An Unofficial 'The Rest Is History' Reading List

540. Horror in the Congo: A Conspiracy Unmasked (Part 3)

February 17, 2025

Description

Exposing the dark pit of human suffering, cruelty and corruption that had long been secretly festering in King Leopold’s Congo, would reveal one of the greatest abuses of human rights in all...
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Books Referenced

King Leopold's Ghost

Author: Adam Hochschild

Context:

Referenced multiple times as the primary source for the podcast series about the Congo Free State. Mentioned when discussing Hochschild's descriptions of Casement's report style and noted that certain aspects weren't fully captured in the book.

An Officer and a Spy

Author: Robert Harris

Context:

Mentioned by the assistant producer Tabby as a comparison to Morel's whistleblower story - described as 'the Robert Harris novel about the Dreyfus case' with its similar quality of uncovering hidden wrongdoing.

The Crime of the Congo

Author: Arthur Conan Doyle

Context:

Explicitly mentioned as a book that Morel recruited Conan Doyle to write as part of the Congo Reform campaign - 'He gets him to write his own book on the Congo, The Crime of the Congo.'

King Leopold's Soliloquy

Author: Mark Twain

Context:

Described as 'his satirical monologue' published in 1905, quoted extensively in the podcast to ventriloquize King Leopold's perspective on the Congo criticism.

Heart of Darkness

Author: Joseph Conrad

Context:

Referenced as the book the podcast series began with and will return to discuss in a future episode, described as 'one of the most influential works of fiction ever written.'

Tintin in the Congo

Author: Hergé

Context:

Mentioned as Hergé's second Tintin book, noted as having been withdrawn from general sale in children's bookshops due to its inappropriate portrayal of Belgian colonialism and Congolese people.