Interesting, though slightly limited, book which examines the history of (some of) Portugal's African colonies. In spite of the title, for the most part, only Angola and Mozambique are analyzed. Granted that these are the two most important of the five colonies, it still would have been interesting to compare Angola and Mozambique's experiences with the others. One of the underlying themes is how the slave trade twisted Angola for centuries, and harsh use of native labour would bedevil Portugal well into the 20th century, and ultimately led to the unrest described in the book, which had started to break out, though the colonies would not become independent until over a decade after this book came out. A lot stronger on the medieval/early modern history of the two colonies, not so much on anything after about 1910. The author must have had strength in the medieval era. Not particularly recommended. ( )

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