Constant Reader discussion

It appears that Ann hasn't been able to kick off the discussion of Cobalt Red: How the Blood of the Congo Powers Our Lives yet. I haven't read the book, but I'm going to post this note to open a place for those who have read the book to start discussing on their own.

I hope that Ann will be able to come join in the discussion at some point. In the meantime, the floor is open to anyone who wants to contribute.

I read the book last year and still think about it. Kara lays out the devastating toll of cobalt mining on the people of the Congo. It’s a complex problem and his stated goal in writing the book was to shed light on the situation, nevertheless he received some criticism for not offering up any solutions in the book.

Here’s a link to my brief review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

I am still reading the book now and am almost done. I think it's appalling that companies using the cobalt for their batteries pretend not to know what's going on. What's happening to the children of the Congo is criminally exploitive, and the government leaders are getting rich while devastating their own country. GREAD!

I'm almost finished and must admit to having many moments of anger while reading. This slowed me down in the beginning.

Donna, how Kara could be criticisized for not offering up solutions is beyond me. It looks to me that he has exposed problems that even those most altruistic thought, or pretended to think, were solved. These are problems that will require the work of companies, countries, leaders of both, and some moral and legal watch dogs to work out, put in place and enforce.

DRC has never had ethically run workplaces in the areas of its vast natural resources. Their own leaders are among the plunderers, having learned so well from their colonizers. And now China appears to dominate the resource industry there, certainly for Cobalt.

I should finish tomorrow and be back here then. And then read your review too, Donna

This book was a 5-star read for me.

Joy D wrote: "This book was a 5-star read for me."

Me, too