Exterminate All the Brutes by Sven Lindqvist

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Recommended: History of racism in America

After a journey into the dark history of Europe and Africa with Sven Lindqvist, I found myself shocked. It’s earth shattering. Ideas and historical events are presented through a journal/proposal of his unique view on racism. Lindqvist raises questions as to where racism was spurred and why what happened in late 1800’s and early 1900’s lead to the holocaust. Including religion, personal human values, advanced warfare and even societies’ impact as a whole. His travels through the Sahara and Africa in the early chapters show a more current day view of society over seas. The description of the desolate continent and harsh conditions paints a picture of what previous civilization lived through. He explains that part of the reason he has traveled to the desert is to feel the space all around him, a definite emptiness if you will. As his travels progress he introduces his own family life that pertains to the human emotion, which is also a big focus point in this book. Childhood beatings over taking the lord’s name in vain, dropped calls from his daughter that leave him torn and sad. He does an excellent job on taking the reader on a personal journey with him through his current day traveling and even his early life. Linking these personal experiences and tying in histories misconceptions of “right and wrong” is what makes this book so valuable. Lindqvist gives a relevant and educated answer to the question of how racism became such a terrible tribulation in all parts of the world. Is it possible to live without fear of death? If you can, does it change your life and who you are as a whole? Lindqvist believes so. Early in the book he proposes the idea that with fear of death life has a deeper meaning. That only with the fear of death do... ... middle of paper ... ...use of the lagging mental growth of certain peoples. What Lindqvist sought from this book was imply to give a more wholesome answer as to where the reasoning behind it came from. He does not propose any ideas to fix it, or even hope that it will one day not exist. I too cannot fathom a day where everyone views each other as equal. Beautiful and utopic would it be. Yet my logical side of the brain will not let me believe in it. Primitive thoughts and actions will always exist, as we all were once much more animals than we are now. The evolution now is not physical but mental. Can the world as a whole ever completely and peacefully coexist? I trust that it is the ultimate goal, and understanding our history gives us the leg up to do so. Just as Lindvqist says, “It is not knowledge we lack. What is missing is the courage to understand what we know and draw conclusions”.

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