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frostap's review
5.0
Actually helped me understand the Congo. Not sure when that knowledge will be useful, but I'll take it.
bernardo7894's review against another edition
dark
funny
informative
reflective
sad
medium-paced
4.5
aspahn's review
5.0
very well written and clearly reviews a very complex country. this and King Leopold's Ghost are the two best books to read if you want to gain a basic understanding of the Congo.
jbosio's review against another edition
dark
informative
tense
medium-paced
4.25
I listened to the audiobook but I would recommend reading the physical book. There are a lot of people and places to keep on top of.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual violence, Sexual assault, Genocide, War, Torture, and Violence
van_worldexplorer's review
3.0
Very in depth look into DRC. This author blends their own experiences and interviews well with the research. It is a lot though. And it’s not an enjoyable topic. Very hard read but an important one.
shesagift's review
4.0
Read for class, but took my time reading and notating it. Fascinating and very readable history of the last ~20 years of conflict in the Congo. Very enlightening. I just think the text could be improved/clarified with some more material up front such as notes on who's aligned with who, what groups make up each acronymed organization (ie Hutu or Tutsi, because it was damn hard to remember!), and maybe an abbreivated timeline. It got very hard to keep all these facts straight in my head, which is not Stearns' fault, but rather just the peril of this history. Overall, I enjoyed it, I learned a lot, and I would highly recommend this to someone interested in African history, modern humanitarianism issues/history, or just wants to be a more well-rounded global citizen.
colepsmith42's review
3.0
2.5-3
More involved in the telling of war stories than I would have liked. A little lighter on the role of imperialism in the formation of the current state of the DRC than I would have liked. Conclusion is a bit more focused on a liberal, 'it'd be good for capital' world view than I would have liked. But that's all my inner Marx coming out.
More involved in the telling of war stories than I would have liked. A little lighter on the role of imperialism in the formation of the current state of the DRC than I would have liked. Conclusion is a bit more focused on a liberal, 'it'd be good for capital' world view than I would have liked. But that's all my inner Marx coming out.