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

In the late nineteenth century, King Leopold II of Belgium exploited the territory surrounding the Congo River, reducing the population by ten million people through brutal colonial practices. Despite orchestrating this devastation, Leopold cultivated a public reputation as a humanitarian. King Leopold's Ghost documents this episode of colonial exploitation and the individuals who opposed it. The account includes African rebel leaders who fought against overwhelming odds, as well as missionaries, travelers, and idealists who witnessed the violence and became involved in what became the twentieth century's first major human rights movement. The book is a National Book Critics Circle Award Finalist and a New York Times Notable Book. This 25th Anniversary Edition includes a foreword by Barbara Kingsolver.