Dancing in the Glory of Monsters

The Collapse of the Congo and the Great War of Africa

By: Jason K. Stearns

Narrated by: Robert Fass

A “meticulously researched and comprehensive” (Financial Times) history of the devastating war in the heart of Africa’s Congo

At the heart of Africa is the Congo, a country the size of western Europe. It borders nine other nations, and since 1996 it has been racked by a brutal war in which millions have died. In Dancing in the Glory of Monsters, renowned political activist and researcher Jason K. Stearns has written a compelling and deeply reported narrative of how Congo became a failed state that collapsed into a war of retaliatory massacres. Stearns brilliantly describes the key perpetrators, many of whom he met personally, and highlights the nature of the political system that brought these people to power, as well as the moral decisions with which the war confronted them. Now updated with a new introduction, Dancing in the Glory of Monsters tells the full story of Africa’s great war.

Very informative book

Engaging, objective, and very well researched. Definitely worth the read if you want a good introduction to the modern history of the DRC and how different actors have played a role in its development.

Dissapointed

I was hoping for an updated edition of the 2011 release, especially given the turmoil that has engulfed the region since then and the much‑publicized new peace deal brokered by President Trump. Yet there is no reference to this latest political shift, nor is there any serious engagement with the ongoing atrocities and the persistent cycles of violence that continue to devastate ordinary people’s lives