Title: Blood Diamonds: Tracing the Deadly Path of the World's Most Precious Stones
Author: Greg Campbell
Published: 2002
Language: English
Pages: 280
Rating: 3/5
Summary:
First discovered in the 1930's, the diamonds of Sierra Leone have funded one of the most savage rebel campaigns in modern history. This is the gripping tale of how diamond smuggling works, how the rebel war has destroyed a country and how the policies of the diamond industry allowed it all to happen.
Review:
This was a very interesting book, and one I think would open the eyes of a lot of people.
I have to start off by saying that blood diamonds are not a new concept to me and something I'd already read about. Therefore, a lot in this book felt a little bit dry and hard to get through, because I already knew. It also feels a bit dense in some areas, not because of the topic, but because of the writing.
That being said, this is an important book about a piece of African history rather few people are aware of, which is a little bit insane, seeing as it not only happened fairly recently, but there was actually quite a bit of international drama around it. Though the war in Sierra Leone is officially over, this is a good example of how many of us in the Western world screw other people over for something that isn't even that valuable. I think this book is good to read to shed some light on the fact that what we believe is rather innocent here might affect someone else somewhere else.
The thing I enjoyed most about this book though, is the way the writer captures different kinds of people he meets. You get to meet victims, criminals, politicians and so on, and it all sheds a fascinating light on how different people think in difficult situations.
Overall, this is a book I would highly recommend reading if you're new to the topic of blood diamonds and the history of the war in Sierra Leone.
You can get this book at The Book Depository*
You can read more about it on Goodreads
PS: As you might have noticed, the cover has a sticker that says "the story behind the movie". The movie in question is Blood Diamond from 2006, which I can highly recommend. It's one of my favorite movies, because not only is it beautifully made and has magnificent actors in it, it's quite eyeopening as well.
Author: Greg Campbell
Published: 2002
Language: English
Pages: 280
Rating: 3/5
Summary:
First discovered in the 1930's, the diamonds of Sierra Leone have funded one of the most savage rebel campaigns in modern history. This is the gripping tale of how diamond smuggling works, how the rebel war has destroyed a country and how the policies of the diamond industry allowed it all to happen.
Review:
This was a very interesting book, and one I think would open the eyes of a lot of people.
I have to start off by saying that blood diamonds are not a new concept to me and something I'd already read about. Therefore, a lot in this book felt a little bit dry and hard to get through, because I already knew. It also feels a bit dense in some areas, not because of the topic, but because of the writing.
That being said, this is an important book about a piece of African history rather few people are aware of, which is a little bit insane, seeing as it not only happened fairly recently, but there was actually quite a bit of international drama around it. Though the war in Sierra Leone is officially over, this is a good example of how many of us in the Western world screw other people over for something that isn't even that valuable. I think this book is good to read to shed some light on the fact that what we believe is rather innocent here might affect someone else somewhere else.
The thing I enjoyed most about this book though, is the way the writer captures different kinds of people he meets. You get to meet victims, criminals, politicians and so on, and it all sheds a fascinating light on how different people think in difficult situations.
Overall, this is a book I would highly recommend reading if you're new to the topic of blood diamonds and the history of the war in Sierra Leone.
You can get this book at The Book Depository*
You can read more about it on Goodreads
PS: As you might have noticed, the cover has a sticker that says "the story behind the movie". The movie in question is Blood Diamond from 2006, which I can highly recommend. It's one of my favorite movies, because not only is it beautifully made and has magnificent actors in it, it's quite eyeopening as well.
*AFFILIATE LINK
