Sunday, July 20, 2008

On... King Leopold's Ghost by Adam Hochschield

I added this book to my want to read list after taking a course on African history during my last semester of college. I have always had a fascination with history and developed an increased fascination about African history after taking this class and learning just how little I actually knew about Africa.

Hochschield deftly weaves together a story about a harsh but very real story. The title is somewhat misleading though. I thought that Hochschield would be telling the story of the Congo after the passing of the infamous King Leopold. In fact, Hochschield did not tell of Leopold's death until the last third of the book, close to the end.

This story is not for the faint of heart but it is an excellent tale of caution. I could see modern day applications or I should say ramifications as I read.

I definitely recommend the book.

1 comment:

Karlene said...

Interesting. Thanks for the review.