Zora Neale Hurston! The real-life Hester Prynne! Y2K! 27 new books out today | Lit Hub

“A tour de force. Daut brings King Henry Christophe vividly back to life in this deeply researched and rivetingly told biography. In a work overflowing with new archival discoveries and insights, she carries us expertly through a moment of revolutionary political thought and cultural transformation that reshaped our world and its possibilities. Everyone should know this history.”
–Laurent DuBois

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10 New Nonfiction Book Releases of January 2025 | Book Riot

“In The First and Last King of Haiti, Yale scholar Marlene L. Daut explores the life of Henry Christophe, a complex figure in Haitian history. Born to an enslaved mother in Grenada, Christophe would go on to be a key leader in Haiti’s revolution for independence. Eventually, he would go on to declare himself King of Haiti, only to die by his own hand nine years later.” — Kendra Winchester, Book Riot

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The 20 Most Anticipated Books of 2025 that I’m Excited to Read | Ballasts for the Mind

“I have heard of the name Henry Christophe but I certainly did not know there was a king of Haiti. The description reads like a tragedy play. Christophe is a contemporary and compatriot of Toussaint L’Overture during the Haitian revolution, but later fights alongside Napolean, and then takes his own life. I must know more about Christophe’s story!!!” — Raymond Williams, PhD, Ballasts for the Mind

Read the full article here: https://medium.com/ballasts-for-the-mind/the-20-most-anticipated-books-of-2025-that-im-excited-to-read-26f03e0049e8

The Optionist

“Daut's deeply researched and nuanced portrayal is exactly the kind of underlying IP that a good screenwriter needs to craft a compelling script. It’s also a dream part for an actor.” — Andy Lewis

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Award-winning author Edwidge Danticat calls "The First and Last King of Haiti," "fascinating, in-depth, and meticulously researched."

When asked by Elle magazine what currently sits on her her nightstand, Edwidge Danticat, author of a new collection called We’re Alone by Graywolf Press, responded: “The First and Last King of Haiti: The Rise and Fall of Henry Christophe by Marlene L. Daut, a fascinating, in-depth, and meticulously researched biography of Haiti’s revolutionary-turned-king.”

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