Fourth Friday Book Club April 25
Fri, Apr 25, 2025, 2pm
The Black Count: Glory and Betrayal by Tom Reiss, published in 2012 and winner of the 2013 Pulitzer Prize in biography, is the story of Thomas-Alexandre Dumas, who was the inspiration for the novel The Count of Monte Cristo by his son Alexander Dumas. General Dumas (known in the Reiss biography as Alex) was born in 1762, the son of a marquis and a freed slave woman, in what we now know as Haiti, formerly a French colony.
Alex was sold into slavery for a brief period, and then welcomed, housed, and educated in Paris in the skills appropriate to the son of a marquis. He chose a military career, like other members of the nobility, and rose quickly to the rank of general-in-chief of the French Army of the Alps. It was said that he rivaled Napoleon Bonaparte in strength, courage, and leadership. Later, while on a campaign in Egypt, Alex clashed with Napoleon. From there, Alex’s military pursuits were greatly diminished as well as his reputation, and he was subsequently imprisoned.
Alex’s achievements were impressive, but most interesting is the fact that he was a person of color at the highest ranks of the military, and generally welcomed in homes of the nobility. It was during a period in French history recognized as very tolerant. A decree known as the Code Noir gave freed slaves the same rights and privileges as white people.
Reiss’s biography draws on the memoirs of Alexandre Dumas, a prolific author who wrote extensively of his father. It has been suggested that some famous scenes from Dumas's novels, which include The Three Musketeers, were based on his father's adventures. For large parts of The Black Count, the book is an account of the French Revolution.
Newcomers are welcome to join the discussion when UMRA’s Fourth Friday Book Club meets via Zoom at 2 p.m. on Friday, April 25.
Email Dorothy Marden if you have questions or to let us know of your interest.
—Dorothy Marden, Fourth Friday Book Club
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