You need to sign in or sign up before continuing.
Take a photo of a barcode or cover
4.28 AVERAGE
4.28 AVERAGE
slow-paced
Content Warnings
Graphic: Genocide, Racial slurs, Racism, Slavery, Violence, Kidnapping, Colonisation, Injury/Injury detail, Classism
Moderate: Pedophilia, Cannibalism, Religious bigotry
adventurous
dark
informative
medium-paced
Leopold was a rotten man. Morel and Casement were great men.
dark
informative
medium-paced
This was a very in depth history of King Leopold the 2nd’s involvement and abuse of the Congo. As a biased American caring about where we fit in, the detailing of the US’ complicity is also extensively discussed and should not be forgotten. This work does an awesome job of giving recognition to some of the unsung heroes of E.D. Morel and Roger Casement for their tireless work to expose the horrors of the Belgian pillages. Granted, they did not work alone, nor did they fully establish liberation for the Congolese people, they certainly brought awareness to those in power of it.
dark
informative
sad
medium-paced
adventurous
challenging
dark
informative
reflective
sad
medium-paced
dark
informative
reflective
medium-paced
Hochschild builds on the devoted work of previous historians and scholars in this important investigative journalistic masterpiece. He reveals the details of King Leopold’s cruel, deadly, and overlooked reign in the Congo while drawing parallels to other human rights violations (past and present) for which this illustrates the devastation and harm of unchecked power and greed, the intentional efforts of powerful leaders to obscure history, and the terror brought on by colonization and forced labor. Not a book I’ll reach for to reread soon, but one I’ll surely think about for a long time to come.
emotional
informative
sad
tense
medium-paced
challenging
informative
challenging
dark
informative
medium-paced
dark
informative
slow-paced