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kimelena's review against another edition
I don't read many histories and when I do, it tends to take me a while to get through them. That said, after finishing a history book, I'm always glad that I persevered! I enjoyed learning more about the details of the Haitian Revolution, which I studied superficially in college as part of a wonderful class on Haitian literature, and found this history engagingly written and clear.
lundyd98's review against another edition
1.0
As a result of this book being so dense and "text booky", I could not get into or finish it, which is rare for me. I appreciate the subject but not the way in which it was written....it was hard to follow & make sense of things because it wasn't written in chronological order.
andhereadstoo's review against another edition
5.0
The Haitian Revolution was one of the most significant events in history. Its outcome affected French, British, Spanish and the United States’ policies pertaining to the West Indies, the Americas and the issue of slavery itself. It is the most successful slave revolt in history and the only revolution where the former slaves became the government of a new nation, the first in the west to outlaw slavery. It involved political manoeuvring, military strategy, power struggles, intrigue and deception all enveloped in the rigid racial hierarchy that was San Domingue society. All this is to say that the Haitian Revolution is inherently fascinating and Laurent Dubois does it justice in this comprehensive account.
I inevitably found myself comparing this account to CLR James’ Black Jacobins, up to this point my favourite book on the topic. I’ll say that Dubois has benefitted from the 60+ years of research on the Revolution done since James’ first printing. He is able to fill in many details not available to James at the time and in some cases corrects inaccuracies. In this regard it is a more complete account of the Revolution. However, I can only go as far as saying it joins James’ Jacobins as essential reading for anyone interested in the Haitian Revolution!
I inevitably found myself comparing this account to CLR James’ Black Jacobins, up to this point my favourite book on the topic. I’ll say that Dubois has benefitted from the 60+ years of research on the Revolution done since James’ first printing. He is able to fill in many details not available to James at the time and in some cases corrects inaccuracies. In this regard it is a more complete account of the Revolution. However, I can only go as far as saying it joins James’ Jacobins as essential reading for anyone interested in the Haitian Revolution!