The Black Count: Glory, Revolution, Betrayal, and the Real Count of Monte Cristo by Tom Reiss

The Black Count: Glory, Revolution, Betrayal, and the Real Count of Monte Cristo by Tom Reiss is an ambitious historical narrative nonfiction that illuminates the remarkable life and legacy of Count Alex Dumas. A swashbuckling hero of the Napoleonic era, a slave-trader’s son of African origin and father to nineteenth-century literary icon Alexandre Dumas, Alex Dumas was a true renaissance man.

Beginning his story in the highlands of Haiti and then traveling to Revolution-era France, Reiss weaves together a remarkable account of Alex Dumas’s life — a life full of glory, adventure and tragedy. Reiss traces Alex Dumas’s introduction to the world of Napoleonic warfare at an early age through his brother-in-law, a Captain in the king’s army. After a short time, Dumas became a colonel in the army, and was later awarded the highest rank of General in the French army.

Reiss thoroughly reveals the life and reputation of Alex Dumas, including his role in the French Revolution. More notably, though, Reiss paints detailed accounts of the battles Dumas fought, as well as his successes and defeats as a military leader. Reiss also makes sure to address the other aspects of his life, such as his mixed-race heritage and experience as a slave trader.

The highlight of the book, however, is Reiss’s exploration of Dumas’s major inspiration for the novel The Count of Monte Cristo - the events that led to his continuous incarceration of over a dozen years. Reiss is not only able to provide context around specific events, but his prose also vividly brings to life the mistreatment and interminable suffering to which Dumas was subjected.

What is ultimately revealed through Reiss’s engrossing and often heartbreaking tale is a story about resilience, family and friendship. As the son of a former slave, Alex Dumas’s accomplishments are all the more remarkable, and his heeded voice from the past inspires a narrative that is easy and enjoyable to read.

Overall, The Black Count: Glory, Revolution, Betrayal, and the Real Count of Monte Cristo by Tom Reiss is a compelling narrative that pays homage to a remarkable man whom we have unfortunately known too little about. A captivating portrayal of Dumas’s life, Reiss’s work provides a dazzling portrait of a man fighting his fate, yet ultimately tethered by his unbreakable spirit and courage in the face of extraordinary challenges.