Congo: the epic history of a people

Table of Contents:

1. NEW SPIRITS: Central Africa draws the attention of East and West: 1870-1885
2. DIABOLICAL FILTH: Congo under Leopold: 1885-1908
3. THE BELGIANS SET US FREE: The early years of the Colonial Regime: 1908-1921
4. IN THE STRANGLEHOLD OF FEAR: Growing unrest and mutual suspicion in peacetime: 1921-1940
5. THE RED HOUR OF THE KICKOFF: The war and the deceptive calm that followed: 1940-1955
6. SOON TO BE OURS: A belated decolonization, a sudden independence: 1955-1960
7. A THURSDAY IN JUNE
8. THE STRUGGLE FOR THE THRONE: The turbulent years of the first republic: 1960-1965
9. THE ELECTRIC YEARS: Mobutu gets down to business: 1965-1975
10. TOUJOURS SERVIR: A marshal's madness: 1975-1990
11. THE DEATH THROES: Democratic opposition and military confrontation: 1990-1997
12. COMPASSION, WHAT IS THAT?: The great war of Africa: 1997-2002
13. LA BIERE ET LA PRIERE (SUDS AND SANCTITY): New players in a wasted land: 2002-2006
14. THE RECESS: Hope and despair in a newborn democracy: 2006-2010
15. WWW.com

‘The Cundill jury has once again delivered an impressive list of books for this year’s shortlist,” said Prof. Manfredi, who serves as Administrative Chair of the Cundill Prize. “The Cundill Prize aims to introduce outstanding history books to the wider public, shining a spotlight on a diverse range of topics that appeal to experts, informed readers, and history buffs.’

Now in its seventh year, the Cundill Prize is the world’s most lucrative international award for a nonfiction book, featuring a grand prize of US$75,000, with two “Recognition of Excellence” prizes of US$10,000 each.

The six shortlisted titles, chosen from a field of 165 submissions, are:

Gary Bass – The Blood Telegram: Nixon, Kissinger and a Forgotten Genocide (Knopf)
David Brion Davis – The Problem of Slavery in the Age of Emancipation (Knopf)
Andrew O’Shaughnessy – The Men Who Lost America: British Leadership, the American Revolution, and the Fate of the Empire (Yale University Press)
Richard Overy – The Bombing War: Europe 1939-45 (Allen Lane)
David Van Reybrouck – Congo: The Epic History of a People (Fourth Estate)
Geoffrey Wawro – A Mad Catastrophe: The Outbreak of World War I and the Collapse of the Habsburg Empire (Basic Books)

This year’s shortlist takes us across time and around the globe: the monumental history of the Democratic Republic of Congo; the American Revolution and the fate of the British Empire; the history of the Blitz; the collapse of the Habsburg Empire and the start of WWI; slavery in the Age of Emancipation; and the 1971 atrocities in Bangladesh and the shaping of Asia,” said Manfredi. “Each book is a thorough examination of a time and place, and highlights how history shapes our present understanding of world events. The jury will have a tough time choosing the three finalists, and eventually the winner.’


(http://www.4thestate.co.uk/2014/10/david-van-reybrouck-has-been-shortlisted-for-the-2014-cundill-prize-in-historical-literature/)