The premise of this book I find very interesting. So much of this is did not know and it definitely is going to stay with my as I move forward. This issues I had was that I went into this book with very little knowledge and felt like I needed to know alot more before reading. The writer is very attacking of everyone and while people deserve it, I see it putting others off from learning.
If you have an interest then this book is for you.

This book was super interesting and something I had never thought of before. It was very eye opening.

A harrowing and important book. While it is an obvious thing to say, I am typing this on a computer whose manufacture contributed to the deeply troubling conditions that Kara documents. This is a book that is difficult to read, as it implicates us as complicit in upholding working conditions that are so inhumane that they are difficult to capture in language. Most gut-wrenching of all are the stories of children who have little choice but to work in cobalt mines, subject to a steady bombardment of toxins and physical hazards. Kara puts human face upon face to this industry, showing how its official channels in the form of legal mining operations are already incredibly dangerous, while the so-called "artisanal" operations that spring up around them are far more so. At times, reading such an unrelenting account felt numbing, similar to the experience of reading the section "The Part About the Crimes" in Bolaño's 2666, another instance in which mass production and violence live side-by-side. Yet unlike Bolaño's fiction, however rooted in actual femicides, we have a first-hand guide in Cobalt Red, one who clearly shares the moral repugnance one cannot help but feel in the face of this entrenched system and thus refuses to allow himself that numbness. He delves into the intricate historical origins of the present, from King Leopold's genocidal dominion to the political violence and corruption aided and abetted by the United States that has led to a modern history that feels like a cycle impossible to break out of. But Kara doesn't accept that this state of affairs is inevitable. Like a latter-day Virgil, he leads us through a modern-day inferno, and it is difficult to see what Purgatorio and Paradiso might even look like. The book is not really about solutions, though Kara posits some basic principles that, if corporations committed to them genuinely, could make a difference. The first step, it seems, though, must be awareness; I don't see how anyone could read this book and not feel helpless but also outraged and moved to want to take action. Our electronic devices are streamlined and beautiful, and the processes in which they are forged are among the most exploitative and horrific imaginable. Thanks to Kara for writing this necessary book, and to St. Martin's and NetGalley for providing a copy.

Was unable to provide a review based on personal family issues...my apologies to the publishing firm.

Read this book.

Thanks to NetGalley for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

5 out of 5 stars

Read this book.

While I received the eARC of this book a while ago, it took me a while to get around to reading it. How strange that I started reading it right after my husband did a paper for school on the devastation that the lead smelting market of regular car batteries has had on the environment and the populace of the locales in which these smelting locations exist. Babies born without brains. Tragic consequences to the poisons released from the smelting. Once the United States had over 200 smelting locations that were overseen by local government agencies, but now there are less than 20. The smelting operations have moved out of country and are not governed by safety regulations.

Unfortunately, as this book proves, rechargeable electric batteries are not the answer, either. Like wind turbines taking over the very small area of natural habitat of the Joshua Tree and forcing them onto the endangered species list, the cobalt used in lithium-ion batteries is touted as environmentally-necessary and a cleaner form of energy than that which came before. The devastation that the mining is reeking on the environment, though, is minimal in comparison with the toll it takes on the lives of the Congolese people.

If we back up to King Leopold II, the book points out, cobalt is not the first. We know this. Everyone knows this. Diamonds, gold, tin, tungsten, copper, ivory, oil, tea, coffee. Whenever one resource is no longer in demand, the world moves on to another resource that it "absolutely needs" from this one piece of the world, and it uses the people of Congo to extract those resources. While the end-point corporations that are using the cobalt in their batteries become disgustingly rich, the people who mined the cobalt remain disgusting poor.

This book made me mad, yes, and it made me sad, yes. But most of all, it made me feel utterly helpless and dirty and ashamed because I use this cobalt all day every day. So do my children. So does my husband. The smartphones, the tablets, the laptops... Everything you plug in to recharge uses cobalt in the batteries and over 50% of cobalt comes from this one region of the world and while the companies who are at the end of the chain say "oh, we would never" and "we have regulations in place to ensure humane sourcing of cobalt," it is all lies.

There is no humane sourcing of cobalt. There are just shell companies covering shell companies covering shell companies until there is no possible way to trace the source of the cobalt so that no one can be held accountable. In 2019, a class-action lawsuit was brought against the devils we know: Google, Apple, Microsoft, Tesla, and more. In the end, the case was dismissed because the claimants requested to remain anonymous out of necessity to avoid violent and tragic retaliation from militia and employers. The judge who released the case even stated if a company stopped using another company who stopped using a different company and on and on down the line then the result would be less child labor, forced labor, etc., but that it could not be proven that the end-point companies were aware of the situation or could prevent it from happening.

We know this is not enough. We know this is not good enough.

This book touches on the different resources that have been scavenged from Congo, making the world at large richer, and the Congolese people poor. Poor they are born and poor they die and along the way they endure the tragedy of inadequate education availability, children dying in mine collapses, human trafficking to bring more miners in, lack of health insurance, food insecurity, and the list goes on and on and the world keeps spinning and I just don't even know how there could possibly be an end to this because with the goal of making more and more electric vehicles, the demand for cobalt is only going to increase.

In fact, the book estimates that the demand for cobalt will increase 500%.

I could go on and on about all the things that I learned from this book and then the things I learned by searching the information provided and fact-checking but it hurt my heart and I'm literally sitting here with my useless and pointless and ineffectual tears writing this review, knowing that as I benefit from working from home and my children are spoiled with their phones and their laptops and their tablets and my husband and I have separate laptops for work and school each and we are part of the problem but we can't just.....stop. How do we just stop?

Read this book.

Title: Cobalt Red
Author: Sidharth Kara
Release Date: January 31st, 2023
Page Count: 279
Format: Netgalley/Audiobook
Start Date: February 14th, 2023
Finish Date: February 16th, 2023

Rating: 5 Stars

Review:

I learned so much reading this book. I learned the hard truth behind the energy resources we take for granted on a daily basis. I learned that uncovering the truth is as dangerous as the dangers that they are investigating.
I actually wound up having a discussion where I referenced this book. I would love to get my hands on a physical copy so I can reread it and highlight important parts and make notes in the annotations. It has had an impact on the way I think and how I feel about the objects I use in life. I'd also like to find more books about this subject. Just so I can see all of the facts at different angles.

“Cobalt Red” by Siddharth Kara is a nonfiction work about the people and places in the Congo that power our worlds. Kara spends years living in the Congo to conduct an in-depth investigation into the people who are barely paid, both adults and children, that spend their days digging for cobalt and other precious minerals deep into the ground. As we sit and use our electric devices or drive electric vehicles, children and adults are being forced into hard labor by political corruption and the international plunder of local land. Many Asian and Middle Eastern companies have a stronghold in villages throughout the Congo, and the companies that rely on this labor and international pipeline of goods pretend that their cobalt is mined safely or have simply remained silent and continue to profit. Years have gone by with minimal mention in any major publication about the total devastation of land, people, cultures, and the economy in the Congo. This book is so eye opening, and it is an essential read for everyone.

Wow this book really opened my eyes to an issue didn't know anything about. I have been looking at getting an electric car. This makes me rethink that decision.
The history of the issues was informative but I did get a little lost in all the names and locations of places I have never heard of before.
While I don't agree with the solution listed at the end of the book I can see where that would be a start. I think you need to hear the voice of those that are being taken advantage of but unless you make a change in government you will never see change.

This nonfiction book will make you stop and think about the impact our lives have on others around the world. The book explores the impact of cobalt mining on the people of Democratic Republic of the Congo. Cobalt is used in the rechargeable devices we all use.

The author, Siddharth Kara researches modern day slavery. This is his latest book exploring the subject. He goes to the Democratic Republic of the Congo over many years to interview people involved in the supply chain of cobalt. He talks to those at the bottom that are exploited for the labor to extract the ore to those at the top who get the cobalt to the global market.

Kara expertly includes the history of colonization in the area and how that history has been repeated over centuries. The personal stories the author includes humanizes this subject that many will try to explain away as a supply issue rather than a humanitarian issue.

I hybrid read this book. The audiobook is read by Peter Ganim. He takes care in pronouncing the names of places and people of the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

I was sent a copy of this book by the publisher, St. Martin’s Press via Netgalley.

The title and subtitle really sums it all up, it's a horrific story of modern abuse going on today and only worsening with the power balance of consuming countries of lithium batteries over a poor producing country supplies the resources to make these batteries.

This was very well written and very informative but a bit slow. Definitely a topic worth further investigation and exploration.

The opposite ends of supply chain. Those on the top enjoy the benefits and those on the bottom risk a lot - life, livelihood and future genrations.

An incisive investigative reporting of the human toll and brutality caused by our need for the latest and greatest technologies in our smart phones and cars. The author does not report from afar or from a library reading reports, this author visits the mines in the Congo at great risk and peril to him and exposes the horrific conditions and practices in "artisanal" mining and the use of children as labor. "Artisanal" for us conjures images of artisans working their craft in a beautiful bespoke way (and we tend to buy brands that promote artisanal methods. My view of this has changed forever when I learned that artisanal mining is the most dangerous, difficult form of mining using hand tools to extract cobalt and other minerals. I hope this book has the intended effect of being a call to action for the corporations who are benefiting from this and turning a blind eye to what is really happening in the pursuit of precious minerals. It should also be a wake up call for us consumers -- do I really need the latest and greatest smartphone? This is an absolute must read. I highly recommend this book.

Thank you to Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

One of the few places on Earth that you can find cobalt, is in the Congo. The people that mine cobalt are mistreated and die because of the harsh conditions in which they mine a key element in our lives. This book investigates the conditions, the mines, and the people we rely on, but will never know anything about, This book is a stark reminder that we rely on people we don't know and unfortunately are treated so poorly that we wouldn't want our worst enemies to be treated this way.

Shockingly real, this book exposes the cost of mining the minerals needed for production of lithium-ion rechargeable batteries that power millions of our oh-so-necessary devices. The shameful practices of these Chinese companies and their greed for financial gain is horrendous in their brutal treatment of native Congolese people. These people are living and dying for cobalt, risking their own lives and the lives of their children. Recommended reading, and vitally important.

If you want a first hand account of how capitalism and colonialism effects third world countries and people of color, this is the book for you. As an American I have never thought about where the metals and supplies in my smart devices are gathered. Now I know and I am pissed. The Congo has always been a prime victim to the whims of the greedy. It started with the ivory and rubber and now it is with copper and cobalt. The major companies (ex. Apple, Samsung etc.) all claim to check for and prevent slavery and child labor but they are at best dumb and at worst evil. They are great at the copy-paste HR posts that provide no accountability and no plans going forward. Cobalt Red describes how they are ignoring the red flags and how the mines are actually ran. It was a fascinating and frustrating account of the day to day lives of Artisanal Miners of the Congo. The book itself is well written and surprisingly easy to understand. Going in I knew nothing about mining, cobalt, current events in the Congo and the extreme neglect and indifference of their government. Now I feel like I have a basic understanding and can rant angrily with some semblance of coherence. Cobalt Red also opened my eyes to the basis of "Heart of Darkness" and I think I'll appreciate it more now that I know the history of slavery. I firmly believe that anyone with a smart device needs to read this and appreciate what atrocities are occurring to make them.

After reading this you will never replace a battery without thinking of this book
I think as an American it's hard for us to believe or even understand the kind of life people, even children, have to do in order to eat or feed their family.

I wish books like this were read, studied, and discussed in our schools.

Highly recommend.

Thank you to Netgalley for the ARC!

This book started slow for me because I wasn't in the mood, but after a few days I dove back in; and I am glad I did! I don't want to spoil the book, however I highly suggest that you give this book a read---it is worth it!!!!

***ARC received from St. Martins Press and NetGalley in exchange for honest review, opinions are all my own. Thank you!***

Cobalt Red is not an easy read but the history and current situation in the Congo is not a light subject and the author does a good job of weaving the two together. The Congo is rich in natural resources which has long made it a target for international powers that want to control and enrich themselves from those resources. While the book dives into the history of the country, from the ruthless control enforced by King Leopold and the Belgium government after him to the current exploitation of international companies it is still a story about the people that suffer and the systems in place to keep them suffering.

In between history the author does interviews with the local artisanal miners who make up the vast work force in the mines. Many of them are entire families, all having to work to have enough just to put a meal on the table. One of the biggest themes over and over again through the interviews is many just have no choice. There is one interview done with a young man named Makano, who after the death of his father had one option to keep his family fed, go into the mines. It is there at only sixteen he falls and gravely injures himself. It is a common story, teen boys pulled from school to work in the mines for a variety of reasons.

Time and time again Cobalt Red points out that much of this is by design, the mines are the most important part far more than the people. But they need the people, most importantly the children to go work in the mines. Things could change, the mining companies can do better to provide for the people. The author visits two mines that feel like they are trying to do better but even then its still the bare minimum.

At times this book was difficult to read, not just the subject matter but the heavy use of acronyms and the inconsistent feeling to the timeline. Both makes sense as the author goes to great lengths to make sure he protects those that were brave enough to give him interviews. There is a section that outlines the history of the Congo that would have felt better suited at the beginning of the book so it can be referenced again as the author continues but that is just my preference.

Cobalt Red left me with the question of what is to be done? It was never lost on me that I read this book on my Ipod with its rechargeable battery, that I looked up people and history while reading on my Iphone and that I type this review on my computer with a rechargeable battery. Consumers have a great deal of power, if we were more aware of the human rights abuse and environmental destruction our rechargeable batteries consume to be made would the demand outcry to switch to batteries that don’t rely on cobalt be stronger? There is already work being done on batteries and it will not be easy to make these changes, companies with deep pockets will fight to keep the status quo but I can be hopeful. Because unless things do change, the cobalt mines will remain of the graves of the Congolese people.

This was an interesting book. There is so much that we don't know because it doesn't make the headlines or the nightly news. I had no idea that cobalt is powering our phones, tablets, computers and car batteries to name a few. That the power struggle going on in The Democratic Republic of The Congo has been happening for decades. The man that would lead these people was killed so that the Corporate world would take over and subject its people to slavery is unthinkable. The military keeps them in line and doesn't let foreigners in to mess with their system.. The United Nations has failed them.