Fascinating

I had heard about this book from friends and knew I should read it, but dreaded hearing the gory details of King Leopold's horrendous subjugation of the Congo. But Hochschild breaks it to you gently, and crafts the story so skillfully that I never felt overwhelmed. The book is easy to listen to and consistently fascinating. It is amazing that the Belgians were able to prevent the information about this massive crime against an entire people from being disseminated earlier, successfully burying it for so many decades. Highly recommended.

45 people found this helpful

A History that I Should Have Known

This is a history that I should have known, but did not, and am glad that I had an opportunity to explore the history of the Belgian Congo and the forces that shaped many of the countries in Africa. The author focuses on the perceived need, within Europe countries, and King Leopold of Belgium, in particular, to have a foot hold on the African continent and to exploit the resources and peoples in Africa to his own personal advantage. The author makes the history more personal, more intimate, by focusing on the dynamics of King Leopold of Belgium and how his personal needs drove widespread exploitation and brutality in the area that became the Belgium Congo. The reader captures the history as if telling an engaging mystery that is unfolding with many characters with multiple over-lapping and conflicting agendas until the reader has to step back and realize the damage and destruction that is being done. The inhumanity of it all is at times overwhelming and yet it is a history that provides a more contemporary context for some of the conflicts in this region. Well-crafted historical work; well-read with clarity and engagement; a story worth knowing as one ponders developments in the region and the history of European involvement in the colonization and exploitation of Africa.

23 people found this helpful

A sorry sad story

One of my favorite books, "Poisonwood Bible", piqued my interest in exactly what had happened in the Congo. The reality was worse than I ever had imagined. Mass genocide and other atrocities were so severely inflicted on the people of the Congo that all but the faintest hints of oral traditions were eradicated, along with most of the culture. The author takes some time in exploring the parallels to Joseph Conrad's fictional "Heart of Darkness" and makes a strong case that fictional people and events truly existed. There are heroes in this story, but current events in the Congo make any hope of the restoration of the once vibrant culture truly faint. That one man can destroy so much is an unfortunate lesson the humankind keeps having to repeat. Narration is competant but there are annoying repeated phrases as an earlier reviewer states.

19 people found this helpful

Gruesome story describing how shrewd King Leopold

This books tells a story that deserves a greater audience. Most people have a vague appreciation of colonialist exploits in Africa and most people know that imperialist Europe to some extent exploited Africa in a way that was not mutually beneficial. This book describes the process and the details of this exploitation in the Congo, and it paints a gruesome picture that is difficult to shake off.

We get to follow King Leopold who from an early age desired a large territory to exploit. By pretending to be on a humanitarian mission Leoplold got European leaders to accept him taking over Congo. When in charge he set up a reign based on terror and slavery resulting in a large personal fortune and a reduction of the Congolese population to about 50% of what it had been before Leopold’s men arrived. His belgian soldier were given manuals of how to Kidnap women and children to force men to work, as well as how to punish men who did not work (chopping off hands was a frequent phenomena).

As damning as this story is for white imperialist Europe, it also offers hope. Leopold was eventually stopped, and not through local uprisings. Indeed local leaders tended to help tyrants such as Leopold if they themselves could profit from it. Rather it was the english lawyer, E.D. Morel, who when he realized that Leopold was exploiting Congo made it his mission to stop him. This resulted in what was essentially a PR war between Morel and King Leopold, which was fought around the world and which is a fascinating story in its own right (which is also described in the book). Of course Congo eventually became a sovereign nation, and as is sadly often the case, the first thing they did was to elect a leader (Lumumba) who wanted to shut the rest of the world (especially western nations) out. CIA responded with an assassination and installed Mobutu, who ruled the “democratic” republic of Congo for 30 years, leading it to more suffering and poverty.

In sum, King Leopold’s ghost is a gripping, well researched, story about a chapter in our history about which we are too naive. The book is highly recommended

13 people found this helpful

If you cried through Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee

If you cried through Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee you probably ought not to read this book. Bury My Heart made me embarrassed to be white. King Leopold’s Ghost made me embarrassed to be human. I picked up this book because I have always wanted to know what really went on in the Congo with Patrice Lumumba back in the 50s, and why he was assassinatd in 1960. Although this book is not about Lumumba, it does touch on his life, and it becomes quite clear why he was assassinated—by the American CIA on order of the POTUS. Sickening. But what I learned about the Congo in the late 1800s and early 1900s was unexpected and horrifying beyond belief. I don’t remember hearing anything about King Leopold and the atrocities he committed against the people of the Congo, and against their land. It is simply unspeakable!

This book is well written and well documented. The things it claims really did happen. Leopold was responsible for the murder of over 10 million people, and made over a billion dollars off of the forced labor of the Congolese while claiming their land for himself and glutting on their natural resources. The things he did put him right up there with Stalin and Hitler and a few others for the “winner” of the Most Evil Man on the Face of the Earth award.

12 people found this helpful

Awful presentation

While the narrator does a good job, the quality of the editing of the audio file is awful. There are sections in which the previous several sentences are repeated, and the chapters of the book do not correspond to the chapters of the audio file. I had to make numerous bookmarks at the correct timestamp in order to be able to successfully return to a section I had previously listened to, as I was reading this book as part of a university course requirement.

If Audible would have someone go through and correct these obvious errors, I would have zero complaints.

11 people found this helpful

A Worthwhile Book

I have a particular interest in the African Diaspora, the US reconstruction, and Jim Crow years. This book provides fine background on a particularly dark era. First, Leopold II’s story is well documented here and those who are unfamiliar with the story will greatly benefit. Individuals who became cognizant of the “goings on” in African under the King and fought are aptly covered. King Leopold realizes that Europeans are profiting from African in general and the Congo in particular and wants his share of the booty. How he does that and the aftermath is the story of this book. I would have enjoyed gaining a more nuanced understanding of the culture, communities, and detail related to what was happening “on the ground” in the Congo. Essentially, this book details, outlines, and retells what took place. There are examples and a few short biographical sections (a African head collector for example), but the story does not come to life. This is not a new book (1999), but very worthwhile. Geoffrey Howard reads wonderfully.

11 people found this helpful

Poorly Sectioned Chapters

The audio book chapters did not line up with the book chapters. Otherwise the audio book helped me very much for my College History course.

7 people found this helpful

A history lesson we should have learned in school

When I was a history major in college over 45 years ago, I never heard of King Leopold of Belgium, and knew nothing of the relationships between the colonizers and the African people. The detail in this book makes it impossible to escape the connection between the abuse of the African people and the development (or lack thereof) of the people and governments of central Africa.

7 people found this helpful

Fantastic Book

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

Absolutely, the story is moving and entertaining and terrifying and amazing. Even if you have no particular interest in history, colonialism, human rights or the ethics of empire the story told here is fascinating and draws you into the narrative, involving as it does so many people, famous, infamous and unknown.

What does Geoffrey Howard bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

His diction and elocution is spot on, and he brings an elegant, measured tone to the narration.

Any additional comments?

The language is especially wonderful and the author seamlessly integrates source material into and out of the text.

5 people found this helpful