At last, a biography of JeanJacques Dessalines, the Haitian par excellence, the only hero of Independence to enter the Vodou pantheon! Julia Gaffield reconstructs the life of the father of the country with exhaustive research and easytoread prose that avoids value judgments while reflecting a sympathy for her subject that courses through the book.Jean Casimir, Université dÉtat dHaļti
A distinguished scholar known for her precise archival research, Julia Gaffield has succeeded in the vital mission of writing a faithful account of Haitian founder JeanJacques Dessaliness life. A book for all true lovers of history, I Have Avenged America offers groundbreaking insights into the world that Dessalines made, underscoring his immense contributions to the Haitian Revolution.Marlene L. Daut, author of The First and Last King of Haiti: The Rise and Fall of Henry Christophe
Charting Dessaliness remarkable journey from enslavement to leadership of a revolutionary army and radical anticolonial nationstate, Gaffield probes his character and contradictions more carefully than any scholar before her, offering brilliant insights into the political history of warfare, statecraft, and the struggle for human freedom.Vincent Brown, author of Tackys Revolt: The Story of an Atlantic Slave War
Julia Gaffields longawaited biography of JeanJacques Dessalines paints a compelling portrait of one of Haitis most enigmatic leaders, a formerly enslaved man who became the nations first head of state. Based on prodigious new research, this fascinating book is also propulsively readable. A stunning achievement.Ada Ferrer, Princeton University
Beautifully and brilliantly told, this story of revolution, power, and political imagination challenges long-standing misrepresentations and powerfully illuminates the intertwined thought and action through which Dessalines reshaped the world.Laurent Dubois, author of Avengers of the New World: The Story of the Haitian Revolution
