Compelling story
- Book: The Sons and Daughters of Toussaint
- Location: Haiti
- Author: Keith Madsen
Toussaint Louverture, 1743-1803, was a real-life general and revolutionary ruler who gave his life for his beliefs. Louverture lives on in the dreams of his fictional great-grandson, Isaac Brida, who is determined to start another revolution in Haiti, this one non-violent. His forefather’s goal was to free the men and women who worked the plantations from their yokes of poverty and subservience. Isaac feels that nothing has changed since then—something made evident to the world following Haiti’s massive earthquake on January 12, 2010, in which 300,000 people died. Ironically, two such massive earthquakes occurred during Toussaint Louverture’s lifetime, one in 1751, when he was still a child and another in 1770. One wonders how they might have affected his views.
The Sons and Daughters of Toussaint is told in alternating generations and viewpoints, weaving in interesting characters, geography, customs and culture.
Mr. Madsen, a retired minister, has spent time in Haiti and helped to build a school there. His love of the country, its history and its people is apparent in his writing.
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