I was familiar with the story of the Congo Free State - King Leopold's personal colony in Africa - but had forgotten much of the detail. This book has it all - Stanley the explorer; Leopold the arch manipulator and global capitalist; Reverend William Sheppard, black American missionary; Roger Casement - British Consul and finder of truth; and Edmund Morel - shipping clerk who personally exposes the depth of the genocide going on in the Congo. In carefully researched and written prose the enormity of Leopold's crimes emerge, and slowly awaken a global conscience until he is forced to hand over the colony to Belgium in 1908. A facinating - and terrifying - read, exploring one of the greatest crimes of colonisation and empire. And helping us understand what is going on today in the region too. Explore the dark side of empire, and the strength of humanitarian protest. Well worth a read.