Professor Wright’s novel tells the story of an unlikely love triangle — between a Holocaust survivor, a student from colonial West Africa, and a black GI — set in the tumult of post-WWII Paris. This presentation will focus on the African student, Sebastien Danxomè. Sebastien is driven to outdo the colonialist society that has subjugated his home but finds himself caught between the allure of Paris and his duty to return to Africa, where his father, the King of Dahomey, expects him to take up the fight for independence. Central to his struggle is his need to understand the story of his ancestor, Adandozan, who was “destooled” and banished for challenging tradition and attempting to end his people's role in the trans-Atlantic slave trade.