Island Beneath The Sea by Isabel Allende

I have always been intrigued about the culture of New Orleans before the Civil War and Saint-Domingue before the slave revolt. Perhaps this interest is because it is the story of my family, my people, my history. This part of history is often glossed over or completely missing in history books. History taught in school that reaches beyond the United States is often more about Europe and the feudal lords and ladies, royalty, and the explorers than it is about any people of color. Rarely, even, are the native people, customs, or languages taught. It is with this backdrop of my curious family history - Napoleon sent one of our ancestors to the Caribbean island to "rule" it. They were the grands blancs and many of our ancestors had to flea for Cuba and New Orleans during the slave revolts and my foremother was born in Santo Domingo - the neighbor to the west - and was kidnapped by one of those trading merchant ships in the times before the revolt. She was of "ex