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

Well this is an impressive book, I'm sure there are numerous really good reviews so I'll add something that might be a new observation, reading about British (and Irish) Counsel Roger Casement it reminded me that I read about him before and I looked up and found the story in Charles Mann book 1493 uncovering the new world Columbus created. It's always a thrill to find like a intellectual Easter egg especially if it's unexpected. One of the strengths of this book was how it introduced us to so many persons that are little noticed by history but had large impacts on the world, they came together to fight against one of the great crimes of the day King Leopold's rape and murderous rule of the Congo, they were rather successful over time although the guilty as is almost always the case in these types of crimes went largely unpunished accept for how they are view in history. Reverend William Sheppard sounds like an amazing man, so too with E. D. Morel, if it wasn't for this book I would know nothing of their stories. The difficulty of conducting this research when the main principals did everything they could to destroy the cover over there deeds, the remoteness of the area and the time period, makes it a miracle that this book could be written at all. Very glad I read it I've created a new shelf called Excellent History books just for books like this although their can't be many such books that reach this depth and understanding, it will always stand out in that shelf as a must read history book.

So I don't usually do leave reviews of books but I had to this time. I bought this books about 8 Pontus ago but I read the last few weeks only and I think it was the perfect timing with what is going on in my life right now as I'm making big choices concerning my future right now. If I didn't read this book right I probably would have missed on what might just be my life goal and something I plan on focusing for a good part of my life once I get more ready for it. I know this is not much of a book review as of now but I just wanted to show how much the story of my people have affected me and how I really want to do something about all the suffering that have been going and keeps on happening now. I myself grew up in Kinshasa, my dad was an army colonel who fought against Mobutu in the 90's and had to flee the country for a few years because of that. This year (2017) I'm about tombe 18 and I surprised that it's only now that I get to know the story of my people and what that so-called King Léopold II have done. Throughout my read I came to decide that one day I want to be a change in my countries history too, a positive change, I want to be the African voice to change the Congo and make it one of the great countries. I know I sound a little too exited now and kind of dreaming but I'm still a kid so I guess it's okay right? One day hopefully once I do start making a change someone finds this "review" and call me out on it.

I bought this book on a whim while on vacation because it was a Kindle Daily Deal, and wound up finishing it in just three days. I have no real background in Africa, Belgium, or colonialism, but Hochschild does a phenomenal job of weaving together a compelling story that brings a forgotten and disgraceful era to life.

The story is just incredible. Chronologically, Hochschild does a great job at tying together a complex story over decades and even centuries, beginning with tale of the European discovery of the Congo river and then honing in on Leopold's obsession with colonial expansion and the Congo specifically. He describes the casual brutality of Leopold's regime extremely effectively before skillfully introducing the figures in the movement that rose up to make the world aware of what was happening in Africa. Along the way, the author does a great job of putting the events into historical context and addressing likely counterarguments made be pro-Leopold sources (e.g. why there was outrage about the Congo specifically despite equally brutal colonial regimes elsewhere in Africa, the pre-existence of continental African slavery, etc). Hochschild does a great job of developing characters and presents a mountain of irrefutable evidence to back up his main arguments, all of which is done in an extremely engaging manner. The author's epilogue, written 10 years after the initial publication, is also even handed and insightful.

If I have any complaint with the book, it's that the author sometimes makes leaps of judgement in the narrative that aren't necessary, especially when it comes to speculating whether certain characters in the story previously l crossed paths or allowed specific people/events to privately influence their decisions. The story is compelling enough without these speculations. He also (rightfully) demonizes Leopold and other figures in the regime, but spends less time characterizing anti-colonial figures whose backgrounds and personal lives are shady at best. While certain players are demonstrably more despicable than others, I felt that Hochschild could have been a little more even handed in describing the faults of his protagonists at times, if for nothing else than to appear more impartial as a narrator and derail his critics.

Overall, the book is outstanding and I would recommend it to anybody looking for a fast paced story, context about the European scramble for Africa, or insight as to how Africa developed through the 20th century.