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Elite Rivalry, Mass Killing and Genocide in Authoritarian Regimes: Why Autocrats Kill (Routledge Studies in Civil Wars and Intra-State Conflict)
by Eelco van der MaatThis book explains how mass killing is driven by elite politics within authoritarian regimes.Mass killing and genocide defy reason and explanation. How can genocidal elites present defenceless victims as an existential threat? Why use indiscriminate killing that drives victims to coordinated resistance? Mass killing seems counterproductive, irrational, and therefore inherently ideological. By building on new insights on authoritarian politics, this book argues that mass killing is not ideological, but instead is a rational response to elite rivalry within authoritarian regimes. Mass killing is therefore not driven by rivalries between groups, but by elite rivalry within groups. In Rwanda, for example, the genocide was not driven by conflicts between Hutu and Tutsi, but by conflicts within the Hutu regime. The work demonstrates how mass killing helps elites build coalitions with groups that benefit from violence and how it divides support coalitions of rival elites. Mass killing can therefore help elites win dangerous internal rivalries. By qualitatively and quantitatively exploring elite rivalry and mass killing, this book provides a new explanation for a host of mass killings and genocides. It demonstrates that well-known genocides, such as the Rwandan and Cambodian genocides, which are seemingly ideological are instead better explained by elite rivalry. Mass killing is therefore not driven by the random madness of leaders, nor by the desire to kill an outgroup, but by the internal threats that authoritarian elites face.This book will be of much interest to scholars and students of civil wars, genocide, political violence, and International Relations in general.
Fundamentals of Glacier Dynamics
by C.J. van der VeenMeasuring, monitoring, and modeling technologies and methods changed the field of glaciology significantly in the 14 years since the publication of the first edition of Fundamentals of Glacier Dynamics. Designed to help readers achieve the basic level of understanding required to describe and model the flow and dynamics of glaciers, this second edi
The Safekeep
by Yael van der Wouden&“Mesmerizing and shockingly good…I was utterly blown away.&” —Miranda Cowley Heller, author of The Paper Palace • &“A brilliant debut, as multifaceted as a gem.&” —Kirkus Reviews (starred review) • &“Moving, unnerving, and deeply sexy.&” —Tracy Chevalier, author of Girl with the Pearl Earring • &“Riveting…Serious, elegant, sexy, devastating.&” —Julia May Jonas, author of Vladimir An exhilarating, twisted tale of desire, suspicion, and obsession between two women staying in the same house in the Dutch countryside during the summer of 1961—a powerful exploration of the legacy of WWII and the darker parts of our collective past.A house is a precious thing... It is 1961 and the rural Dutch province of Overijssel is quiet. Bomb craters have been filled, buildings reconstructed, and the war is truly over. Living alone in her late mother&’s country home, Isabel knows her life is as it should be—led by routine and discipline. But all is upended when her brother Louis brings his graceless new girlfriend Eva, leaving her at Isabel&’s doorstep as a guest, to stay for the season. Eva is Isabel&’s antithesis: she sleeps late, walks loudly through the house, and touches things she shouldn&’t. In response, Isabel develops a fury-fueled obsession, and when things start disappearing around the house—a spoon, a knife, a bowl—Isabel&’s suspicions begin to spiral. In the sweltering peak of summer, Isabel&’s paranoia gives way to infatuation—leading to a discovery that unravels all Isabel has ever known. The war might not be well and truly over after all, and neither Eva—nor the house in which they live—are what they seem. Mysterious, sophisticated, sensual, and infused with intrigue, atmosphere, and sex, The Safekeep is a brilliantly plotted and provocative debut novel you won&’t soon forget.
The Greene Murder Case: Large Print (An American Mystery Classic #0)
by S. S. Van DineDeath stalks the halls of a New York City mansion in this celebrated Philo Vance mystery. A dark cloud has descended upon the elegant mansion of Jazz Age New York’s illustrious Greene family as, one by one, the heirs to the fortune die off under mysterious circumstances. It begins when an intruder shoots two daughters, leaving one dead. Soon after, another heir is shot dead in similar circumstances. Do the footprints in the snow belong to the killer, or were they left as a red herring? And will the authorities on the case find the answer before more family members die off? Philo Vance, monocled New York bon vivant and part-time supersleuth, is on the case, but it will take all of his deductive powers and cultural knowledge to reveal the culprit. Along the way, he—and the reader—will consult detailed floor plans, fairly-clued testimonies, and the obscure yet illuminating texts discovered in the Greene home’s secret criminology library. All of the evidence in the case is present in the text, but only the most astute armchair sleuths will be able to solve the crime before Vance delivers his brilliant solution. S. S. Van Dine’s Vance novels were a crime fiction sensation. Major bestsellers in their time, the books went on to shape generations of mystery writers working in their shadow. The Greene Murder Case is the third chronicle in the saga of the iconic detective and remains to this day one of the most celebrated entries in the series.
A Camping Spree with Mr. Magee: 0 (Mr. Magee #Mcge)
by Chris Van DusenMr. Magee and his trusty dog, Dee, are enjoying a peaceful camping trip when all of a sudden they find themselves plunging down a mountain and teetering on the edge of a huge waterfall! How will they find their way out of this slippery situation? Chris Van Dusen, the creator of Down to the Sea with Mr. Magee, has filled this new adventure with charming illustrations and a playful, rhyming text. A fun read-aloud for children (and adults!) on campouts or snuggling at home!
The Chinese Maze Murders: A Judge Dee Mystery (The Judge Dee Mysteries)
by Robert van GulikPoisoned plums, a cryptic scroll picture, passionate love letters, and a hidden murderer with a penchant for torturing and killing women lead Judge Dee to the heart of the Governor’s garden maze and the answers to three interwoven mysteries. The Chinese Maze Murders represents Robert van Gulik’s first venture into writing suspense novels after the success of Dee Gong An, his translation of an anonymous Chinese detective novel from the sixteenth century.
The Emperor's Pearl: A Judge Dee Mystery (The Judge Dee Mysteries)
by Robert van GulikIt all begins on the night of the Poo-yang dragonboat races in 699 A.D.: a drummer in the leading boat collapses, and the body of a beautiful young woman turns up in a deserted country mansion. There, Judge Dee—tribunal magistrate, inquisitor, and public avenger—steps in to investigate the murders and return order to the Tang Dynasty. In The Emperor’s Pearl, the judge discovers that these two deaths are connected by an ancient tragedy involving a near-legendary treasure stolen from the Imperial Harem one hundred years earlier. The terrifying figure of the White Lady, a river goddess enshrined on a bloodstained altar, looms in the background of the investigation. Clues are few and elusive, but under the expert hand of Robert van Gulik, this mythic jigsaw puzzle assembles itself into a taut mystery. “If you have not yet discovered Judge Dee and his faithful Sgt. Hoong, I envy you that initial pleasure which comes from the discovery of a great detective story. For the magistrate of Poo-yang belongs in that select group of fictional detectives headed by the renowned Sherlock Holmes.”—Robert Kirsch, Los AngelesTimes “The title of this book and the book itself have much in common. Each is a jewel, a rare and precious find.”—AtlantaTimes
The Haunted Monastery: A Judge Dee Mystery (The Judge Dee Mysteries)
by Robert van GulikJudge Dee and his entourage, seeking refuge from a mountain storm, become trapped in a Taoist monastery, where the Abbott Jade mysteriously dies after delivering an ecstatic sermon. The monks call it a supernatural experience, but the judge calls it murder. Recalling the allegedly accidental deaths of three young women in the same monastery, Judge Dee seeks clues in the eyes of a cat to solve cases of impersonation and murder. A painting by one of the victims reveals the truth about the killings, propelling the judge on a quest for justice and revenge."Entertaining, instructive, and impressive."—Times Literary Supplement
Judge Dee at Work: Eight Chinese Detective Stories (The Judge Dee Mysteries)
by Robert van GulikThe eight short stories in Judge Dee at Work cover a decade during which the judge served in four different provinces of the T’ang Empire. From the suspected treason of a general in the Chinese army to the murder of a lonely poet in his garden pavilion, the cases here are among the most memorable in the Judge Dee series.
The Lacquer Screen: A Judge Dee Mystery (The Judge Dee Mysteries)
by Robert van GulikEarly in his career, Judge Dee visits a senior magistrate who shows him a beautiful lacquer screen on which a scene of lovers has been mysteriously altered to show the man stabbing his lover. The magistrate fears he is losing his mind and will murder his own wife. Meanwhile, a banker has inexplicably killed himself, and a lovely lady has allowed Dee's lieutenant, Chiao Tai, to believe she is a courtesan. Dee and Chiao Tai go incognito among a gang of robbers to solve this mystery, and find the leader of the robbers is more honorable than the magistrate. "One of the most satisfyingly devious of the Judge Dee novels, with unusual historical richness in its portrayal of the China of the T'ang dynasty."-—New York Times Book Review "Even Judge Dee is baffled by Robert van Gulik's new mysteries in The Lacquer Screen. Disguised as a petty crook, he spends a couple of precarious days in the headquarters of the underworld, hobnobbing with the robber king. Dee's lively thieving friends furnish some vital clues to this strange and fascinating jigsaw."-—The Spectator "So scrupulously in the classic Chinese manner yet so nicely equipped with everything to satisfy the modern reader."-—New York Times Robert Van Gulik (1910-67) was a Dutch diplomat and an authority on Chinese history and culture. He drew his plots from the whole body of Chinese literature, especially from the popular detective novels that first appeared in the seventeenth century.
The Monkey and The Tiger: Judge Dee Mysteries (The Judge Dee Mysteries)
by Robert van GulikThe Monkey and The Tiger includes two detective stories, "The Morning of the Monkey" and "The Night of the Tiger." In the first, a gibbon drops an emerald in the open gallery of Dee's official residence, leading the judge to discover a strangely mutilated body in the woods—and how it got there. In the second, Dee is traveling to the imperial capital to assume a new position when he is separated from his escort by a flood. Marooned in a large country house surrounded by fierce bandits, Dee confronts an apparition that helps him solve a mystery.
Murder in Ancient China: Two Judge Dee Mysteries (Chicago Shorts)
by Robert van GulikJudge Dee—Confucian Imperial magistrate, inquisitor, and public avenger, based on a famous statesman—was Dutch diplomat and Chinese cultural historian Robert van Gulik’s (1910–67) lasting invention. A welcome addition to the elite canon of fictional detectives, the Judge steps in to investigate homicide, theft, and treason and restores order to the golden age of the Tang Dynasty. In Murder in Ancient China’s first story, we watch as Judge Dee attempts to solve the mystery of an elderly poet murdered by moonlight in his garden pavilion; in the second, set on the eve of the Chinese New Year, the Judge makes two rare mistakes—will peril result?
Murder in Canton: A Judge Dee Mystery (The Judge Dee Mysteries)
by Robert van GulikBrought back into print in the 1990s to wide acclaim, re-designed new editions of Robert van Gulik's Judge Dee Mysteries are now available. Written by a Dutch diplomat and scholar during the 1950s and 1960s, these lively and historically accurate mysteries have entertained a devoted following for decades. Set during the T'ang dynasty, they feature Judge Dee, a brilliant and cultured Confucian magistrate disdainful of personal luxury and corruption, who cleverly selects allies to help him navigate the royal courts, politics, and ethnic tensions in imperial China. Robert van Gulik modeled Judge Dee on a magistrate of that name who lived in the seventh century, and he drew on stories and literary conventions of Chinese mystery writing dating back to the Sung dynasty to construct his ingenious plots.Murder in Canton takes place in the year 680, as Judge Dee, recently promoted to lord chief justice, is sent incognito to Canton to investigate the disappearance of a court censor. With the help of his trusted lieutenants Chiao Tai and Tao Gan, and that of a clever blind girl who collects crickets, Dee solves a complex puzzle of political intrigue and murder through the three separate subplots "the vanished censor," "the Smaragdine dancer," and "the Golden Bell." An expert on the art and erotica as well as the literature, religion, and politics of China, van Gulik also provides charming illustrations to accompany his engaging and entertaining mysteries.
The Phantom of the Temple: A Judge Dee Mystery (The Judge Dee Mysteries)
by Robert van GulikJudge Dee presided over his imperial Chinese court with a unique brand of Confucian justice. A near mythic figure in China, he distinguished himself as a tribunal magistrate, inquisitor, and public avenger. Long after his death, accounts of his exploits were celebrated in Chinese folklore, and later immortalized by Robert van Gulik in his electrifying mysteries. In The Phantom of the Temple, three separate puzzles—the disappearance of a wealthy merchant's daughter, twenty missing bars of gold, and a decapitated corpse—are pieced together by the clever judge to solve three murders and one complex, gruesome plot. “Judge Dee belongs in that select group of fictional detectives headed by the renowned Sherlock Holmes. I assure you it is a compliment not given frivolously.”—Robert Kirsch, Los AngelesTimes Robert Van Gulik (1910-67) was a Dutch diplomat and an authority on Chinese history and culture. He drew his plots from the whole body of Chinese literature, especially from the popular detective novels that first appeared in the seventeenth century.
Poets and Murder: A Judge Dee Mystery (The Judge Dee Mysteries)
by Robert van GulikJudge Dee, the master detective of seventh-century China, sets out to solve a puzzling double murder and discovers complex passions lurking beneath the placid surface of academic life. A mild-mannered student is rumored to have been slain by a fox-demon, while a young dancer meets her death as she dresses to perform for the magistrate's illustrious dinner guests—an obese Zen monk revered for his calligraphy, a beautiful poetess accused of murder, and the past president of the imperial academy. To connect the present crimes with betrayals and adulteries from decades past, the clever judge must visit a high-class brothel and the haunted shrine of the Black Fox. From the moment the young scholar is found dead on the eve of the Autumn Festival, the pace never lets up. "The China of old, in Mr. van Gulik's skilled hands, comes vividly alive again."—Allen J. Hubin, New York Times Book Review "If you have not yet discovered Judge Dee, I envy you that initial pleasure. . . . For the magistrate of Poo-yang belongs in that select group headed by Sherlock Holmes."—Robert Kirsch, Los Angeles Times
The Red Pavilion: A Judge Dee Mystery (The Judge Dee Mysteries)
by Robert van GulikA chance encounter with Autumn Moon, the most powerful courtesan on Paradise Island, leads Judge Dee to investigate three deaths. Although he finally teases the true story from a tangled history of passion and betrayal, Dee is saddened by the perversion, corruption, and waste of the world "of flowers and willows" that thrives on prostitution.
The Willow Pattern: A Judge Dee Mystery (The Judge Dee Mysteries)
by Robert van GulikJudge Dee has been appointed emergency governor of the plague- and drought-ridden Imperial City. As his guards help the city fend off a popular uprising, an aristocrat from one of the oldest families in China suffers an "accident" in a deserted mansion.In The Willow Pattern, the illustrious judge uses his trademark expertise to unravel the mysteries of the nobleman, a shattered vase, and a dead bondmaid. Along the way he encounters a woman who fights with loaded sleeves, a nearly drowned courtesan, and an elaborate trap set for a murderer. Packed with suspense, violence, and romance, The Willow Pattern won’t disappoint Judge Dee’s legions of loyal fans."The China of old, in Mr. van Gulik’s skilled hands, comes vividly alive again."—Allen J. Hubin, New York Times Book Review
Evidence-Guided Practice: A Framework for Clinical Decision Making in Athletic Training
by Bonnie Van Lunen Dorice Hankemeier Cailee WelchAthletic trainers must have a foundation in the concepts of evidence-based practice to deliver patient care in an effective way. It is critical that students and clinicians formulate clinical plans that will be effective for individual patients. With that goal in mind, Evidence-Guided Practice: A Framework for Clinical Decision Making in Athletic Training teaches the athletic trainer that evidence-based practice concepts must be incorporated into daily clinical practice. Written in a conversational tone, Drs. Bonnie Van Lunen, Dorice Hankemeier, and Cailee Welch provide a practical and concise resource for athletic trainers to use when interpreting what the available evidence means for them and how it can be effectively applied in daily patient care. The competencies within athletic training and other health care professions were considered when each chapter was constructed. Special care was taken to include examples that are specific to athletic training and instructional applications for educators.What Is Inside: Types of research design Foundations of research and statistics Introduction to critical appraisal Concepts of validity Diagnostic accuracy Disablement models Patient-oriented outcome assessments Health care informatics The first of its kind, Evidence-Guided Practice: A Framework for Clinical Decision Making in Athletic Training is the only resource athletic training students, clinicians, or other health care professionals will need to properly put evidence-based concepts into practice.
Cram Session in Goniometry: A Handbook for Students and Clinicians
by Lynn Van OstWhen all you need is a basic understanding of goniometry. When concise and illustrative examples of goniometric techniques will provide exactly what the rehabilitation professional needs—Look to Cram Session in Goniometry: A Handbook for Students and Clinicians for quick and “at your fingertips” facts.Cram Session in Goniometry by Lynn Van Ost is a concise and abundantly illustrated quick reference which provides the rehabilitation professional with a very basic approach to various goniometric techniques. Organized in a “head to toe” format, Cram Session in Goniometry takes user-friendly and efficient learning to a new level.What is in your “Cram Session”:• Photographs depicting each goniometric measurement• Breakdown of each body region covered• Each type of joint, capsular pattern, average range of motion, patient positioning, goniometric alignment, patient substitutions, and alternative methods of measurement• Over 190 photographsCram Session in Goniometry: A Handbook for Students and Clinicians is an informative, well-organized handbook for all students and clinicians in physical therapy, occupational therapy, athletic training and orthopedics.
Cram Session in Manual Muscle Testing: A Handbook for Students and Clinicians
by Lynn Van OstWhen all you need is a basic understanding of manual muscle testing. When concise and illustrative examples of manual muscle testing techniques will provide exactly what the rehabilitation professional needs, look to Cram Session in Manual Muscle Testing: A Handbook for Students & Clinicians for quick and “at your fingertips” facts.Cram Session in Manual Muscle Testing: A Handbook for Students & Clinicians by Lynn Van Ost is a succinct and descriptive quick reference that provides the rehabilitation professional with a very basic approach to various manual muscle techniques. Organized in a “head to toe” format, Cram Session in Manual Muscle Testing: A Handbook for Students & Clinicians takes user-friendly and efficient learning to a new level.What is in your “Cram Session”:• Photographs depicting each manual muscle testing technique• Breakdown of each body region covered• Sections include average range of motion, prime movers, accessory muscles, patient positioning, muscle grading for each movement and substitutions• Over 200 photographsCram Session in Manual Muscle Testing: A Handbook for Students & Clinicians is an informative, well-organized handbook for all students and clinicians in physical therapy, occupational therapy, athletic training, orthopedics or any allied health professional who treats musculoskeletal disorders
Athletic Training Exam Review: A Student Guide to Success
by Lynn Van Ost Karen Lew Feirman Karen ManfriFor more than 20 years, Athletic Training Exam Review has empowered and enabled students to assess and evaluate their athletic training knowledge, skills, and decision-making abilities. Now, newly updated for its platinum anniversary, the Seventh Edition continues a tradition of excellence while serving as a premier guide to successfully achieving certification as an athletic trainer.The Seventh Edition serves as a comprehensive self-evaluation tool, elevating readers’ level of preparation for the BOC exam. This market-leading guide has made a positive impact on the athletic training profession by highlighting and improving students’ strengths and weaknesses.What’s inside: Updated study techniques and test-taking strategies An expanded overview of the exam format to assist in organization and planning More than 1,300 multiple-choice questions and nearly 100 true/false questions, updated and organized according to the BOC’s Practice Analysis, Seventh Edition Educational Domains Clinical decision-making questions testing the ability to make appropriate judgment calls using problem solving A skills assessment composed of 26 problems designed to test manual athletic training skills Scenario-based problems to strengthen critical-thinking abilities In addition to the updated content, the Seventh Edition also features a fully redesigned and expanded online test-taking experience, including: New user-friendly, mobile format 8 knowledge assessment tests—3 more than the previous edition! 5 unique true/false exams 20 total drag and drop identification photographs—8 more than the previous edition! 43 critical-thinking scenarios 3 clinical decision-making exams containing scenario-based exam questions 13 video segments with related questions for practicing evaluation and assessment Athletic Training Exam Review has assisted thousands of students and has become a hallmark text around the globe. Connecting the classroom with clinical education, this review tool is a timely and critical text that prepares students for their exam and career as an athletic trainer.
Cram Session in Goniometry and Manual Muscle Testing: A Handbook for Students and Clinicians
by Lynn Van Ost Jenna MorogielloNewly updated, Cram Session in Goniometry and Manual Muscle Testing: A Handbook for Students & Clinicians, Second Edition, is a descriptive quick reference guide for rehabilitation professionals organized in a “head-to-toe” format, including more than 400 photographs and supplemented with concise and illustrative examples of various techniques.The new edition of this text maintains the original essence of the first edition while touching upon updated information to speak to new clinicians. Minor revisions, such as adding color to the headers and to the sections, allow the reader easier access to the topics. An expanded appendix and up-to-date content touch on newer technology being used and developed in these areas of clinical evaluation.What is in your Cram Session: In the Goniometry section, subdivisions are broken down into type of joint, capsular pattern, average range of motion for each movement, patient positioning, goniometric alignment, patient substitutions, and alternative methods of measurement. In the Manual Muscle Testing section, subdivisions are broken into the specific movement to be tested, average range of motion, prime movers of the movement, secondary movers of the movement, anti-gravity patient position, gravity minimized patient position, stabilization and grades, substitutions for the movement, and points of interest for that particular muscle group. Cram Session in Goniometry and Manual Muscle Testing: A Handbook for Students & Clinicians, Second Edition, is an informative, well-organized handbook for all students, instructors, and clinicians in physical therapy, occupational therapy, athletic training, orthopedics, or any allied health professional who treats musculoskeletal disorders.
The Geopolitics of Culture: James Billington, the Library of Congress, and the Failed Quest for a New Russia (NIU Series in Slavic, East European, and Eurasian Studies)
by John Van OudenarenThrough the lens of James Billington and the institution he led as Librarian of Congress during a key period of US-Russian relations, The Geopolitics of Culture examines culture as a neglected area of US foreign policy. Billington advised presidents and members of Congress and mobilized the resources of the Library of Congress to promote reform in Russia. He believed that rather than preaching to the Russians, the United States should expose the rising generation of Russian leaders to what was best in America and encourage them to rediscover positive elements in pre-Bolshevik Russian culture.The Geopolitics of Culture is the first book to chronicle Billington's influence on US engagement with Russia as it transitioned from communism to democracy under Gorbachev and Yeltsin and back to authoritarianism under Yeltsin and Putin. Drawing on published and archival sources (including recently released papers) and interviews with current and retired Library of Congress staff members, John Van Oudenaren casts new light on this era.Billington's efforts led to a remarkable degree of cooperation between the Library of Congress and Russian cultural and political institutions. Yet these efforts ultimately failed as Putin turned back toward authoritarianism. The experience of the Library of Congress during this period nonetheless holds important lessons for today. Billington believed that a transition to democracy in Russia was essential if the United States was to head off the geopolitical nightmare of a Eurasia dominated by an alliance of hostile authoritarian powers. The "geopolitics of culture" thus remains a challenge for US foreign policy.
The Case for Auschwitz: Evidence from the Irving Trial
by Robert Jan van PeltFrom January to April 2000 historian David Irving brought a high-profile libel case against Penguin Books and Deborah Lipstadt in the British High Court, charging that Lipstadt's book, Denying the Holocaust (1993), falsely labeled him a Holocaust denier. The question about the evidence for Auschwitz as a death camp played a central role in these proceedings. Irving had based his alleged denial of the Holocaust in part on a 1988 report by an American execution specialist, Fred Leuchter, which claimed that there was no evidence for homicidal gas chambers in Auschwitz. In connection with their defense, Penguin and Lipstadt engaged architectural historian Robert Jan van Pelt to present evidence for our knowledge that Auschwitz had been an extermination camp where up to one million Jews were killed, mainly in gas chambers. Employing painstaking historical scholarship, van Pelt prepared and submitted an exhaustive forensic report that he successfully defended in cross-examination in court.
Congo: The Epic History of a People
by David Van ReybrouckHailed as "a monumental history . . . more exciting than any novel" (NRC Handelsblad),David van Reybrouck’s rich and gripping epic, in the tradition of Robert Hughes' The Fatal Shore, tells the extraordinary story of one of the world's most devastated countries: the Democratic Republic of Congo. Epic in scope yet eminently readable, penetrating and deeply moving, David van Reybrouck's Congo: The Epic History of a People traces the fate of one of the world's most critical, failed nation-states, second only to war-torn Somalia: the Democratic Republic of Congo.Van Reybrouck takes us through several hundred years of history, bringing some of the most dramatic episodes in Congolese history. Here are the people and events that have impinged the Congo's development—from the slave trade to the ivory and rubber booms; from the arrival of Henry Morton Stanley to the tragic regime of King Leopold II; from global indignation to Belgian colonialism; from the struggle for independence to Mobutu's brutal rule; and from the world famous Rumble in the Jungle to the civil war over natural resources that began in 1996 and still rages today.Van Reybrouck interweaves his own family's history with the voices of a diverse range of individuals—charismatic dictators, feuding warlords, child-soldiers, the elderly, female merchant smugglers, and many in the African diaspora of Europe and China—to offer a deeply humane approach to political history, focusing squarely on the Congolese perspective and returning a nation's history to its people.