Toussaint Louverture: A Biography

by Madison Smartt Bell
Toussaint Louverture: A Biography  
published 2007 by Pantheon
binding Hardcover
isbn 0375423370   (isbn13: 9780375423376)
pages 352
description In 1791, Saint Domingue was both the richest and cruelest colony in the Western Hemisphere; more than a third of African slaves died within a few year...more
date added
02-12-07



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other reviews (showing 1-20 of 16)



Christopher
Christopher rated it: 4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars
03/12/08

Read in March, 2008
recommends it for: black history enthusiasts, French and European history enthusiasts
I first heard of Toussaint Loverture through an interview I had with Chris Webber, star forward for the NBA's Golden State Warriors. He owns manuscript documents penned by Louverture, a General in the French Army on Saint Domingue, now known as Haiti. Louverture is considered a hero for his advocacy of the abolition of black servitude on that Island.

However, Louverture was a complex individual: erudite, ruthless, cynical, brilliant, vain and exceptionally politically astute. He was ironical...more
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Lorraine
Lorraine rated it: 3 of 5 stars3 of 5 stars3 of 5 stars3 of 5 stars3 of 5 stars
07/04/07

Read in July, 2007
Whew!! It took awhile (3+ months), but I finally finished!! This history of the founder of Haiti, Toussaint Louverture, and the struggle for independence of the first independent black nation was worth plowing through, but, for me, a bit too serious. Too much history, not enough just plain story, I guess. Still, I discovered some interesting insights into "how Haiti got that way", and Martin Smartt Bell, a well-known Haiti scholar and novelist, gives an even-handed treatment of the...more
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Cameron
Cameron rated it: 4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars
11/22/07

Has a copy to sell/swap — Read in November, 2007
recommends it for: History buffs
Where's the 3.5 star review option? This was a pretty good book about a fascinating subject, and it gave me a great deal of insight into Haiti that I had never had before. Toussaint, the father of the Haitian nation, is a tough figure to write about historically because the record about him is very poor. Most of what has been written is by Europeans, and such a polemical figure inspires demonization or beatification but rarely lucid, even-handed prose. The second half was better than the fir...more
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Leslie
Leslie added it
02/18/08

Read in January, 2008
Madison Smartt Bell presents a fairly balanced portrayal of a larger-than-life figure in Caribbean and slave-revolution history. it's hard to sit by and read impassive accounts of the atrocities that surge through Haitian history, but Bell's attempt to examine this intense and ambitious man from the perspective of devoted admirers and violent detractors alike is fascinating and thorough.
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Peggy
Peggy rated it: 4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars
02/23/08

recommended to Peggy by: NYTimes
recommends it for: anyone interested in history
Well written account of a fascinating period of history, includes deep descriptions of the different sections of pre-revolutionary Haitian society.
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Batya
Batya rated it: 3 of 5 stars3 of 5 stars3 of 5 stars3 of 5 stars3 of 5 stars
08/03/08

Read in June, 2008
A somewhat updated version of The Black Jacobins.
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Lara
Lara marked it as to-read
01/25/08

bookshelves: to-read
 

Marcella
Marcella rated it: 3 of 5 stars3 of 5 stars3 of 5 stars3 of 5 stars3 of 5 stars
05/01/08

Read in May, 2008
 

Lisa
Lisa rated it: 4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars
06/05/08

 

Brent
Brent added it
08/07/08

bookshelves: afro_hispanic
 

BookSwim.com
BookSwim.com rated it: 4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars
02/14/08

 

Tim
03/31/08

 

Joseph
Joseph rated it: 3 of 5 stars3 of 5 stars3 of 5 stars3 of 5 stars3 of 5 stars
03/12/08

Read in March, 2008
 

Adalina
Adalina is currently reading it
07/31/08

bookshelves: currently-reading
 

Kim
Kim rated it: 3 of 5 stars3 of 5 stars3 of 5 stars3 of 5 stars3 of 5 stars
04/09/08

Has a copy to sell/swap — Read in March, 2008
 

Kimberly
Kimberly rated it: 4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars
08/22/08

 

hilary
hilary is currently reading it
04/20/08

bookshelves: currently-reading
 

Meera
Meera marked it as to-read
01/24/08

bookshelves: to-read
 

Meaghan
Meaghan is currently reading it
05/06/08

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Daniel
Daniel marked it as to-read (review of isbn 1400079357)
04/01/08

bookshelves: black-liberation, to-read
 







book data (includes all editions)

avg rating (all editions): 3.44 (16 ratings)
avg rating (this edition): 3.53 (15 ratings)
number of reviews: 6






other editions

Toussaint Louverture (Vintage)