white Frenchmen and black slave (he grew up in Saint-Domingue- modern Haiti). After a childhood in the Caribbean, he moved with his father to France, where he eventually rose to the rank of General in the French Revolutionary Army, serving with/under Napoleon himself. He fought in France, Spain, Belgium, Italy, and Egypt. Returning from the Nile, his ship was forced to make port in Taranto (modern Italy), where he (and everyone on board) was kept prisoner (without trial) due to that area's anti-French sentiment. He'd be a prisoner for ~two years, during which France went from revolutionary (and minority-friendly) republic to Napoleonic (and slavery-backing) dictatorship. Upon his release from jail, he lived the rest of his days at home in France, denied his pension and other rights due to his color. He was betrayed by the country he had so faithfully served, and died in 1806 at the young age of 43.
This book won the Pulitzer, and it's easy to see why. It's easy to read, interesting, and informative. Reiss does a good job providing a lot of back-story on the history of the times- you learn a lot about the French revolution, slavery, sugar production, the French campaigns of the 1790s/1800s, and more. In fact, there's so much back-story that I was unsure if this was more history or more biography- it's about even. Reiss did his homework, spending "the better part of a decade" reading through archival material and accessing primary documents never before released. Overall, an outstanding effort, shedding light on one of the forgotten heroes of the past. It makes you wonder how many other heroes throughout the ages have been forgotten. It also shows you where Dumas got some of his material (and inspiration) for The Count of Monte Cristo.
Rating: A
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