Thursday, August 9, 2012

Mighty be our powers : how sisterhood, prayer, and sex changed a nation at war : a memoir by Leymah Gbowee 

Leymah Gbowee is a political activist in Liberia and one of three women who recently won the Nobel Peace Prize. This memoir tells Gbowee's story of growing up as a young woman in Liberia during their 14 years of Civil War, her involvement with the U.S. as a women, and how her activism was instrumental in ending that war. Gbowee's activism included organizing 3,000 Christian and Muslum women in peaceful public protests, and confronting rebel warlords and then President Charles Taylor - infamous for his use of "blood diamonds", child soldiers and machetes, in both Liberia and Sierra Leone. Taylor was recently convicted of Crimes Against Humanity by an International Criminal Court in the Hague. Gbowee was also involved with the election of Ellen Johnson Sirleaf as President of Liberia - the first women President ever elected in all of Africa. I found this memoir by Gbowee's to be a more interesting read than Sirleaf's "This Child Will Be Great."

Leatherby Libraries Call Number: HQ 1236.5 L53 G36 2011, 2nd Floor Social Science Library 
Review submitted by Theresa Paulsrud, Leatherby Libraries - Acquisitions
Rating: Highly Recommended 

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