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A review by bookishmillennial
Cobalt Red: How the Blood of the Congo Powers Our Lives by Siddharth Kara
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
slow-paced
disclaimer: I don’t really give starred reviews. I hope my reviews provide enough information to let you know if a book is for you or not. Find me here: https://linktr.ee/bookishmillennial
Audiobook was incredibly monotone, so I don't recommend that. However, I'm unsure reading the ebook or print copy will be better, as this book was really repetitive, and didn't particularly offer any big answer or question about this horrific issue in Congo.
My takeaway is this: Do not buy new electronics that use cobalt; try to buy refurbished if accessible and use things until you simply *cannot* anymore. Like, until they no longer function. Until they cannot operate and it is slowing down anything you do on them. You do not need a new iPhone every single year, or the newest iteration of an Apple watch, or the newest iPad every time it's released.
I will continue reading about Congo, and will write to my reps about the U.S. companies' complicity in this situation. It's not perfect, and I recognize it's not enough, but it is what I can do as a singular human. I encourage you to do what you can within your own capacity and to inform those in your own circles of influence.
Graphic: Child abuse, Child death, Genocide, Violence, Murder, and Colonisation
Moderate: Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Slavery, and Alcohol