Black Man on the Titanic

Book excerpt: The true story of one of the black passengers on the Titanic, for history readers and fans of Hidden Figures and The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks. Joseph Laroche was an anomaly among the passengers of the Titanic. He was exceptionally well-educated in a time when few black men had access to an education―and when even fewer were able to travel on a luxurious ship in first or second class. So, who was Joseph Laroche? And where was he going? This biography recounts the life of Joseph Laroche, his part in the history of Haiti, and how he, as a 24-year-old father of two (soon to be three) children, ended up on the last ship of that era of glamourous travel. He was a direct descendant of the father of Haitian independence and related to two Haitian presidents. As an engineer, Laroche contributed to the construction of the Parisian railway and had a promising future ahead of him. Ivorian-French writer Serge Bilé offers a fresh perspective on the tragedy that still fascinates millions and has inspired dozens of books and films. With thorough research in Haiti and France, Bilé unearths the story of the intriguing figure of Joseph Laroche. This is an account of multi-cultural black history and of the political and natural forces that converged on one man. Praise for Black Man on the Titanic “A revelation.”—Mitchell Kaplan, founder of Books & Books “An absorbing and rewarding read.”—Leonard Carpenter, author of Lusitania Lost and Conan the Savage