Reviews

The Black Jacobins: Toussaint L'Ouverture and the San Domingo Revolution by C.L.R. James

miss_cheevious's review against another edition

dark informative slow-paced

5.0

slewis_16's review against another edition

challenging dark informative inspiring reflective tense medium-paced

4.25

cchapple's review against another edition

5.0

I wanted to learn more about this rarely discussed, yet vital history. Learned a lot! Suffers a little from the "great men" approach (would love to learn more about the women who fought, who get about a sentence in this book). That being said, if you want to learn how it went down, this is a great place to start.

victoremartin's review against another edition

adventurous challenging reflective medium-paced

4.0

phantomwise's review against another edition

4.0

I have held a long fascination for Haiti, first because of voodoo, but then because it was the first really successful slave revolt in the history of the western hemisphere. The Black Jacobins was written in the 1930's, and it shows, but James has a sharp tongue and an even sharper eye for the hypocrisies of revolutionary France and their bourgeoisie. He lays the Haitian revolution out clearly from the heyday of the slave-owning San Domingo colony, through the start of the French Revolution, and to the bitter end of Dessalines' declaration of independence.

The last chapter, on the War of Independence, is a whopper and a half, and I frequently felt like throwing the book across the room and clawing at my own face because European politicians are BASTARDS, but in the end, I prevailed and didn't commit manslaughter, so bravo for me.

ggross's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional informative reflective sad slow-paced

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Slavery

logan4519's review against another edition

challenging informative inspiring medium-paced

5.0

laileanah's review

challenging emotional hopeful informative inspiring sad tense medium-paced

5.0

This was really good. 
Life changing in a way.
Wow.

murray_reads's review

challenging dark emotional informative inspiring reflective slow-paced

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: War, Slavery, and Racism

Moderate: Rape

tophat8855's review against another edition

5.0

Just more catching up on the history that school didn't teach us. I listened to the audiobook and found it really engaging. Toussaint was such force. This story definitely needs to be told more.

Also small reference to Dumas, the father of Alexander Dumas.