Pierre Toussaint: A Biography - Hardcover

Jones, Arthur

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0385499949 ISBN 13: 9780385499941

Publisher: Doubleday Religion, 2003

Synopsis

This richly detailed portrait of Pierre Toussaint, who was born into slavery, became one of the most admired men of his time, and is now a candidate for canonization, reveals both the journey of an extraordinary man and a fascinating glimpse into nineteenth-century America.
Pierre Toussaint was born in Saint Domingue (now known as Haiti) in 1781. The child of a slave on a plantation owned by the Bérards, a prosperous French family, he was raised as a devout Catholic. When a slave uprising forced the Bérards to flee the island in 1797, Toussaint came to New York City as the family’s servant. As a black man and as a Catholic, Toussaint found that his new home held dangers of its own: Slaves were brutalized by their owners, free blacks were beaten on the streets, and anti-Catholic sentiment was rampant. But New York also offered him new opportunities. When Toussaint’s talents as a hairstylist—along with his charming, refined manners—made him a favorite of the women in New York’s upper-class families, he began earning a substantial income. He was given his freedom in 1807, married in 1811, and devoted his life to helping former slaves, supporting the Church, and taking care of the poor and oppressed, all while helping to raise funds for the city’s first cathedral.
In the first biography of Toussaint written for a mainstream audience, Arthur Jones charts a life buffeted and scarred by poverty, prejudice, and political upheavals, and shows how Toussaint’s faith, independence of mind, and sense of personal dignity served as lifelong sources of strength. Drawing on letters from Toussaint’s friends and admirers, black and white alike, as well as a wealth of historical sources, he brings to life a man who, by defying the strictures of a racist society became an example not only for other black people, but for oppressed and maligned immigrants of all backgrounds.

About this title

From the Back Cover:

Praise for Arthur Jones
New Catholics for a New Century
“Arthur Jones provides a fascinating glance at roads we have traveled in the history of the Catholic Church. His hope of a Catholic public presence founded on issues around life, dignity, and creation for a new century is enlightening and encouraging.” —Annette Kane, National Council of Catholic Women
“For anyone who cares about what the Catholic Church in America is today and is personally concerned about where it is going in the future, this book is well worth reading.” —Rev. Theodore M. Hesburgh, President Emeritus of Notre Dame
Facing Fear with Faith with Dolores Leckey
“Facing Fear with Faith is a living beatitude: the authors offer a feast of healing words for the naked, hungry, and weary heart and soul. True medicine.” —Clarissa Pinkola Estes, Ph.D., author of Women Who Run with the Wolves

Capitalism and Christians
“Many books are available on the relationship between capitalism and Christianity, but this latest provides a distinctive point of view. The author, a journalist with an economics background, has written for Forbes and was editor-in-chief of the National Catholic Reporter. Jones sees business as good but easily corrupted and opines that the undesirable form of capitalism has become dominant . . . This book can be understood by any educated person. Study questions for each chapter add to its usefulness.” —Library Journal

About the Author:

ARTHUR JONES is editor-at-large of the National Catholic Reporter and a contributor to The Tablet (London), England’s leading Catholic weekly. A former editor and bureau chief of Forbes magazine and a former correspondent for the Financial Times (London), Financial World, and World Trade, he is the author of eight books, including Capitalism and Christians, and is coauthor of the recently published The Race for the White House. He lives in California.

About this edition

• Publisher: Doubleday Religion
• Publication date: 2003
• ISBN 10: 0385499949
• ISBN 13: 9780385499941
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 352