num_pages: 363
description: A compulsively readable account of a journey to the Congo  a country virtually inaccessible to the outside world  vividly told by a daring and adventurous journalist.Ever since Stanley first charted its mighty river in the 1870s the Congo has epitomized the dark and turbulent history of a failed continent. However its troubles only served to increase the interest of Daily Telegraph correspondent Tim Butcher who was sent to cover Africa in 2000. Before long he became obsessed with the idea of recreating Stanleys original expedition  but travelling alone.Despite warnings Butcher spent years poring over colonial-era maps and wooing rebel leaders before making his will and venturing to the Congos eastern border. He passed through once thriving cities of this country and saw the marks left behind by years of abuse and misrule. Almost 2500 harrowing miles later he reached the Atlantic Ocean a thinner and a wiser man.Butchers journey was a remarkable feat. But the story of the Congo vividly told in Blood River is more remarkable still.From the Hardcover edition.
language: English
title: Blood River: A Journey to Africa's Broken Heart
publisher: Vintage