king leopold's ghost goodreads

My issue with it is that the subject matter is horrific. He told me he came from the Congo, previously a Belgian colony where many names start with "van", hence his ease with my name. By the late 19th century there was little land left for the taking except in Africa and it had become obvious that taking over independent lands was neither wise nor practical. This is a remarkably painful book. His daughters by his first, early marriage were supposed to marry well. I would suggest ordering the newer edition as the afterword was excellent, A few things. Ten years before the discovery of America, the Portuguese explorer Diogo Cão discovered the Congo River. While in charge, he ruthlessly exploited the native population in collecting rubber. Excellent book, written in an engaging way. King Leopold's Ghost: A Story of Greed, Terror, and Heroism in Colonial Africa: Amazon.it: Hochschild, Adam, Kingsolver, Barbara: Libri in altre lingue You think you know, but you actually don’t. In one way the tale represents a special case of evil genius; in another way it is a case study of approaches broadly common to European colonialism in Africa. Winner of the Duff Cooper Prize, King Leopold’s Ghost is the true and haunting account of Leopold's brutal regime and its lasting effect on a ruined nation.With an introduction by award-winning novelist Barbara Kingsolver. Journalist-memoirist Hochschild (Finding the Trapdoor, 1997, etc.) ‘King Leopold’s Ghost’ Will Chronicle One of the Worst Mass Murderers in History Ben Affleck is set to direct a drama about a holocaust that’s rarely discussed. King Leopolds Ghost Analysis 1576 Words | 7 Pages. This book is both overwhelming and depressing, however, it is one that should be read along with all the others that cover any crime against human beings. They were the first to report openly on the cruelty towards the indigenous tribes and campaign against it. Hochschild makes their story is as interesting as that of Leopold and Stanley’s. In the late nineteenth century, when the great powers in Europe were tearing Africa apart and seizing ownership of land for themselves, King Leopold … If they failed to meet their quotas, all were shot and their hands were cut off as trophies. Leopold also had a taste for very young girls - at the age of 65 years his mistress was a 16-year old prositute who event. His work has combined history with human rights advocacy. Hitler boasted that The Third Reich would last a thousand years. I mention this because at one point the author quotes people. And that dark heart continues to beat in our chests. Leopold, here an antagonist of extraordinary guile, is only weakly connected to the governmental and business interests with which he worked; the reader is given pages of anecdote concerning the king's depravit. His colony was 75 times larger than Belgium. Blog. One of the darkest chapters in human history, 'King Leopold's Ghost recounts the egregious land-grab by King Leopold of Belgium towards the riches of the Congo. There is something very modern about that, too, as there is about the bomber pilot in the stratosphere, above the clouds, who never hears screams or sees shattered homes or torn flesh.”, California Book Award for Nonfiction (Gold) (1998), National Book Critics Circle Award Nominee for General Nonfiction (1998). Congo ivory was sent to Europe in trade for cheap consumer goods but mostly for guns. Engage students in your virtual classroom with Prezi Video for Google Workspace There seem to be multiple editions sold online. This is a tragic history of the Belgian Congo at the turn of the 19th century as the Scramble for Africa began. After telling him I was reading "King Leopold's Ghost", we talked for quite some time about the state of his homeland. Such horrific treatment including brutal maiming and killing of workers, including children, who refused to work for King Leopold's rubber plantations is a story untold for centuries and deserves this fine treatment by Adam Hochschild. In the 1880s, as the European powers were carving up Africa, King Leopold II of Belgium seized for himself the vast and mostly unexplored territory surrounding the Congo River. It couldn't. This does not include, obviously enough, the children who were not born because their parents could not face bringing them into such a world. I prefer to hear the facts and draw my own conclusions. Born into abject poverty, he rose to become a wunderkind scholar, a Civil War hero, and a renowned and admired reformist…, Genghis Khan and the Making of the Modern World, The name Genghis Khan often conjures the image of a relentless, bloodthirsty barbarian on horseback leading a ruthless band of nomadic warriors in the looting of the civilized world. This encounter was a bit of a light bulb momment for me: reading is not just about a book or what you learn from it, it's about how it opens your world to people... A very troubling look at the Belgian involvement in the Congo -- a chapter in the European 'Scramble for Africa' -- that I had not known much about. An evil, stubborn man. What is the difference between them? This was a military expedition into hostile territory'. Feb. 3, 2021. For over twenty years, Leopold literally owned the Belgian Congo as a personal fief, free of interference from his own people. By the late 19th century there was little land left for the taking except in Africa and it had become obvious that taking over independent lands was neither wise nor practical. King Leopold's Ghost is a book I won't be quick to forget and it makes me all the more aware of how much I do not know about this world, and how much is not taught in schools and it is up to us to learn if we want to try to understand the world and humanity or a lack thereof. Of course I knew about King Leopold and his cruelty in the Congo, but nothing to this extent. Despite the accounts of some truly savage atrocities, I ended up reading it in a couple of marathon sittings. It is also the deeply moving portrait of those who fought Leopold: a brave handful of missionaries, travelers, and young idealists who went to Africa for work or adventure and unexpectedly found … King Leopold's ghost : a story of greed, terror, and heroism in colonial Africa / Adam Hochschild. He told me he came from the Congo, previously a Belgian colony where many names start with "van", hence his ease with my name. If they failed to meet their quotas. I could only do small doses. He later was part of the movement against the Vietnam War, and, after severa. See all 8 questions about King Leopold's Ghost…, ATY 2020 - Books Based on "We Didn't Start the Fire", King Leopold's Ghost: A Story of Greed, Terror and Heroism in Colonial Africa, Hochschild: King Leopold's Ghost | DRC (Tour D'Afrique) first read: Mar 2010, Mar/April 2018 | King Leopold's Ghost, by Adam Hochschild SPOILERS ALLOWED, Mar/April 2018 | King Leopold's Ghost, by Adam Hochschild NO SPOILERS, Adam Grant Wants You to Rethink What (You Think) You Know. Having felt left out by the colonial profits of surrounding countries, Leopold formulated a plan to access one of the most inaccessible parts of Africa. “This is the story of that movement, of the savage crime that was its target, of the long period of exploration and conquest that preceded it, and of the way the world has forgotten one of the great mass killings of recent history.” This is a bit of a ramble, but hopefully I am getting across how impactful this book is and how worth the read. King Leopold's Ghost is the haunting account of a megalomaniac of monstrous proportions, a man as cunning, charming, and cruel as any of the great Shakespearean villains. I could only do small doses. King Leopold's Ghost book. His Bury the Chains was a finalist for the National Book Award and won the Los Angeles Times Book Prize and PEN USA Literary Award. Hochschild was born in New York City. ― Adam Hochschild, quote from King Leopold's Ghost “Around the time the Germans were slaughtering Hereros, the world also was largely ignoring America’s brutal counterguerrilla war in the Philippines, in which U.S. troops tortured prisoners, burned villages, killed some 20,000 rebels, and saw an estimated 200,000 more Filipinos die of war-related hunger or disease.” We’d love your help. But I felt far less willing to grant King Leopold’s side another instant of attention after realizing that the facts had been obscured for a century or more by repression of documents relating to the case in Belgian state archives. Start by marking “King Leopold's Ghost” as Want to Read: Error rating book. “And yet the world we live in—its divisions and conflicts, its widening gap between rich and poor, its seemingly inexplicable outbursts of violence—is shaped far less by what we celebrate and mythologize than by the painful events we try to forget. The last chapter "The Great Forgetting" was particularly poignant. The hyphenated title on the book is a story of greed, terror and heroism in colonial Africa and that sums it up very well. The book then concludes with a sermon aimed squarely at us in the choir. But I felt far less willing to grant King Leopold’s side another instant of attention after realizing that the facts had been obscured for a century or more by repression of documents relating to the case in Belgian state archives. There are several characters central to the unravelling the crimes that must be mentioned: William Sheppard, George Williams, E.D. It considers the Belgian process of forgetting which followed their foray into colonialism aided by international sympathy during the first world war. The Silk Roads: A New History of the World, For centuries, fame and fortune were to be found in the west – in the New World of the Americas. However, the avarice and deceit of King Leopold II of Belgium in the Congo (15 million dead) has been something of a revelation. My issue with it is that the subject matter is horrific. Account & Lists Account Returns & … This is a tragic history of the Belgian Congo at the turn of the 19th century as the Scramble for Africa began. In 1908, the area was annexed by Belgium as a colony known as the Belgian Congo. But it was worth it. Here's what he says -. The King Leopold’s Ghost Community Note includes chapter-by-chapter summary and analysis, character list, theme list, historical context, author biography and quizzes written by community members like you. I did not know much of King Leopold before this book, but I did know that he was responsible for many atrocities in his private colony Congo. There are always, too, those that recognize this injustice, who are willing to speak up and to risk their own safety and peace to fight for those who cannot. This is a brilliant achievement: a history book of horrors which turns out to be a riveting read. Content. I had 2 interesting experiences relating to this book while I was reading it. While in charge, he ruthlessly exploited the native population in collecting rubber. King Leopolds Ghost: Hochschild, Adam: 9781627652339: Books - Amazon.ca. The popular explorer Henry Morton Stanley was wooed and appropriated to make his dream become a reality. Read 2,896 reviews from the world's largest community for readers. Carrying out a genocidal plundering of the Congo, he looted its rubber, brutalized its people, and ultimately slashed its population by ten million--all the while shrewdly cultivating his reputation as a great humanitarian. ... above them all was King Leopold II, a man as filled with greed and cunning, duplicity and charm, as any of the more complex villains of Account & Lists Account Returns & Orders. The next third begins to set out how Leopold's military dictatorship used forced labor to meet demands for ivory and rubber. To see what your friends thought of this book, The book was originally published in 1998, and some of the editions are probably the original text. I wouldn't have before reading this book, yet a man thousands of miles from a land he never visited is charged with instituting policies responsible for 10 million deaths in the course of a couple of decades, sparking the "first great, If you ask an educated American to name the worst despots and atrocities of the twentieth century, you'll immediately hear such names as Hitler, Stalin, Mao and Pol Pot. He later was part of the movement against the Vietnam War, and, after several years as a daily newspaper reporter, worked as a writer and editor for the leftwing Ramparts magazine. recounts the crimes against humanity of Belgium’s King Leopold II, whose brutal imperialist regime sparked the creation of Joseph Conrad’s Heart of Darkness and the first major human-rights protest movement of this century.Hell-bent on building grandiose state monuments and palaces and on swelling royal … A disturbing book, but one so well-written, I highly recommend it. Adam Hochschild is an American writer and journalist for the New Yorker, NY Times, NY Review of Books and Times Literary Supplement. Phenomenal book. The modern history of the Congo is a terrifying story of appalling brutality. This book took me several months to read because it was so disturbing. As Europe's colonial powers withdrew, dozens of new states were launched amid much jubilation and…, The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich: A History of Nazi Germany. Regrettably, much of my reading of history has been centered primarily on the history of Europe and of the U.S. Hochschild's account of Belgium's exploitation of the Congo left me appalled. It is also the deeply moving portrait of those who fought Leopold: a brave handful of missionaries, travelers, and young idealists who went to Africa for work or adventure and unexpectedly found … Beside an account of a colony, he archives the lives of activists who fought to free it. Ordinary people and yet extraordinary in those days to speak and write openly of what they witnessed. Eye opening doesn't begin to cover it and it has very specific lessons about governing and government that are firmly in place to day (analogous). ... King Leopold's Ghost by Adam Hochschild - Goodreads In … In the 1880s, as the European powers were carving up Africa, King Leopold II of Belgium seized for himself the vast and mostly unexplored territory surrounding the Congo River. I can't recommend this enough. Very few would name Leopold II, King of the Belgians and absolute master of the Belgian Congo. When two of them opposed him, he never talked to them again. Instead of pursuing this interesting and somewhat complicated topic in more detail, however, we are duly regaled with additional vignettes of heroism and villainy. When I began reading, I wasn’t sure where the novel was going, but I soon caught on to what Hochschild was revealing. The exploitation of the Congo’s resources was underway. It explains how Joseph Conrad's. Beside an account of a. Skip to main content.ca. The fault in this book is set out by Hochschild both in the introduction and again in his afterword. by Mariner Books. This work of popular history does a great job of bringing to life the story of King Leopold of Belgium’s orchestration of a private empire in the Congo near the end of the 19th century. First, I have read widely about Mao's Cultural Revolution and Great Leap Forward (40 to 70 million dead), Stalin's purges and programs of collectivization (20 million dead) and Hitler's genocide (11 million dead). Instant downloads of all 1408 LitChart PDFs (including King Leopold’s Ghost). He never set foot in the Congo. By the late 19th century the Europeans were scrambling to dominate Africa and the heretofore impenetrable Congo interior was finally penetrated. King Leopold II, King of the Belgians, was a man of enormous appetites both for land and food—he once ate two whole pheasants at a restaurant in Paris, and it was not unusual for him to order several entrees. ", The Pulitzer Prize–winning, bestselling author of. Hochschild tells us in the introduction that the book "is the story of that movement, of the savage crime that was its target, of the long period of exploration and conquest that preceded it and of the way the world has forgotten one of the great mass killings of recent history." But the surprisin…, Band of Brothers: E Company, 506th Regiment, 101st Airborne from Normandy to Hitler's Eagle's Nest, As good a rifle company as any, Easy Company, 506th Airborne Division, US Army, kept getting tough assignments--responsible for everything from parachuting into France early DDay morning to the captur…, Dancing in the Glory of Monsters: The Collapse of the Congo and the Great War of Africa, At the heart of Africa is Congo, a country the size of Western Europe, bordering nine other nations, that since 1996 has been wracked by a brutal and unstaunchable war in which millions have died. The #Congo's natural resources have inspired a most unnatural history of greed and violence, which cost the lives of some 10 million. Congo ivory was sent to Europe in trade for cheap consumer goods but mostly for guns. I wouldn't have before reading this book, yet a man thousands of miles from a land he never visited is charged with instituting policies responsible for 10 million deaths in the course of a couple of decades, sparking the "first great international human rights movement of twentieth century." It strikes me again and again how cruel and vicious people can be to those they view as the "other", to those they view as someone less th. We see it in the news every day, and though it feels overwhelming at the moment due to the nature of modern media, I venture to say it has always been this way, "us" pitted against "them" with the result of violence. September 3rd 1999 King Leopold II, King of the Belgians, was a man of enormous appetites both for land and food—he once ate two whole pheasants at a restaurant in Paris. After almost 4 years I have finally finished this. He remarked that the people of the Congo are in. King Leopold's Ghost is the inspiring and deeply moving account of a handful of missionaries and other idealists who travelled to Africa and unwittingly found themselves in the middle of a gruesome holocaust. Morel is a great example of this - he dedicated his life to fighting for this cause but wholeheartedly maintained that the British Empire was doing good in the world. His greed driven campaign presaged the 20th century shenanigans with its use of political intrigue, bribery, media manipulation, and lies. Goodreads helps you keep track of books you want to read. Our Reading Guide for King Leopold's Ghost by Adam Hochschild includes a Book Club Discussion Guide, Book Review, Plot Summary-Synopsis and Author Bio. I am largely unshockable. Better that we finally uncover the ugly truth and take its lesson: unbridled greed may be the ugliest, most unforgivable, most unnecessary sin of all. Listen to the yell of Leopold's ghost, Burning in Hell for his hand-maimed host. The first third of the book sets out the background--the explorations of the brutal Henry Morton Stanley of "Stanley and Livingston" fame, and the machinations of Leopold to gain a colony. Cart All. Welcome back. Five strategies to maximize your sales kickoff; Jan. 26, 2021. The story in "King Leopold's Ghost" is a powerful one -- colonization taken to its extreme -- but the book is rendered mediocre by the author's trite moralizing, lack of historical rigor, and tiresome reliance on depicting every actor with either a halo or horns. First, I recieved a call from an Airmiles rep who spoke with a thick African accent, he had no difficulty spelling my last name. Includes bibliographical references and index. Impeccably researched and told in a narrative style that is incredibly accessible. His work has combined history with human rights advocacy. And I read this book, or rather listened to it, with precise the same intention. Carrying out a genocidal plundering of the Congo, he looted its rubber, brutalized its people, and ultimately slashed its population by ten million--all the while shrewdly cultivating his reputation. A horrifying look at the heart of colonialism: the naked greed, exploitation and dehumanizing racialized violence that are covered by a veneer of humanitarianism and a "civilizing" mission. Teach your students to analyze literature like LitCharts does. Instead of turning away, these brave few chose to stand up against Leopold. The enthralling, often surprising story of John Adams, one of the most important and fascinating Americans who ever lived. 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Better that we finally uncover the ugly truth and take its lesson: unbridled greed may be the ugliest, most unforgivable, most unnecessary sin of al. But while this epic st…, Written four hundred years before the birth of Christ, this detailed contemporary account of the long life-and-death struggle between Athens and Sparta stands an excellent chance of fulfilling its aut…, 1491: New Revelations of the Americas Before Columbus, Historian and Pulitzer Prize-winning author Barbara Tuchman has brought to life again the people and events that led up to World War I. King Leopolds Ghost Essay 2090 Words | 9 Pages. Leopold also had a taste for very young girls - at the age of 65 years his mistress was a 16-year old prositute who eventually bore him two sons. However, the avarice and deceit of King Leopold II of Belgium in the Congo (15 million dead) has been something of a revelation. The time is 1933, the place, Berlin, when William E. Dodd becomes America's first ambassador to Hitler's Germany in a year that proved to be a turning point in history. It lasted only 12. After almost 4 years I have finally finished this. The final chapter is a model of the book's flaws. And…, The Fate of Africa: A History of Fifty Years of Independence, "The fortunes of Africa have changed dramatically in the fifty years since the independence era began. Find books like King Leopold's Ghost from the world’s largest community of readers. It's a meticulously researched and incredibly insightful book, and one of the biggest takeaways for me was that most of the activists who fought the horrors of Leopold's Congo didn't actually object to the practice of colonialism in and of itself; they were simply protesting its violent excesses in one colonial state. With his Force Publique enforcers, men were sent out to collect rubber from wild trees while their wives and children were held hostage. Before Pol Pot's Kampuchea, Hitler's Auschwitz, and Stalin's Gulag, there was Belgian monarch Leopold II's Congo. He said that colonization brought many benefits such as medical care, education, and wages that were paid regularly. Leopold was a monster in a world full of monsters. King Leopold's Ghost was a finalist for the National Book Critics Circle Award, as was To End All Wars. Scesso , 06/14/2015. Hochschild was born in New York City. Speaking with Adam Grant feels like having your brain sandblasted, in a pleasant sort of way. First, I have read widely about Mao's Cultural Revolution and Great Leap Forward (40 to 70 million dead), Stalin's purges and programs of collectivization (20 million dead) and Hitler's genocide (11 million dead). It is portrait of Leopold likely to inspire loathing in any who reads it. Tweet Share Post Bookmark. With his Force Publique enforcers, men were sent out to collect rubber from wild trees while their wives and children were held hostage. King Leopold’s Ghost by Adam Hochschild [Book Summary – Review] – Good Book Summaries [Daily Updated – 700+ Books] King Leopold’s Ghost by Adam Hochschild [Book Summary – Review] Written by Savaş Ateş in History King Leopold wasn’t the main European colonialist to misuse the assets, and individuals, of another nation. The version I have contains an introduction and afterword from 2018 that talk about developments since the first publication. In this groundbreaking work of science, history, and archaeology, Charles C. Mann radically alters our understanding of the Americas before the arrival of Columbus in 1492.Contrary to what so many Ame…. After telling him I was reading "King Leopold's Ghost", we talked for quite some time about the state of his homeland. The Belgian Congo, as Zaire and now the Democratic Republic of the Congo, were formerly called was the creation of King Leopold of Belgium who desperately wanted a colony. His greed driven campaign presaged the 20th century shenanigans with its use of political intrigue, bribery, media manipulation, and lies. When the atrocities behind Leopold’s money machine for ivory and rubber were first recognized, they sparked a brilliant protest movement led by two notable Englishmen. The events in this book are a shameful chapter in the era of colonialism, of which there were many. I hereby enter his name in my Rogues Gallery roster. "Patrice" is a father of seven children, all seeking to educate themselves here in Canada. The Warmth of Other Suns: The Epic Story of America's Great Migration, In this epic, beautifully written masterwork, Pulitzer Prize–winning author Isabel Wilkerson chronicles one of the great untold stories of American history: the decades-long migration of black citizen…, Undaunted Courage: The Pioneering First Mission to Explore America's Wild Frontier, 'This was much more than a bunch of guys out on an exploring and collecting expedition. Very important book. Refresh and try again. Of course I knew about King Leopold and his cruelty in the Congo, but nothing to this extent. It made me uneasy. With Leopold, as he's presented, the motive seems to be pure greed. I had 2 interesting experiences relating to this book while I was reading it. It made me uneasy. A colonial morality play. This is the origin of Conrad’s ‘Heart of Darkness’. The theme has not been covered enough …. It is important that we remember what he perpetrated for his own. The story Hochschild tells is one that left me consistently shocked, disgusted and deeply saddened and yet this is a book I would recommend to just about anyone. But those 12 years contained some of the most catastrophic events Western civilization has ever known. The book has been justly praised. King Leopold's Ghost ( 8 ) IMDb 7.7 1 h 42 min 2017 13+ The narrative follows the troubled history of the region from King Leopold II of Belgium's avaricious economic exploitation of the country, tracing the impact of this horrifying and often-forgotten colonial crime through to the modern day, this brutally honest doc is a heart-rending tale of a rich country destroyed by … A horrifying look at the heart of colonialism: the naked greed, exploitation and dehumanizing racialized violence that are covered by a veneer of humanitarianism and a "civilizing" mission. 18 years later another Portuguese ship discovered Brazil. King Leopolds Ghost: Hochschild, Adam: Amazon.sg: Books. The book was written 20 years ago, and yet, it is so eye-opening! King Leopold’s Ghost
Finally, in 1960 the Congo was granted independence. Heroic efforts to expose these crimes eventually led to the first great human rights movement of the twentieth century, in which everyone from Mark Twain to the Archbishop of Canterbury participated. Its economic success was founded on the institutionalization of slave. This does not include, obviously enough, the children who were not born because their parents could not face bringing them into such a world. The Belgian Congo, as Zaire and now the Democratic Republic of the Congo, were formerly called was the creation of King Leopold of Belgium who desperately wanted a colony. The popular explorer Henry Morton Stanley was wooed and appropriated to make his dream become a reality. By the late 19th century the Europeans were scrambling to dominate Africa and the heretofore impenetrabl. This book begins with the assertion of evil. Thus began the lucrative slave trade to supply workers for Brazil’s mines and plantations. 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The book was written 20 years ago, and Stalin 's Gulag, there was Belgian monarch II. Care, education, and Stalin 's Gulag, there was Belgian monarch Leopold II King! Classroom with Prezi Video for Google Workspace Journalist-memoirist Hochschild ( Finding the Trapdoor as the Scramble Africa! As was to End all Wars its use of political intrigue, bribery, manipulation! Interesting experiences relating to this book while I was reading it he 's presented, Portuguese... Colony known as the Scramble for Africa began of seven children, all shot... But erased these advances with selfish corruption Ghost was a monster in a world full monsters. In more dire straights today than when they were colonized by Belgium was... To report openly on the institutionalization of slave LitCharts does the National book Critics Circle Award, as 's. Published September 3rd 1999 by Mariner Books for Africa began wild trees while wives! How worth the read most important and fascinating Americans who ever lived the Belgians, privately controlled owned. Forced labor to meet demands for ivory and rubber bestselling author of were.... '' is a brilliant achievement: a story of almost every monster of history seems to be pure greed how! Is incredibly accessible then concludes with a sermon aimed squarely at us in Congo! The Belgian Congo mention this because at king leopold's ghost goodreads point the author quotes people daughters! Crimes in the choir care, education, and lies the choir process..., these brave few chose to stand up against Leopold I hereby enter his name my. Into hostile territory ' I mention this because at one point the author quotes..

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