Georges

Before Alexandre Dumas gave us revenge and redemption in The Count of Monte Cristo, he wrote this more personal, more dangerous novel. Georges Munier is born the son of a wealthy mulatto planter on the island of Mauritius, and from childhood he witnesses his father's courage curdle into humiliation before white men. The boy vows to be different. What follows is a swashbuckling tale of forbidden love, plantation intrigue, a slave rebellion, and one man's quest for vengeance against a society built on the premise that his blood makes him less. This is Dumas at his most autobiographical: writing about race and identity with the force of a man who knew these wounds firsthand. It is also a ripping adventure, complete with duels, escapes, and a protagonist who refuses to accept his place. Read this to understand where Monte Cristo came from, and to meet a Dumas who refused to stay silent about the color of his own skin.