I'm reading The Black Count.
Alexandre Dumas is famous for writing The Count of Monte Cristo and The Three Musketeers. What lots of people don't know is that his father, Alex Dumas, was a major figure through the French Revolution and Napoleon's reign...and was half-black. The book is a really interesting glimpse into the strange race relations that went on in the French-held portions of the Caribbean and in France itself. In America we learn all about the way the United States handled slavery and the resulting racism, but France had its own very quixotic relationship with the slave trade and racism. On top of it, Alex Dumas cuts a very romantic figure and his experiences clearly influence many of the scenes we see in Alexandre's novels later in life. I really recommend it for getting to see a portion of history from a different perspective, and because it's always cool to read about the people who inspire our favorite literary characters.
I also read Cooked - Michael Pollan is awesome as long as he's not on an anti-GMO or pro-organics kick.
And I'm also working my way through Paradise Lost. Epic poetry is epic.
Alexandre Dumas is famous for writing The Count of Monte Cristo and The Three Musketeers. What lots of people don't know is that his father, Alex Dumas, was a major figure through the French Revolution and Napoleon's reign...and was half-black. The book is a really interesting glimpse into the strange race relations that went on in the French-held portions of the Caribbean and in France itself. In America we learn all about the way the United States handled slavery and the resulting racism, but France had its own very quixotic relationship with the slave trade and racism. On top of it, Alex Dumas cuts a very romantic figure and his experiences clearly influence many of the scenes we see in Alexandre's novels later in life. I really recommend it for getting to see a portion of history from a different perspective, and because it's always cool to read about the people who inspire our favorite literary characters.
I also read Cooked - Michael Pollan is awesome as long as he's not on an anti-GMO or pro-organics kick.
And I'm also working my way through Paradise Lost. Epic poetry is epic.
![[Image: Untitled2_zpswaosccbr.png]](https://images.weserv.nl/?url=i1140.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fn569%2Fthesummerqueen%2FUntitled2_zpswaosccbr.png)
