Adam Hochschild è un autore la cui opera si addentra spesso negli aspetti più oscuri della storia e della natura umana. Basa le sue narrazioni su un'accurata ricerca storica e ritratti incisivi, concentrandosi su temi di ingiustizia, resistenza e complesse relazioni umane. Il suo stile di scrittura è allo stesso tempo penetrante ed empatico, permettendo ai lettori di cogliere le motivazioni e le sofferenze dei suoi soggetti. L'approccio di Hochschild è informato da una carriera di impegno politico e da una spinta a scoprire verità scomode, invitando i lettori a confrontarsi con il passato e le sue eco nel presente.
A Story of Greed, Terror and Heroism in Colonial Africa
Set against the backdrop of the Congo massacre, the narrative explores the interplay of ruthless monarchs and unscrupulous adventurers, highlighting the stark contrast with a few true heroes. This gripping account delves into the complexities of human nature during a tumultuous period, revealing the moral ambiguities faced by individuals amidst chaos and violence.
From award-winning historian Adam Hochschild comes a fast-paced account of a pivotal yet neglected period in American history: World War I and its tumultuous aftermath, when violence and repression threatened American democracy. The nation teetered on the edge as angry mobs burned Black churches and targeted pacifists and immigrants. Over a thousand individuals were imprisoned for their words, even in private conversations, while a staggering 250,000 people joined a vigilante group backed by the Department of Justice. This dark chapter, spanning from 1917 to 1921, was marked by torture, censorship, and killings. Hochschild vividly recounts this era through the intertwined stories of various characters, including the enigmatic Woodrow Wilson and the ambitious J. Edgar Hoover, alongside lesser-known figures like antiwar advocate Kate Richards O’Hare and labor radical Leo Wendell, who, despite being trusted by his comrades, was actually Hoover’s undercover agent. This groundbreaking narrative history highlights the bravery of those who fought to preserve democracy amid rising currents of racism, nativism, and contempt for the rule of law—issues that resonate disturbingly in today’s society.
"A character-driven look at a pivotal period in American history, 1917-1920: the tumultuous home front during WWI and its aftermath, when violence broke out across the country thanks to the first Red Scare, labor strife, and immigration battles"--
In this rich collection, bestselling author Adam Hochschild has selected and updated over two dozen essays and pieces of reporting from his long career. Threaded through them all is his concern for social justice and the people who have fought for it. The articles here range from a California gun show to a Finnish prison, from a Congolese center for rape victims to the ruins of gulag camps in the Soviet Arctic, from a stroll through construction sites with an ecologically pioneering architect in India to a day on the campaign trail with Nelson Mandela. Hochschild also talks about the writers he loves, from Mark Twain to John McPhee, and explores such far-reaching topics as why so much history is badly written, what bookshelves tell us about their owners, and his front-row seat for the shocking revelation in the 1960s that the CIA had been secretly controlling dozens of supposedly independent organizations. With the skills of a journalist, the knowledge of a historian, and the heart of an activist, Hochschild shares the stories of people who took a stand against despotism, spoke out against unjust wars and government surveillance, and dared to dream of a better and more just world.
The astonishing but forgotten story of an immigrant sweatshop worker who became one of the most charismatic radical leaders of her time
A sweeping history of the Spanish Civil War, told through nine American and British characters including Hemingway and George Orwell. It was a war between fascism, communism, and democracy that preceeded World War II, and a tale of idealism and a noble cause that failed.
In einem spannenden Epos lässt Hochschild diesen Krieg, dessen Echo bis in unsere Zeit nachhallt, anschaulich, lebensnah und erschütternd wie nie zuvor lebendig werden. Er richtet seinen Blick auf das Kriegsgeschehen und die diplomatischen Verwicklungen der großen Mächte. Im Zentrum der Darstellung stehen nicht nur die prominenten Befürworter des Krieges (u. a. Rudyard Kipling, H. G. Wells, Conan Doyle und John Galsworthy); viele, wenig beachtete Kritiker und Gegner aus allen Schichten kommen zu Wort. Zahlreiche meisterhafte Porträts von Kaiser Wilhelm II., Kaiser Franz Joseph, den Romanows und der Generäle wie von Hindenburg, von Moltke, Ludendorff, French, Haig, Milner und des jungen Churchill runden das Panorama ab. Hunderte von Soldatenfriedhöfen säumen die Felder in Belgien und Frankreich; dort kamen Millionen Soldaten in dem Krieg ums Leben, der allen Kriegen ein Ende machen sollte. Gelingt es uns, die Wiederholung dieser Geschichte zu vermeiden?
From the award-winning author of King Leopold's Ghost, the dramatic story of the men who ignited the first great human rights movement
This is the kind of investigatory history Hochschild pulls off like no one else . . . Hochschild is a master at chronicling how prevailing cultural opinion is formed and, less frequently, how it's challenged." — Maureen Corrigan, NPR’s Fresh Air World War I was deemed the “war to end all wars,” yet over four years, it engulfed nations and resulted in millions of deaths, marking one of history’s most senseless acts of violence. This narrative highlights the often-overlooked moral struggles of the war’s critics, alongside its generals and heroes. Many dissenters faced imprisonment for their opposition, including a future Nobel Prize winner and an editor who distributed a clandestine newspaper on toilet paper. These critics were sometimes closely related to those advocating for war: a prominent British pacifist had a brother commanding on the Western Front, and two sisters became estranged, launching rival newspapers. Adam Hochschild vividly brings the Great War to life, compelling us to confront essential questions: Why did nations become so embroiled in violence? Why couldn’t reason prevail? And can we avoid repeating such history? "Hochschild brings fresh drama to the story and explores it in provocative ways . . . Exemplary in all respects." — Jonathan Yardley, Washington Post "Superb . . . Brilliantly written and reads like a novel . . . [Hochschild] gives us yet another absorbing chronicle of the redeeming pow
Cuore di tenebra fu scritto da Conrad in due mesi, nel 1898, sotto l'influsso della biografia e del mito di Rimbaud. E' anzitutto un libro sul viaggio, sulla passione della scoperta di luoghi nuovi. In seguito, la vicenda di Marlow diventa una discesa agli inferi, nel cuore dell'Africa. L'incontro con Kurtz - agente dei mercanti d'avorio, che ha reso brutalmente schiavi gli indigeni - mette il protagonista, e il lettore, a contatto con il "cuore di tenebra": il Male, reso grottesco da quegli uomini che credono Kurtz una sorta di divinità. Ma anche lui è, a suo modo, una vittima della solitudine, della follia della cultura occidentale che va in mille pezzi quando entra in contatto con l'Altro. La morale del polacco-inglese Conrad è una risposta polemica al russo Dostoevskij: dato che Dio non c'è, difendiamoci da soli contro noi stessi.
