Original reaction was "well this is a helluva thing to write a children's book about," but in thinking more about it I realized history is history - gOriginal reaction was "well this is a helluva thing to write a children's book about," but in thinking more about it I realized history is history - good as well as bad - and to limit or filter what we tell our children is kinda how we started down the road that ends with schools banning books on slavery or civil rights or penguins…
Anyway, despite it's sensational title, this book is nicely done - basically the same story as King Leopold's Ghost (which Olson cites as a primary source), but written to a middle school level. Would actually recommend to a child curious about the history of Africa, colonialism and/or slavery.
ONLY PERIPHERALLY RELATED: After reading these two books, I also now can’t get Warren Zevon’s “Roland the Headless Thompson Gunner” out of my head…...more
There are a number of excellent 5-star reviews of this outstanding, important, impactful* but deeply unsettling book, so I won't waste time restating There are a number of excellent 5-star reviews of this outstanding, important, impactful* but deeply unsettling book, so I won't waste time restating what so many others have said better regarding the overall horror show that was King Leopold - and not, somewhat surprisingly, Belgium as a whole** - in the Congo. That said, I do have a few other fairly random thoughts, presented here in no particular order:
* Unlike most other mass murderers of history, Leopold wasn't driven by any particular philosophy or ideology - Nazism, Communism, racism or any other evil "-ism" - as much as by pure, personal, and unadulterated greed. And sure enough (and yes, I DO hate the fact that so many books point me back in this direction), as I read the book I couldn't help but increasingly compare Leopold to Donald Trump: the venality, greed, narcissism, deep cynicism and shameless dishonesty (intentionally trying to disguise his planned rape of the Congo as an attempt to actually fight slavery); the personal immorality (flaunting of his years-long affair with a former prostitute 49 years his junior); his crying "fake news" when the media finally got on to his deeds, and then trying to destroy all physical evidence, (the burning of the Congo Free State archives in particular sounds like Mark Meadows' post-election document fires that left his suits "smelling like a bonfire," according to Cassidy Hutchinson's book)…
* There are however a few real heroes here, namely E.D. Morel, Roger Casement, George Washington Williams, William Henry Sheppard, and others - all of whom were new to me. Other names I had heard of, but never particularly connected to Africa before, including John Dunlop and Charles Goodyear (both of tire fame), Charles Macintosh (whose waterproof rainwear continues to bear his name), and Wilfred Thesiger, who I knew more as a later-in-life explorer but who had also been British Consul to Boma in 1908-1909, from where he reported on Leopold's atrocities to the British Parliament. (Joseph Conrad and Henry Morton Stanley I of course already knew as "old Africa hands," but had never known just what a psycho nutcase Stanley was - yikes!)
* And okay, once Leopold died, Belgium did retain the Congo as a colony for another half century, but at least began the slow process of reversing Leopold's worst abuses and trying to improve life for the remaining Congolese. Somewhat fortuitously for Belgium, just as its international reputation was becoming ever-more tarnished through the increasing revelations of Leopold's depravity, the country was invaded by Germany in 1914, and so quickly went from "villain" to "victim" in the eyes of its allies, including (most importantly) England and America.
* So indisputably, Leopold sucked. But Hochschild's final chapters paint an almost equally damning picture of how the other European powers (largely France, Germany, Portugal and Britain) behaved in Africa; or how the Australians and Americans treated the indigenous peoples in their own homelands, (and in our own case, also during our one colonial misadventure in the Philippines). So more properly: yeah, people in general suck.
* And sadly, post-colonial Africans today aren't treating each other much better than their former white masters did; and Hochschild does an equally solid-if-depressing job of laying out just how dismal the future looks for much of the subcontinent, (see above: "people suck").
* On a somewhat (and much needed) lighter note, reading about G.W. Williams and seeing his photo made me think "hey, he looks/sounds like Sam Jackson in the latest Tarzan movie" (2016's The Legend of Tarzan) - and sure enough, Jackson was indeed portraying Williams, just as Christoph Waltz portrayed real-life villain (and role model for Conrad's "Kurtz") Leon Rom. So I quickly borrowed and rewatched the movie, which I not only really enjoyed (despite its crummy reviews), but appreciated how they tried to place classic Tarzan in a legitimate historical setting, as spelled out in the film's opening scrawl:
"At the Berlin Conference of 1884, the world's colonial powers took it upon themselves to divide up the African Congo. King Leopold of Belgium claimed the vast Congo Basin, rich in ivory and minerals. Five years later, he had run up huge debts in his ambition to exploit his new colony…"
…which is oversimplified but largely correct, but is then followed with:
"Desperate for funds and running out of money to pay his army, he sent his trusted servant, Leon Rom, to the Congo to source the legendary diamonds of Opar…"
…which, okay, says goodbye to history here and hello to the fifth Borroughs book, Tarzan and the Jewels of Opar. But then the movie actually does circle back again at the very end, concluding with the (factual) release of William's damning 1890 "Open Letter to His Serene Majesty Leopold II, King of the Belgians and Sovereign of the Independent State of Congo" in which he condemned the brutal treatment of the Congolese (if totally neglected to mention Tarzan at all). Sadly, the real-life Williams passed away in 1891 during his return from Africa to England, and so never knew the impact of his work. But still, a great character well-deserving of the "full Sam Jackson."
* Looking for other books on the topic, I found a children's book at our library called Leopold II: Butcher of the Congo which frankly seems like a pretty messed-up title and subject for young readers***, (it was shelved under "Juvenile"). That said, however, it included the following map, which pretty much sums things up in two images as well as Hochschild did in any 100 pages:
[image]
[image]
And…that's enough. Fantastic book; indeed, "popular history" at its best. And yes, it's a total bummer - but sometimes we need to be bummed in order to become better. People don't have to suck! _________________________________
* "Impactful:" before this book was published, most people - including even a large number of Belgians - apparently had no idea of what had been going on in Africa under Leopold's rule, since the Congo was HIS PERSONAL PROPERTY, and not an actual Belgian colony.
** "Not Belgium as a whole:" Much to my personal relief, since we lived in Belgium for two years and loved the place and its people; so would hate to have to reevaluate that entire experience now, (much as I've had to reconsider my personal relationship to "the English" after visiting Ireland and exploring my familial roots there).
*** This book as part of a series called "Wicked History," and includes similar titles on Torquemada, Rasputin, Ivan the Terrible, Vlad the Impaler…kids, kids - please go read books about inspiring heroes instead!!...more
Fascinating if micro (vs. macro) real-time look at the earliest days of WWI, beginning with the German invasion of Belgium and ending with their devasFascinating if micro (vs. macro) real-time look at the earliest days of WWI, beginning with the German invasion of Belgium and ending with their devastation of and entry into Antwerp - so basically Aug-Oct 1914.
As America had yet to enter the war (and wouldn't do so for another two-and-a-half years), Powell was remarkably free to wander back and forth across the Belgian-German fronts; carrying messages between the sides and even dining with general officers of both armies. In fact, the Germans courted Americans in the area, as they wanted desperately to keep the U.S. out of the war.
An absolute wealth of information and observation, so let me just list a few facts of particular interest:
- The dropping of bombs on Antwerp from a Zeppelin was apparently the first aerial bombardment in history.
- In terms of weaponry, tactics, uniforms, and pretty much everything else, the early days of WWI resembled the Civil War much more than what we think of in the later war - colorful uniforms with tall furry hats, full on cavalry lancer charges, primitive machine guns pulled by dogs, etc.
- British troops who withdrew from Belgium into Holland were interned for the duration, as Holland remained neutral for the whole war; indeed, the Netherlands eventually interned over 33,000 Belgians, 1,700 British and only 1,400 Germans. Not cool, Netherlands! :(
- "Duffel bags" are called that because the material used original came from the Belgian city of Duffel; and Flushing, NY is named for the southern Dutch city of Flushing (Vlissingen). However, Hoboken, NJ is not named for Hoboken, Belgium - as the NJ name comes from the original Lenape name "Hobocan Hackingh" or "land of the tobacco pipe;" while the Belgian neighborhood is derived from the Medieval Dutch "Hooghe Buechen," meaning "tall beeches."
- The British American Tobacco Company was apparently frickin' everywhere back then, (I'm currently also reading about the Chinese warlords of the 1920s, and the company was a major player/lobbyist there as well).
…and so much more. Great book that should be read by any student of the Great War or Belgium in general - published just months after the events took place, so amazingly fresh.
FYI, despite his attempts at journalistic impartiality, Powell notes in his introduction that he is fervently pro-Belgium, (as well he and everyone else should be here). With the U.S. finally entering the war in 1917, Powell was commissioned as a captain in military intelligence. After the war he became an adventure and travel writer, traveling widely around the world and publishing some 20 more books between 1920 and 1954.
Thanks to GR friends Paul and Daren for introducing me to the Gutenberg Project and it's endless collection of rare and free ebooks - including a number of others by Powell. This is gonna be fun…...more
Once past the bizarro cover - we get it, Belgium - you like mussels!* - this is a wonderful and, I daresay, essential book for anyone spending any reaOnce past the bizarro cover - we get it, Belgium - you like mussels!* - this is a wonderful and, I daresay, essential book for anyone spending any real amount of time in Brussels. While Grand-Place aside, Brussels isn't known for it's old world charm - unlike either Bruges or Ghent - it certainly has its hidden treasures, many of which are virtually unknown to local residents (much less tourists) but are well-documented here.
Sure, there are the requisite art, history and science museums - a lot of them; and very good, with two of the best being (A) the outstanding Royal Army and History Military Museum (https://klm-mra.be/en), objectively one the largest and subjectively (at least IMO) one of the best military museums in the world, with an insanely large hall full or aircraft, a parking lot full of tanks, row after row of various artillery, and a towering wall of spiked German helmets - all different! - and (B) the Museum of Natural Sciences, which contains the largest display of iguanodons in the world (discovered in "nearby"** Bernissart - view it here: https://artsandculture.google.com/sto...).
But it's the oddball venues that are the most fun. The Fencing Museum, Museum of Musical Instruments, Clockarium Museum, Chicory Museum, Brussels Gueuze Museum (one of three beer-centric museums; we get it Belgium - you love beer!), Belgian Center for Comic Strip Art, and - one of my favorites - the Confederate Museum, as in the "fought Lincoln's damn Yankees" Confederates, so…whaa?
The "Contents" page is broken down by geography - not particularly helpful - but the theme-based index in the back gives you a more useful categorical breakout.
Anyhow - a great find (if you can find it!) for any future Bruxellois!
* Oddly enough, there is no mussels museum - so the cover is not only unattractive, but also pointless. Just sayin'.
** Because EVERYTHING in Brussels is pretty much "nearby."...more
This is the main guidebook we used for the big cities of Belgium during our time there (2006-08). Like all DK books this was beautifully produced and This is the main guidebook we used for the big cities of Belgium during our time there (2006-08). Like all DK books this was beautifully produced and also helped us get the most of our too-short time there. Bruges and particularly Ghent could have used bigger sections, but otherwise - a great guide, (although do buy one of the more recent edition)....more
Very good if not quite great (coulda/shoulda been maybe 15% shorter) story about two native Canadian Cree hunters who go off to fight in WWI. We know Very good if not quite great (coulda/shoulda been maybe 15% shorter) story about two native Canadian Cree hunters who go off to fight in WWI. We know from the first few pages who dies and who doesn't, but we don't know the details until damn near the end - so the tension just keeps ramping up like an endless game of Russian roulette where you know the cylinder has to stop on a loaded chamber eventually.
A second story deals with the return to Canada of the one who doesn't quite die, and his reunion with the elderly Cree shaman who raised him…and then a third tale tells the shaman's own story. So, yeah - confusing, but well done confusion; and a very good audio version that uses two narrators to tell the separate male and female stories.
As to that "15% too long" - after a while, the war stories do start to get repetitious…but then I imagine that's just war - endless days of terror that somehow all blur together in the retelling to anyone who wasn't there - and after reading this (and other descriptions of the war in Belgium), thank Christ I wasn't there.
I can't really add this to my "western" bookshelf because it wasn’t one; but for obvious reasons I'm loathe to rename that shelf "cowboys and Indians" where it would actually fit better. Perhaps I need a new shelf for books like this and Only Killers and Thieves…something like "indigenous protagonists," except less clunky - suggestions welcome!...more
I feel kind of guilty saying I "really liked" a story this horrific, but I just learned so much from it, and it was so well written. Yes, Winston GrooI feel kind of guilty saying I "really liked" a story this horrific, but I just learned so much from it, and it was so well written. Yes, Winston Groom is the same guy that wrote Forrest Gump, but he also served as an officer in Vietnam and was nominated for a Pulitzer for Conversations With the Enemy, about POWs in Vietnam - so he's more than the "life is like a box of chocolates" guy.
Groom tells a "war is hell" story that strips away the cliche and exposes in gruesome detail one of history's - and certainly "modern" history's - greatest slaughters. It also drives home the senselessness and political cynicism of war: just read the brief and absolutely chilling paragraph on page 219 describing how at the very height of the carnage, (i.e., the Battle of Passchendaele, a full four years into a virtually non-stop fight over the same useless strip of territory), the British Government was all but ignoring the struggle, "apparently on the reasoning that it would soon die out on its own due to the onset of winter" (which itself then killed additional thousands).
At the same time, I also happen to be reading Monuments Men, and taken together I'm surprised to see what consistent a-holes the Germans were in both conflicts. I say that coming from a long line of Jungs, Irmschers, Huttles and Shmutzes, but compared to the Allied forces in both wars, their behavior was just so much worse in the treatment of prisoners, abuse of locals, and introduction of new and nightmarish weapons of war, (what is it with Germans and their love of poison gases?). In fact, I'm so mad at the Germans right now that I'm going to read All Quiet on the Western Front next, just to give them a fair chance to present their side of the story.
I can't believe I didn't learn more about this when I actually lived in Belgium for two years. But apparently there has just been so much fighting there over the centuries - the Low Countries have been the go-to place for the major European powers (France, Germany, England) to fight their battles since at least the Hundred Years War - that all that history is just kind of, like, there. (I used to drive past the Waterloo battlefield on my way to work every day, and it was basically one really big field with a hill and a single statue on top; compare that to Gettysburg, often referred to as "the largest sculpture garden in the world.") Anyway - certainly fascinating to learn about it now, and I'll definitely spend some time in Ypres next time I pass through the area....more
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