The Nutmeg's Curse
Parables for a Planet in Crisis
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The Nutmeg's Curse
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Narrated by:
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Sam Dastor
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By:
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Amitav Ghosh
About this listen
From the best-selling author of the Ibis trilogy and The Great Derangement, The Nutmeg's Curse is an enthralling, panoramic history of the influence of colonialism on the world today, told through the surprising story of the nutmeg.
The history of the nutmeg is one of conquest and exploitation - of both human life and the natural environment - and the origin of our contemporary climate crisis.
Tracing the threats to our future to the discovery of the New World and the sea route to the Indian Ocean, The Nutmeg's Curse argues that the dynamics of climate change are rooted in a centuries-old geopolitical order constructed by Western colonialism. The story of the nutmeg becomes a parable revealing the ways human history has always been entangled with earthly materials - spices, tea, sugarcane, opium and fossil fuels. Our crisis, Ghosh shows, is ultimately the result of a mechanistic view of the Earth, where nature exists only as a resource for humans to use for our own ends, rather than a force of its own, full of agency and meaning.
Writing against the backdrop of the global pandemic and the Black Lives Matter protests, Ghosh frames these historical stories in a way that connects our shared colonial histories with the deep inequality we see around us today. By interweaving discussions on everything from the global history of the oil trade to the migrant crisis and the animist spirituality of Indigenous communities around the world, The Nutmeg's Curse offers a sharp critique of contemporary society and speaks to the profoundly remarkable ways in which human history is shaped by non-human forces.
©2021 Amitav Ghosh (P)2021 Hodder & Stoughton LimitedListeners also enjoyed...
Critic reviews
"Do not miss this book." (Naomi Klein, author of This Changes Everything)
What listeners say about The Nutmeg's Curse
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Thomas S. Bevan
- 24-04-22
A strong case for intersectional environmentalism
It makes the complex relations between geopolitics, capitalism and colonialism seem very accessible by using the story of the Banda Islands as a motif. I particularly liked the explanations of how the power of story has been used since the beginning of human time to give life and agency to the voiceless. Before listening to this book I had found Robin Wall Kimmerer's "Braiding Sweetgrass" a little hard to get into. However now with these chapters in mind I feel ready to re approach it with a new appreciation.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Amazon Customer
- 11-11-24
Excellent!
Wonderful, compelling and urgent! I loved Sam Dastor's narration except for his take on the American accent - which was mildly annoying.
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance2 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- K. Driscoll
- 28-03-22
Great book, almost ruined by the narrator
This is an excellent follow-up to Ghosh's The Great Derangement, covering many of the same issues, but going into greater historical depth. The central figure of the nutmeg provides a wonderful anchoring point for a far-ranging and engaging rumination on the more-than-human imbrications of capitalism, colonialism, and the Anthropocene.
The narrator, Sam Dastor, is, I gather, an actor of some repute, and his RP delivery is pleasant enough to listen to, but he is INCAPABLE of pronouncing a single non-English or Indian word or name correctly. Given the importance of Dutch throughout the book, this is highly distracting. I don't expect the narrator to speak fluent Dutch, but it is possible to check how to pronounce names like "Pieterszoon" (hint: it's really just Peterson). A similar fate awaits all other European names and words. He also consistently misreads climatic as climactic, experiential as experimental, etc.
What's even worse is his inexplicable and ill-advised decision to put on some kind of ham-southern drawl whenever quoting anything written by an American. It's bad enough when nineteenth-century colonialists are made to sound like Wyatt Earp, but when Native American scholars and activists like Winona LaDuke are given the same treatment I found myself spouting expletives. Was there no director on hand?
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Naomi
- 09-05-24
Fantastic, informative and thought provoking read
Very interesting and thought provoking perspective on our planetary crisis, colonialism, racial injustice and how they are all so intertwined. Interesting look at how we got to our current ways of life and relationship to nature. Highly recommended
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance3 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Nelle
- 18-08-24
Read this book
This book has an amazing. It’s a complicated weaving together. But read it. You need to stop and re read paragraphs to absorb it and in some places the narrator misreads words and pauses (I read and listened at the same time). Book is a five, narration a three.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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- Amazon Customer
- 17-10-22
Totally relevant to today's world.
I found this book challenged many misconceptions whilst simultaneously furthered ideas/ arguments I had queried.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Serendipity
- 10-12-22
Incredibly important, well-written, and well-narrated book!
For anyone interested in history, the planetary crisis, and justice. This is one not just to listen to, but to study.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Mrs. Z. L. James
- 17-11-22
Eye-opening read
Stark, brilliantly researched history of colonialism, othering, domination of land and so much more - essential reading
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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- Dr L.
- 16-04-22
The Nutmeg’s curse by Amitav Ghoosh
A phenomenal work of excellence that I hope will B read by increasing nos. who care, want 2 care & need 2 care about empathetic living with all natural existence on our Planet!
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Manji
- 02-12-23
Thought provoking, poignant, incredible
I have never read a book that has made me so enlightened and angry, the cycles of war and colonisation and climate change repeat and Ghosh highlights them with surgical precision.
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