The best 15 African History books

1
Long Walk to Freedom

Long Walk to Freedom

Nelson Mandela
The Autobiography of Nelson Mandela
4.4 (148 ratings)

What's Long Walk to Freedom about?

Nelson Mandela's A Long Walk to Freedom (1994) is one of the most famous autobiographies of recent times. It tells the story of his life, from his humble beginnings in the South African countryside to his work as an iconic anti-apartheid freedom fighter, and ends, after chronicling his twenty-year prison sentence, with his final victory and release.

Who should read Long Walk to Freedom?

  • People interested in Nelson Mandela
  • Anyone curious about South African history
  • Proponents of social justice

2
A History of Nigeria

A History of Nigeria

Toyin Falola
Uncover the history of Africa’s most populous country
4.5 (99 ratings)

What's A History of Nigeria about?

A History of Nigeria (2008) documents the millennia-long history of the areas that make up the modern nation of Nigeria, Africa’s most populous country. Going on an epic journey from the region’s precolonial past right up to the country’s recent transition toward democracy, the authors document the riveting history of a nation and, of course, its people – whose future looks bright.

Who should read A History of Nigeria?

  • Students of history, international relations or politics
  • Curious individuals wanting to discover the riveting story of Africa’s most populous nation
  • Nigerians – or people of Nigerian descent – who would like to learn more about the country’s history

3
King Leopold's Ghost

King Leopold's Ghost

Adam Hochschild
A Story of Greed, Terror, and Heroism in Colonial Africa
4.6 (60 ratings)

What's King Leopold's Ghost about?

King Leopold’s Ghost (1998) is the devastating story of how one man – Leopold, King of the Belgians – developed a territory comprising one-thirteenth of the African continent into his personal fiefdom. While publicizing his supposedly benevolent intentions, Leopold enslaved vast numbers of people, forcing them to harvest ivory and rubber in appalling conditions. In all, an estimated ten million Africans died while he was the King-Sovereign of the Congo. 

Who should read King Leopold's Ghost?

  • Anyone too horrified by colonialism to look away
  • Those interested in little-known histories
  • Scholars of African history

4
Born a Crime

Born a Crime

Trevor Noah
Stories from a South African Childhood
4.4 (84 ratings)

What's Born a Crime about?

Born a Crime (2016) is about Trevor Noah's childhood and adolescence in apartheid and post-apartheid South Africa. A child of mixed heritage, Noah details the challenges he faced and the peculiarities that existed when he was growing up.

Who should read Born a Crime?

  • Trevor Noah fans
  • Those interested in life during and after apartheid in South Africa
  • Anyone after an inspiring personal story

5
Bedtime Biography: Long Walk to Freedom

Bedtime Biography: Long Walk to Freedom

Nelson Mandela
The Autobiography of Nelson Mandela
4.6 (75 ratings)

What's Bedtime Biography: Long Walk to Freedom about?

Read to you by Twaambo Kapilikisha

Nelson Mandela's Long Walk to Freedom (1994) is one of the most famous autobiographies of recent times. It tells the story of his life, from his humble beginnings in the South African countryside to his work as an iconic anti-apartheid freedom fighter, and ends, after chronicling his twenty-year prison sentence, with his final victory and release.

Who should read Bedtime Biography: Long Walk to Freedom?

  • People interested in Nelson Mandela
  • Anyone curious about South African history
  • Proponents of social justice

6
River of the Gods

River of the Gods

Candice Millard
Genius, Courage, and Betrayal in the Search for the Source of the Nile
4.2 (19 ratings)

What's River of the Gods about?

River of the Gods (2022) follows two audacious individuals as they search for the source of the world’s longest river. At the time, this was a question of mythical proportions, and one which would consume and break the men sent to answer it.

Who should read River of the Gods?

  • History buffs
  • Travel lovers
  • Anyone who grew up with navigation apps on their smartphone

7
Strength in What Remains

Strength in What Remains

Tracy Kidder
A Journey of Remembrance and Forgiveness
3.9 (15 ratings)

What's Strength in What Remains about?

Strength in What Remains (2009) tells the story of a man who, after fleeing war-torn Burundi, is able to make his dreams a reality with the help of a few kind souls. By following his story, you’ll learn all about how the small actions of a few good people can make a huge difference for a community on the other side of the world.

Who should read Strength in What Remains?

  • Anyone interested in refugees' stories 
  • People curious about the Hutu-Tutsi conflict
  • Established and aspiring philanthropists

8
The Rift

The Rift

Alex Perry
A New Africa Breaks Free
4.3 (53 ratings)

What's The Rift about?

The Rift (2015) is a revealing look at Africa’s emergence as a continent no longer defined by poverty, war, corruption and dependence on the West. Find out how modern farming methods, solar and mobile technologies and new leadership are creating a brighter future for Africa.

Who should read The Rift?

  • Investors looking for new opportunities in Africa
  • Those dubious of the idea that Africa is only about war and famine

9
The Making of Modern South Africa

The Making of Modern South Africa

Nigel Worden
The Making of Modern South Africa
4.7 (177 ratings)

What's The Making of Modern South Africa about?

The Making of Modern South Africa (2012) traces the history of South Africa from the colonial conquests of the eighteenth century to the birth of an inclusive democracy in 1994. Along the way, it unpacks how struggles over land, natural resources, and belonging shaped the country’s development. 

Who should read The Making of Modern South Africa?

  • Historians 
  • Politics buffs
  • Anyone interested in race and equality

10
A Long Way Gone

A Long Way Gone

Ishmael Beah
Memoirs of a Boy Soldier
4.4 (25 ratings)

What's A Long Way Gone about?

A Long Way Gone (2007) is a story of how, as a young boy in Sierra Leone, the author found himself caught in a civil war and recruited as a child soldier. You’ll travel alongside during his harrowing journey, eventual rescue and recovery guided through the kindness and grace of loving people.

Who should read A Long Way Gone?

  • Anyone interested in modern history of Sierra Leone
  • Students of history exploring civil wars and warfare
  • People curious about the ongoing plight of child soldiers in Africa

11
A People Betrayed

A People Betrayed

Linda Melvern
The Role of the West in Rwanda's Genocide
4.5 (55 ratings)

What's A People Betrayed about?

A People Betrayed (2000) is a masterful, in-depth look at the international community’s failure to intervene in one of the greatest humanitarian catastrophes since the Holocaust. Through selfish and racist policies, the UN and its Security Council dithered  and denied its way through three months of genocidal slaughter. As a direct result of their inaction, an estimated one million civilians were brutally murdered.

Who should read A People Betrayed?

  • Anyone interested in how policy translates from boardroom to battlefield
  • History buffs interested in the chilling after-effects of colonialism in Africa
  • People who suspect there’s a dark side to the new world order

12
The Congo from Leopold to Kabila

The Congo from Leopold to Kabila

Georges Nzongola-Ntalaja
A People’s History
4.4 (69 ratings)

What's The Congo from Leopold to Kabila about?

The Congo from Leopold to Kabila (2002) is the history of the Congolese democratic movement in the twentieth century. The history begins with Belgian colonial rule, working its way through Mobutu’s reign of terror, before looking at the Congo Wars and concluding with the prolific unrest still rampant at the turn of the century. This survey illuminates how exploitative external interests and internal weaknesses have hampered the Congolese democratic movement and proposes how it might still advance.

Who should read The Congo from Leopold to Kabila?

  • Curious minds interested in Congolese history and its democracy movement
  • Students of colonial and postcolonial history
  • Africans and non-Africans seeking African history as told from an insider perspective

13
Afropean

Afropean

Johny Pitts
Notes From Black Europe
4.4 (28 ratings)

What's Afropean about?

Afropean (2020) is a travelogue tracing the hidden history and culture of Black people in Europe. Exploring cities such as Paris, Berlin, and Moscow, author Johny Pitts reveals the diversity of African-descendent communities in Europe – and shows how they are forging new identities for themselves beyond the continent’s colonialist legacy.

Who should read Afropean?

  • Young Europeans navigating questions of nationality, identity, and community
  • Backpackers, wanderers, and other travel addicts
  • People interested in Europe’s hidden Black history and culture

14
To Stop a Warlord

To Stop a Warlord

Shannon Sedgwick Davis
My Story of Justice, Grace, and the Fight for Peace
4.2 (11 ratings)

What's To Stop a Warlord about?

To Stop a Warlord (2019) is an inspiring account of a remarkable mission: the quest to bring to justice one of the world’s most notorious war criminals – Joseph Kony, leader of the Lord’s Resistance Army. Packed with insights into Africa’s longest-running conflict, this account tells how Shannon Sedgwick Davis helped assemble an unlikely alliance between philanthropists, the Ugandan military and a South African mercenary to take on Kony’s army across four countries. While that coalition might not have achieved its primary objective of bringing Kony to justice, it did help tip the balance in favor of peace.

Who should read To Stop a Warlord?

  • Campaigners, activists and human-rights advocates
  • Politics buffs fascinated by Central Africa’s past and present
  • Anyone interested in conflict resolution

15
Mandela’s Way

Mandela’s Way

Richard Stengel
Lessons on Life
4.5 (20 ratings)

What's Mandela’s Way about?

This book is about the inspiring personality traits of Nelson Mandela. It shows us how to develop a similar strength of character, so that, no matter what obstacles life throws in our path, we can overcome the challenges, forgive our oppressors, understand the complexity of human nature, fight for our core principles and thereby succeed in changing society for the better.

Who should read Mandela’s Way?

  • Anyone in a leadership position who wishes to learn about great leadership 
  • Anyone who wishes to learn how to face the trials of life
  • Anyone who wants to know how Nelson Mandela became one of the most inspirational figures of the twentieth century

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