King Leopold's Ghost: A Story of Greed, Terror, and Heroism in Colonial Africa "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 |
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LibraryThing Review
User Review - colligan - LibraryThingWell, that was a depressing but very worthwhile read. As with many (even educated) Caucasians, I knew little specific about the horror that was the colonization of Africa. It's something that should ... Read full review
LibraryThing Review
User Review - EricCostello - LibraryThingSharp and pungent account of the colonization and exploitation of the Belgian Congo by King Leopold II, who to say the least comes across as a conniving hypocrite in this account. Little wonder it isn ... Read full review
Other editions - View all
King Leopold's Ghost: A Story of Greed, Terror and Heroism in Colonial Africa Adam Hochschild No preview available - 2019 |
King Leopold's Ghost: A Story of Greed, Terror, and Heroism in Colonial Africa Adam Hochschild No preview available - 1999 |
Common terms and phrases
African American asked began Belgian Belgium British brought Brussels called carried Casement cause chief claimed colony Congo Conrad continent death England Europe European expedition explorer Force Foreign francs French gave give half hands head Henry Morton Stanley human hundred interest ivory killed king labor land later Leopold letters living London look major Marchal marched meeting million mission missionaries months Morel natives never newspaper officials once ordered passed porters president published quoted reform river Royal rubber rule Sanford seemed sent Sheppard ship slaves Society soldiers sometimes soon Stanley Stanley’s station story territory things thousand told took trade turned United village wanted women writing wrote York young
Bibliographic information
| Title | King Leopold's Ghost: A Story of Greed, Terror, and Heroism in Colonial Africa |
| Author | Adam Hochschild |
| Publisher | HarperCollins, 1999 |
| ISBN | 0547525737, 9780547525730 |
| Length | 416 pages |
| Subjects | › › › History / Africa / Central History / Africa / General History / Europe / Benelux Countries (Belgium, Netherlands, Luxembourg) History / Modern / 19th Century History / Modern / 20th Century / General |
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