I first saw this book last summer. I knew that I would read it at some point. I also knew what type of book it would be. Last week I checked it out from the library. I was ready to descend into the deep depths of humanity’s cruelty towards other humans.
Kara provides an account of several trips he took to the Democratic Republic of the Congo to see the cobalt mines. Intertwined with his experiences and interviews are sections of the book that chronicle some of the history of the Congo.
For the individuals that toil in the cobalt mines often working 12 hours a day and many getting paid less than a dollar a day life is bleak. Kara writes of one of his interviews:
“They tried to have children but she miscarried twice. I thank God for taking my babies she said. Here it is better not to be born.”
Child labor is pervasive in the mining. If a child tries to sell the cobalt to someone who will pay a higher price they can be killed. After the death of one child an interviewee stated:
“What did that child die for, he asked. For one sack of cobalt? Is that what Congolese children are worth?”
In stressing the dire circumstances another person noted:
“Please tell the people in your country a child in the Congo dies every day so that they can plug in their phones.”
The plight of the people is striking. Kara found the oldest person in one village and spoke with her. She was 69 years old and stated:
“People ask why are the children working in the mines. My grandchildren are there now. Would you rather they starve?”
Mine tunnels often collapse killing those who are trapped. Sometimes the bodies are found other times not. At the end of an interview Kara had this exchange:
“Now you understand how people like us work?”
“I believe so.”
“Tell me.”
“You work in horrible conditions an….”
“No we work in our graves.”
After returning to the Congo Kara visited a place he had gone the year before. He inquired about a woman he interviewed the year before to learn that she had died. In reflecting on her death he wrote:
“Hope in the Congo is like a hot coal. Take hold and it will scald you to the bone.”
Overall this is a hard book to read but it is well written and it provides a glimpse into the world where profits are more important than people. Everyone should read this book. I rate it 5 out of 5 stars.
Great literature should do more than entertain us. It should provide a roadmap to improving our lives.
In A Tale of Two Cities, Charles Dickens introduced readers to Sydney Carton, one of literature's most compelling and deeply flawed characters. Dickens also gives him an unusual title: the Jackal.
His struggles raise questions that remain relevant today.
Are we defined by our past mistakes? Can we overcome our weaknesses? What separates the people we are from the people we could become?
Lessons From the Jackal is a 25-day character study exploring these questions through Sydney Carton’s life, decisions, relationships, and personal development.
This is not a traditional course on A Tale of Two Cities. Our reading assignments will focus specifically on Carton, with sufficient background provided to understand his story. No previous knowledge of the novel is necessary.
Each day will feature selected readings, historical comparisons, reflection questions, discussions, and practical challenges ...
Lessons From the Jackal will return next week. Based on the first five days are there any thoughts you want to share? Are there any changes you would like to see? What do you like most about the course? What do you like least? Any feedback would be great as a finalize the next lessons in the series.
Five days ago, we began with a simple question: How do you measure potential?
Over the course of this week, Sydney Carton has challenged us to reconsider what potential really means.
We met a man whose careless appearance concealed remarkable intelligence. We watched him make observations that others overlooked, only to receive little recognition for his contributions.
We discovered a man who recognized in Charles Darnay a reflection of what he might have become, yet seemed unwilling or unable to pursue that possibility.
We examined his relationship with Mr. Stryver and considered what it means to become a jackal: someone who possesses the ability to contribute to another person’s success while neglecting the pursuit of his own.
Finally, we learned that Carton’s habits began long before his professional career. Even as a schoolboy, he devoted his abilities to completing the work of others while neglecting his own.
Carton attributes some of his disappointments to bad luck. Perhaps circumstances have indeed worked ...
