jjares reviewed on 4/17/2022 + 3296 more book reviews

About a year ago, Captivating History published an excellent explanation of "Mansa Musa: A Captivating Guide to the Emperor of the Islamic Mali Empire in West Africa and How He Developed Timbuktu into a Major Center for Trade." This story takes a step back from the wealthiest king of Africa (Mansa Musa) and tells the story of the Mali Empire. I particularly enjoyed the information about the Mali culture. Mansa Musa did not force his people to convert to Islam but led by example. To this day, about half of the population is still Muslim.

This pair of books by Captivating History brings African history to Americans. Most of us know little about countries that don't include Europeans. However, this is a story about West Africans and how they pursued wealth and majesty in their lands. Mansa Musa was able to go on hajj (a once-in-a-lifetime requirement of Islam to visit Mecca) because he had stabilized the country and left his son in control. Unfortunately, things gradually went downhill after his 25-year (or so) reign. This story is a valuable history lesson for us all.

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