{"schema_version":"bf_book_companion_v1","release_id":"20260417T232332Z","book":{"amazon_purchase_url":"https://www.amazon.com/dp/0802164862?tag=bookfrontier-20","asin":"0802164862","authors":["Sophy Roberts"],"book_id":"9780802164865","canonical_url":"https://bookfrontier.com/books/a-training-school-for-elephants-0802164862","cover_image_url":"https://img.bookfrontier.com/9780802164865.jpg?v=20260417T232332Z%3A2026-04-17T23%3A23%3A32Z","description":"Out of a sidelined, colonial-era expedition in Africa comes a new history of cruelty, deception and adventure from the acclaimed author of The Lost Pianos of Siberia In 1879, King Leopold II of Belgium launched an ambitious plan to plunder Africa’s resources. The key to cracking open the continent, or so he thought, was its elephants—if only he could train them. And so he commissioned the charismatic Irish adventurer Frederick Carter to ship four tamed Asian elephants from India to the East African coast, where they were marched inland towards Congo. The ultimate aim was to establish a training school for African elephants. Following in the footsteps of the four elephants, Roberts pieces together the story of this long-forgotten expedition, in travels that take her to Belgium, Iraq, India, Tanzania, and Congo. The storytelling brings to life a compelling cast of historic characters and modern voices, from ivory dealers to Catholic nuns, set against rich descriptions of the landscapes travelled. In an original weave of past and present, she digs deep into historic records revealing an extraordinary—and enduring—story of colonial greed, hypocrisy, and folly.","forthcoming":false,"isbn13":"9780802164865","publication_date":"20250502","publisher":"Grove/Atlantic","slug":"a-training-school-for-elephants","subtitle":"","title":"A Training School for Elephants"},"discovery":{"categories":{"all":[{"bisac_code":"HIS028040","confidence_band":"high","label":"Colonial Encounters","score":0.837,"source":"bisac_hint_model"},{"bisac_code":"TRV002010","confidence_band":"medium","label":"Central Africa Travel","score":0.7729,"source":"bisac_hint_model"},{"bisac_code":"HIS001020","confidence_band":"medium","label":"East African History","score":0.7567,"source":"bisac_hint_model"}],"hint":[{"bisac_code":"HIS028040","confidence_band":"high","label":"Colonial Encounters","score":0.837,"source":"bisac_hint_model"},{"bisac_code":"TRV002010","confidence_band":"medium","label":"Central Africa Travel","score":0.7729,"source":"bisac_hint_model"},{"bisac_code":"HIS001020","confidence_band":"medium","label":"East African History","score":0.7567,"source":"bisac_hint_model"}],"publisher":[{"bisac_code":"HIS001000","confidence_band":"high","label":"African History","score":1,"source":"onix_publisher_code"},{"bisac_code":"HIS001020","confidence_band":"high","label":"East African History","score":1,"source":"onix_publisher_code"},{"bisac_code":"HIS028040","confidence_band":"high","label":"Colonial Encounters","score":1,"source":"onix_publisher_code"}]},"genres":[{"label":"Colonial Encounters","score":0.837,"slug":"colonial-encounters"},{"label":"Central Africa Travel","score":0.7729,"slug":"central-africa-travel"},{"label":"East African History","score":0.7567,"slug":"east-african-history"}],"reader_fit":["Good for readers who enjoy Colonial Encounters","Good for readers interested in book club","Good for readers who enjoy Colonial Encounters and Central Africa Travel."],"related_lists":[],"series":null,"similar_books":[{"authors":["Jeffrey Gettleman"],"book_id":"9780062284105","cover_image_url":"https://img.bookfrontier.com/9780062284105.jpg?v=20260417T232332Z%3A2026-04-17T23%3A23%3A32Z","score":14.7513,"title":"Love, Africa","url":"https://bookfrontier.com/books/9780062284105"},{"authors":["M.G. Vassanji"],"book_id":"9780385671439","cover_image_url":"https://img.bookfrontier.com/9780385671439.jpg?v=20260417T232332Z%3A2026-04-17T23%3A23%3A32Z","score":10.3432,"title":"And Home Was Kariakoo","url":"https://bookfrontier.com/books/9780385671439"},{"authors":["Sophy Roberts"],"book_id":"9780802149299","cover_image_url":"https://img.bookfrontier.com/9780802149299.jpg?v=20260417T232332Z%3A2026-04-17T23%3A23%3A32Z","score":9.3117,"title":"Lost Pianos of Siberia","url":"https://bookfrontier.com/books/9780802149299"},{"authors":["Adam Hochschild"],"book_id":"9780358212508","cover_image_url":"https://img.bookfrontier.com/9780358212508.jpg?v=20260417T232332Z%3A2026-04-17T23%3A23%3A32Z","score":8.1646,"title":"King Leopold's Ghost","url":"https://bookfrontier.com/books/9780358212508"},{"authors":["Richard Dowden"],"book_id":"9780786741427","cover_image_url":"https://img.bookfrontier.com/9780786741427.jpg?v=20260417T232332Z%3A2026-04-17T23%3A23%3A32Z","score":8.0179,"title":"Africa","url":"https://bookfrontier.com/books/9780786741427"},{"authors":["Martin Meredith"],"book_id":"9781610390712","cover_image_url":"https://img.bookfrontier.com/9781610390712.jpg?v=20260417T232332Z%3A2026-04-17T23%3A23%3A32Z","score":7.9994,"title":"The Fate of Africa","url":"https://bookfrontier.com/books/9781610390712"},{"authors":["David Smith","Graham Turner"],"book_id":"9781472848918","cover_image_url":"https://img.bookfrontier.com/9781472848918.jpg?v=20260417T232332Z%3A2026-04-17T23%3A23%3A32Z","score":7.9885,"title":"The East Africa Campaign 1914-18","url":"https://bookfrontier.com/books/9781472848918"},{"authors":["Robert Guest"],"book_id":"9781588342973","cover_image_url":"https://img.bookfrontier.com/9781588342973.jpg?v=20260417T232332Z%3A2026-04-17T23%3A23%3A32Z","score":7.9879,"title":"The Shackled Continent","url":"https://bookfrontier.com/books/9781588342973"}],"topics":[{"evidence_refs":["keyword:african elephants"],"label":"African","score":0.1109,"slug":"african"},{"evidence_refs":["phrase_map_match"],"label":"Book Club","score":0.0914,"slug":"book-club"}],"what_you_get":["Themes: African, Book Club.","Reading lane: Colonial Encounters and Central Africa Travel.","Publisher: Grove/Atlantic."]},"llm_signals":null,"source_presence":{"amazon":true,"book_detail":true,"goodreads":true,"llm_signals":false,"similarity_seed":true},"stats":{"amazon_ratings_count":70,"goodreads_ratings_count":324,"goodreads_reviews_count":49,"quality_score":0.9035}}