Blood Diamonds: Tracing the Deadly Path of the World's Most Precious Stones - Hardcover

Campbell, Greg

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0813339391 ISBN 13: 9780813339399

Publisher: Basic Books, 2002

Synopsis

Journalist Greg Campbell leads the reader down the international diamond trail of brutality, horror, and profit - providing an on-the-ground and in-the-mines story of global consequenceFirst discovered in 1930, the diamonds of Sierra Leone have funded one of the most savage rebel campaigns in modern history. These blood diamonds” are smuggled out of West Africa and sold to legitimate diamond merchants in London, Antwerp, and New York, often with the complicity of the international diamond industry. Eventually, these very diamonds find their way into the rings and necklaces of brides and spouses the world over. Blood Diamonds is the gripping tale of how the diamond smuggling works, how the rebel war has effectively destroyed Sierra Leone and its people, and how the policies of the diamond industry - institutionalized in the 1880s by the De Beers cartel - have allowed it to happen. Award-winning journalist Greg Campbell traces the deadly trail of these diamonds, many of which are brought to the world market by fanatical enemies, including the Al Qaeda network. These repercussions of diamond smuggling are felt far beyond the borders of the poor and war-ridden country of Sierra Leone, and the consequences of overlooking this African tragedy, as the world has seen, are both shockingly deadly and unquestionably global.

About this title

About the Author:

Greg Campbell is a freelance journalist and former editor of the Boulder Weekly. He reported a series of articles from Sarajevo just after the Dayton Accord. He lives in Longmont, CO.

From AudioFile:

Even Tom Weiner's warm, rich voice can't soften this exposé of the diamond trade, which flourishes in unstable countries like Sierra Leone, results in death or dismemberment for many innocents, and benefits revolutionaries and terrorists like Al Qaeda. Though he steps into the vocal cadence of African leaders, Weiner wisely doesn't overdramatize. His pace, clarity, and compelling tone work to keep listener attention throughout a detailed explanation of how the diamond market works. If he occasionally telegraphs skepticism at what the De Beers people say, it is apparently well deserved. This audio, on which the movie starring Leonardo DiCaprio was based, might cause you to take a new look at "a girl's best friend." J.B.G. © AudioFile 2007, Portland, Maine-- Copyright © AudioFile, Portland, Maine

About this edition

• Publisher: Basic Books
• Publication date: 2002
• ISBN 10: 0813339391
• ISBN 13: 9780813339399
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 288