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Amazon.co.uk Review
Towards the end of Michela Wrong's highly readable debut, she quotes a military analyst wryly observing that so many mercenaries live to write their memoirs. The same could be said of foreign correspondents. Wrong separates herself from the hack pack by hitting the ground running, to apply a military metaphor, with her absorbing history of the country currently known as the Democratic Republic of Congo. Colonised by King Leopold II of Belgium (the only European monarch to personally own an African country), durable foundations for kleptocratic rule paved the way for Mobutu's "authentic" Zaire, the Leopard following Leopold. Clad in his trademark leopardskin toque and Buddy Holly sunglasses (purest African dictator kitsch, thus the ironically tacky cover), Wrong uncovers all the qualities of an autocrat: formidable memory, demagogic charisma, chameleon-like pragmatism, and a disastrous disdain for economics. In one memorable incident, Mobutu agreed a price for a neo-classical French villa, before casually enquiring whether the currency was US dollars or Belgian francs--the 39-fold difference being of no consequence. Tales of hidden Mobutu fortunes are tantalising, but hide a more prosaic truth: the most significant legacy taken up by his rotund ouster, Laurent Kabila, is Mobutuism, exemplified by a strong security force, "divide and rule", and a strangulated economy.
Perhaps more modest of intent than Adam Hochschild's King Leopold's Ghost,Wrong's account excels at scrutinising a nation as abundant as the mineral and ore deposits beneath its troubled soil. Gently drawing out testimonies from a former Belgian administrator, a former CIA man, ex-pats, Mobutu'sex-son-in-law, the disabled peddlers of Kinshasa, and the immaculately costumed sapeurs with their Lingala music, her sympathetic manner belies a keen intelligence and sensitivity to environment, whether it's Mama Yemo hospital, with guards to protect against non-paying patients escaping, or a terrifying White Elephant of a nuclear reactor. "In the Footsteps of Mr Kurtz" teases out the nuances of a complicated, haunted country in a wonderfully clear, uncluttered manner, while remaining sympathetic to its entrancing, troubled rhythms. --David Vincent --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Review
‘A stylish account of the absurd as well as the tragic.’ Sunday Times
‘This book will become a classic.’ Economist
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First Sentence
The feeling struck home within seconds of disembarking. Read the first page
Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Index | Back Cover
The feeling struck home within seconds of disembarking. Read the first page
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Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Index | Back Cover
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
28 of 30 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
Congo is possibly the hardest country in the world to write about, and Michela Wrong has spoken to hundreds of people across the world as well as living in the place for years and come up with an account that isn't sentimental or finger-wagging or scornful. It's fascinating, moving and often funny. It's about everything in the Congo: the craze for Western fashions among very poor men, how the super-rich live, how Mobuto could hang on for 35 years and why there doesn't seem any hope of improvement. Books on Africa are rare nowadays, but perhaps because they demand so much effort to write, they tend to be labours of love and thus excellent.
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
Michela has produced an excellent history full of pithy descriptions of the individuals who were touched by Mobutu. This book is well written and a joy to read - I've read it twice already.
9 of 10 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
An interesting and well treated story, but what makes me write a review here is the beauty of the sentences which Wrong produces. It's highly unusual in a non-fiction book to see such well crafted language, which simply adds to the enjoyment of a well told history.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
A true, disturbing and well researched account but...
This is actually a very well written account of what happened in Zaire(now DRC)I was aware of the excesses of Mobutu Sese Seko but did not know to what extent his kleptocracy... Read more
Published 7 months ago by Childrights Bill
Wrong is right on
This is a truly brilliant book about Mobutu and his rule in what was then Zaire. Wrong gives a brilliant history of the country since its independence and shows how Mobutu... Read more
Published 9 months ago by Avid History Reader
The horror the horror!
Just finished this wonderful book. In 14 themed chapters, Michela Wrong charts the rise and fall of "The Leopard" by discussing various aspects of his reign, from monumental... Read more
Published 13 months ago by K. Harbottle
Balanced, incisive and honest analysis
Writing an economic and political history of a developing country known for its corruption is not the easiest task in the world, but Michela Wrong meets the challenge admirably. Read more
Published 16 months ago by Thoughtful reader
Had no idea about Congo and boy did this book teach me!
This book offers a fluid and in-depth insight into the past, present and likely near future of Congo! Read more
Published 17 months ago by L. Brown
'In the Footsteps of Mr Kurtz' by Michela Wrong, is a classic
This book should be on the reading list of anyone interested or concerned with the problems of African development (or the lack of it), from the most powerful to those who can only... Read more
Published on 6 Jun 2009 by Kate Nivison
Best book I have read for ages
This is a truly excellent book. I found the whole story of Mobutu and the Congo utterly compelling. Each chapter is a finely polished essay and there is none of the jarring... Read more
Published on 20 Feb 2008 by Christine Wallace
Excellent analysis and narrative
Michela Wrong has written a very good study of General Mobuto's place in Congolese/Zairois history. Her analysis is as good as that of Frederick Cooper in AFRICA SINCE 1940 and she... Read more
Published on 12 May 2007 by Charles Vasey
Colonialism and it's aftermath
A Highly insightful investigation into the consequences of European colonialism at its most rampant, and a clear and well illustratted indictment of the world banking system as it... Read more
Published on 13 Sep 2006 by G. Smith
Helpful insight into corruption self-delusion.
Well researched and smoothly written, this book helped me better understand how corrupt leadership allied to perhaps more manipulative activity from western countries shaped this... Read more
Published on 22 July 2006 by D. W. Miller
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