Modern World Africa

Born in Blackness vitally reframes the story of medieval and emerging Africa, demonstrating how the economic ascendancy of Europe, the anchoring of democracy in the West, and the fulfillment of so-called Enlightenment ideals all grew out of Europe's dehumanizing engagement with the "dark" continent. In fact, French reveals, the first impetus for the Age of Discovery was not—as we are so often told, even today—Europe's yearning for ties with Asia, but rather its centuries-old desire to forge a trade in gold with legendarily rich Black societies in the heart of West Africa.

In this incandescent novel, V.S. Naipaul takes us deeply into the life of one man, an Indian who, uprooted by the bloody tides of Third World history, has come to live in an isolated town at the bend of a great river in a newly independent African nation. Naipaul gives us the most convincing and disturbing vision yet of what happens in a place caught between the dangerously alluring modern world and its own tenacious past and traditions.

Unlock the key moments and movements that shaped our present-day world with this all-encompassing audiobook. Inside, you’ll find six detailed manuscripts, each offering a captivating guide to the modern history of different regions—Europe, America, Latin America, Africa, China, and Japan. Whether you're a history enthusiast or just looking to expand your knowledge, this audiobook provides an accessible and engaging way to understand the forces that have molded our world.

In The Taste of Empire, acclaimed historian Lizzie Collingham tells the story of how the British Empire's quest for food shaped the modern world. Told through 20 meals over the course of 450 years, from the Far East to the New World, Collingham explains how Africans taught Americans how to grow rice, how the East India Company turned opium into tea, and how Americans became the best-fed people in the world.

Ramachandra Guha takes us from Gandhi's birth in 1869 through his upbringing in Gujarat, his two years as a student in London, and his two decades as a lawyer and community organizer in South Africa. Guha has uncovered myriad previously untapped documents, including private papers of Gandhi's contemporaries. Using this wealth of material in an exuberant, brilliantly nuanced and detailed narrative, Guha describes the social, political, and personal worlds inside of which Gandhi began the journey that would earn him the honorific Mahatma: "Great Soul".

The authoritative, official inside story of 40 years of Live Aid, from Band Aid to today In 1985, with £100+ million in his back pocket from Live Aid – the greatest rock concert the world had ever seen – Bob Geldof took a trip across Africa to decide how to spend the money he had raised for...

Africans, though fascinatingly diverse, share a common evolution, all of which is characterized by the powerful strides of many names etched in the memories of their people. This audiobook presents these memories with a stimulating detailed account. This book shares the knowledge you need to know about modern Africa. Discover how the continent has come to be what it is today, and learn how other countries influenced events.

Kwasi Kwarteng is the child of parents whose lives were shaped as subjects of the British Empire, first in their native Ghana, then as British immigrants. He brings a unique perspective and impeccable academic credentials to a narrative history of the British Empire, one that avoids sweeping judgmental condemnation and instead sees the Empire for what it was: a series of local fiefdoms administered in varying degrees of competence or brutality by a cast of characters as outsized and eccentric as anything conjured by Gilbert and Sullivan.

From the smoky clubs of Harlem to the wide beaches of Hawaii, Taj Mahal: Blues Explorer Without Borders traces the extraordinary life of one of America’s most visionary musicians. Born Henry Saint Clair Fredericks in 1942, Taj Mahal grew up surrounded by jazz, gospel, and Caribbean rhythms that would later fuse into a sound as vast as the world itself. This definitive biography follows his journey through seven decades of creative evolution—an odyssey that redefined not only the blues but the very meaning of musical heritage. Through meticulous research and vivid storytelling, the book ...

Robert Benjamin Lewis (1802 - 1858) was an African American and Native American author, inventor, and entrepreneur. In the ethnological work Light and Truth, Lewis claims that Adam and Eve were people of color, as were the Egyptians and many great figures of the ancient world, including Julius Caesar and Plato. Denouncing notions of white superiority, he asserts that all humans have a common origin, and pointed to a shared cultural history between Africans and Native Americans.

Los africanos, aunque fascinantemente diversos, comparten una evolución común, toda ella caracterizada por los poderosos pasos de muchos nombres grabados en la memoria de sus pueblos. Este audio libro presenta estos recuerdos con un estimulante relato detallado. Además comparte los conocimientos que necesita saber sobre el África moderna. Descubra cómo el continente ha llegado a ser lo que es hoy, y aprenda cómo otros países influyeron en los acontecimientos.

From the Midwest barns of Indianapolis to the concert halls of Paris and the studios of New York, Slide Hampton: The Trombone’s Architect charts the extraordinary journey of one of jazz’s most disciplined minds. Born Locksley Wellington “Slide” Hampton in 1932, he rose from family band prodigy to become one of the most respected arrangers and educators in modern music. This definitive biography reveals the architecture behind his sound—the rigorous structure, empathy, and global imagination that shaped seven decades of jazz evolution. Through extensive research and scene-by-scene ...

Born into the cotton fields of the Mississippi Delta, Riley B. King rose to become B.B. King—the undisputed monarch of the blues and one of the most influential musicians of the twentieth century. This definitive biography chronicles his life with documentary precision, tracing the arc from his early gospel roots to international acclaim as the King of the Blues. Through archival depth and narrative intimacy, the story follows King’s transformation from farmhand to radio performer, from Beale Street’s smoky clubs to the grand stages of Las Vegas and London. Each chapter captures his ...

In today’s modern world, there seems to be a new trending diet to try out or follow every week. Everyone wants to get the ideal body that society has sold us, and they want to get it quick. Our problem is that we view these dietary changes this way as a means to an end, rather than a lifestyle change.

This fascinating three-thousand-year history of the census traces the making of the modern survey and explores its political power in the age of big data and surveillance. In April 2020, the United States will embark on what has been called "the largest peacetime mobilization in American...

A fun and entertaining foray into Ancient Greek mythology through the lens of some of Marvel’s most popular characters—including Iron Man, Black Widow, and Wolverine—and an investigation into why classical stories continue to resonate with modern audiences. Since its inception, Marvel has...