FINALIST FOR THE CUNDILL PRIZE FOR HISTORY 'Not only deserves the description "e
pic", in its true sense, but the term "masterpiece" as well' Independent This gr
ipping epic tells the story of one of the world's most critical failed nation-st
ates: the Democratic Republic of Congo. Interweaving his own family's history wi
th the voices of a diverse range of individuals - charismatic dictators, feuding
warlords, child soldiers, and many in the African diaspora of Europe and China
- Van Reybrouck offers a deeply humane approach to political history, focusing s
quarely on the Congolese perspective and returning a nation's history to its peo
ple.