Tears, Fire, and Blood

“This is the first comprehensive modern history of Washington’s involvement with Africa from WW II to the 1990s. . . . Meriwether has dug diligently into both the seamy and more enlightened sections of the archives. Much in his account is new and shameful. . . . Recommended.”—CHOICE

“A thoroughly engaging history of America’s involvement in the decolonization of Africa . . . succinct, yet academically rigorous.”—Javan D. Frazier, H-Net Reviews

“James H. Meriwether’s excellent work is . . . both comprehensive and concise. . . . If there is another conference of diplomatic historians there will be a large group specializing in Africa, and Meriwether will be among its leaders.”—Journal of American History

“Meriwether’s work stands out as one of the most prominent in this well-established field of inquiry. . . . A wealth of information, a thoughtful perspective and a captivating narrative style which encourages a deeper look at events that need to be explored in greater detail.”—UTAFITI

“A sweeping narrative and explanation of how the United States, particularly the U.S. government, responded to the liberation of Africa from colonial bondage.... [T]his is a big story, and well told.”—Thomas Borstelmann, author of Just Like Us: The American Struggle to Understand Foreigners

“Meriwether skillfully fuses ‘top-down’ accounts of U.S. diplomacy with the ‘bottom-up’ anticolonial actions of activists to provide a multifaceted account of this relationship that emphasizes the agency of nongovernmental actors in shaping how the United States engaged with the African continent.”—Nicholas Grant, author of Winning Our Freedoms Together: African Americans and Apartheid, 1945-1960