King Leopold's Ghost: A Story of Greed, Terror, and Heroism in Colonial Africa

· Sold by HarperCollins
4.1
60 reviews
Ebook
416
Pages
Eligible

About this ebook

 "An enthralling story . . . A work of history that reads like a novel." — Christian Science Monitor
“As Hochschild’s brilliant book demonstrates, the great Congo scandal prefigured our own times . . . This book must be read and reread.” — Los Angeles Times Book Review

 
In the late nineteenth century, as the European powers were carving up Africa, King Leopold II of Belgium carried out a brutal plundering of the territory surrounding the Congo River. Ultimately slashing the area’s population by ten million, he still managed to shrewdly cultivate his reputation as a great humanitarian. A tale far richer than any novelist could invent, King Leopold’s Ghost is the horrifying account of a megalomaniac of monstrous proportions. It is also the deeply moving portrait of those who defied Leopold: African rebel leaders who fought against hopeless odds and a brave handful of missionaries, travelers, and young idealists who went to Africa for work or adventure but unexpectedly found themselves witnesses to a holocaust and participants in the twentieth century’s first great human rights movement.

A National Book Critics Circle Award Finalist
A New York Times Notable Book

Ratings and reviews

4.1
60 reviews
A Google user
April 25, 2018
I learned so much... Leopold exploited an entire nation under the guise of philanthropy 😒 This book made me angry—but it is an informative, excellent read
2 people found this review helpful
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Ebow Amoah-Gyampoh
October 23, 2017
Great book, well written true avvount about a horrible event in the history of Congo. For students of history who don't want the white washed history that is taught in schools.
8 people found this review helpful
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Kevin Thompson
September 15, 2014
Great history of the congo during the colonial period. Very sad what the people had to endure during those years.
3 people found this review helpful
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About the author

ADAM HOCHSCHILD is the author of eleven books. King Leopold’s Ghost was a finalist for the National Book Critics Circle Award, as was To End All Wars. His Bury the Chains was a finalist for the National Book Award and won the Los Angeles Times Book Prize and PEN USA Literary Award. He lives in Berkeley, California.

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