King Leopold's GhostKing Leopold's Ghost
Score Modern
What it's about
In the 1880s King Leopold II of Belgium took the Congo as his private property. Under the cover of humanitarian work, his regime forced millions of Congolese to harvest rubber, using hostage-taking, mutilation and murder, and millions died. Adam Hochschild tells that story and the story of the people who exposed it, including a shipping clerk, a Black American journalist and a British diplomat.
Why it's worth reading
It was a finalist for the National Book Critics Circle Award and brought one of history's great crimes back into public memory. It reads like a thriller.
You'll love it if you liked
A Peace to End All Peace
The Poisonwood Bible
Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee: An Indian History of the American WestGood to know
It describes atrocities in detail and includes disturbing photographs.
By the numbers
- Readers81 out of 100 · counts 42%
- Critics24 out of 100 · counts 14%
- Bestseller24 out of 100 · counts 34% (its stronger lane)
- Buzz0 out of 100 · counts 10%
Critics and Bestseller are two ways to earn a place: a book's stronger one counts more. Buzz rewards recent bestseller weeks and prizes, so older books start at zero. The parts combine into the Must-Read Score, shown on a scale where the best book we found scores 99 and the last book to make the ranking scores 50.
Where it ranks
- #138 of the 198 history books we rank
- #552 of the 1,573 modern books we rank
- #1062 of the 2,816 books we rank
Why it made the list
Reads as
True story
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Quick answers
Is King Leopold's Ghost worth reading?
Yes. It was a finalist for the National Book Critics Circle Award and brought one of history's great crimes back into public memory. It ranks #1,062 of the 2,816 books in our ranking, with a Must-Read Score of 72.3 (the best book we found scores 99).
What is King Leopold's Ghost about?
In the 1880s King Leopold II of Belgium took the Congo as his private property. Under the cover of humanitarian work, his regime forced millions of Congolese to harvest rubber, using hostage-taking, mutilation and murder, and millions died. Adam Hochschild tells that story and the story of the people who exposed it, including a shipping clerk, a Black American journalist and a British diplomat.
How long does it take to read King Leopold's Ghost?
About 10 hours (400 pages), or about 3 weeks at 30 minutes a day.
What should I read after King Leopold's Ghost?
If you liked it, try A Peace to End All Peace by David Fromkin, The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver or Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee: An Indian History of the American West by Dee Brown.