King Leopold's Ghost: A Story of Greed, Terror, and Heroism in Colonial Africa Audiobook

" This book is awesome. I was expecting something dry and scholarly, but Hochschid can write some compelling non-fiction. I highly recommend this book--because I think it's so important for people to get grounded in the stories of (not-so-ancient) colonial history, and also because it is a completely riveting book. "

" Having spent two years in Belgium and knowing that today Antwerp is the diamond capitol of the world (run by Orthodox Jews) I was always curious how this came to be. Noone in Belgium seemed to want to discuss Belgiums colonial past. In fact, most of the Belgiums that I interacted with felt the same dismissiveness when discussing Hitler. I later learned that about King Leopold's atrocities (not from anyone in Belgium). This book described in detail what an evil and self-centered person King Leopold was (I often passed by the palace on the tramp or light rail and saw some of the excentricities accumulated during these years). It is sad what Belgium did to the Congo and Africa continues to suffer for it today. With all that said the book was not very well written and often went into detail that was unnecessary. Despite that the book was well researched and the pictures were facinating. "

" Absolutely chilling account of Belgian King Leopold's systematic genocide in Congo. Riveting. "

" Good history book. Sad what people put other's through. "

" I have not read many history books like this. I have since read several others that he has written because the story that he tells is intoxicating. In my limited opinion, I think he is the best history author I have read. You will enjoy it. "

" An engrossing page-turner. Horschild does a terrific job in the narrative, imagery, character development and scholarship. I was reading this on a trip, and had to actually limit myself to a chapter a night so I didn't finish it too early with nothing left to read! "

" wow. I understand a little bit of why Africa is Africa now. "

" Well written, terrifying, horrible story. It's shameful how few people are familiar with the facts. People don't usually associate belgium with the horrors of colonialism. This book should be read by every responsible literate man woman and child. "

" I remember very little from this book and I plan to reread it. "

" We are reading this in my CU World History class. This is the true story behind Conrad's Heart of Darkness. "

" Wonderfully crafted narrative of both the best and the worst that humanity has to offer. "

" would give it 6 stars if i could "

" It is unbelievable that this is non-fiction. It reads like a novel without dulling the brutality of the subject matter. "

" Very well written book on the history of the Democratic Republic of Congo. Must read for anyone with interests in the region. "

" This horrific tale of rapacious plunder and quasi-genocidal despotism is a must read for anyone who wants to understand either colonialism or the contemporary post-colonial world. It feels weird to call a book with such a depressing and shameful subject compulsively readable, but it was. "

" Read in one of my African history classes at OSU. "

" Very informative about African colonialism in the late 19th century in general and about his participation specifically. "

" The poor Congo - a thorough account of the explotation by Belgians in the Congo and those who tried to stop it. "

" Good source, but in parts very boring. "

" While I usually love historical exposee by journalists, I was not in love with King Leopold's Ghost. The only thing that kept me reading was the hook Barbara Kingsolver provided in Poisonwood Bible to understand the history of The Congo. Read her if you want to get through him. "

" Disturbing. I want to re-read Heart of Darkness. "

" A beautifully written but tragically horrifying tale about how Belgium's King Leopold was directly responsible for 10 million deaths in the Congo... and how almost no one today remembers. "

" having read dozens of books about ww1, I found this one unique in that it weaves real lives into the narrative. starting with victoria's jubilee in 1897, it traces key personalities who had influence on the outcome the war both positive and negative. "

" Hochschild reaches his own very high standard. It is an excellent and moving account of World War I, made painfully accessible through the chronicled experience of mostly British warriors and anti-war protestors. "

" Great book! An excellent supplement to Tuchman's classics "The proud tower" and "Guns of august". "

" Very interesting social history of the period "

" Good book in examining the time period and additional dimensions to the war other than battles and strategy; however, I found it somewhat disjointed because it moved from character to character in between tremendous battles and turning points in the war. "