Scan barcode
crystalisreading's review against another edition
4.0
I'll be honest and admit that I didn't know much about Liberia's civil war when I started this book. I didn't know much about Liberia. that was kind of the point of reading the book. And I think Ms Gbowee--Leymah--does a great job at communicating much of what occurred during the (ten years?) their county suffered through the horrific civil war. it's frightening to be reminded yet again how quickly a civilized and productive country can fall into horrific, genocidal civil war and violence. Leymah tells her story in such a way that the pain and the fear are visceral, from repeating the screams of people being murdered outside in the streets, to the horror of seeing dead bodies, to the rage of frustration with a government of so many selfish, violent men, ignoring the needs of its civilians. Leymah fills us in on basic history that led up to the tensions that escalated into the war. She talks about key political figures that helped and hindered the war--and the peace--efforts. She explains basic international relations in the area, and demonstrates how fluid many national boundaries have been during times of violence and crisis.
But mostly Leymah talks about herself, and her family, and how her life was affected by AND affected the war and the subsequent move for peace. She never pretends to be a perfect person--frankly, she's a hot mess a lot of the time, bouncing from one relationship to a married man to another, single mother to 4 children and a number more children, both strangers and extended family, a serious alcoholic through much of her life, and often very depressed--but through it all, strong and smart and learning. She didn't let her first serious relationship, with all its verbal and sexual and physical abuse, keep her down forever. She didn't let anyone other than herself define herself, or stop her from doing the things she needed to achieve, which in this book is primarily the Liberian peace movement. I also liked how Leymah's faith, however shaky at times, inspired her understanding of the world, and how it leaked out into her writing, the inclusion of relevant Bible passages, in a matter of fact, not preachy way.
What Leymah and other women (and some men) managed to do in Liberia was inspiring. I appreciated learning about this time and place, about her life and about Liberia's history, no matter how horrifying her story sometimes became. It is a worthwhile read. Pick it up if you can, and appreciate the work brave women like her did to help secure a better future for their children and themselves.
(Although I can't particularly recommend the audio version--it's read by a narrator with an American accent who adds nothing additional to the process.)
But mostly Leymah talks about herself, and her family, and how her life was affected by AND affected the war and the subsequent move for peace. She never pretends to be a perfect person--frankly, she's a hot mess a lot of the time, bouncing from one relationship to a married man to another, single mother to 4 children and a number more children, both strangers and extended family, a serious alcoholic through much of her life, and often very depressed--but through it all, strong and smart and learning. She didn't let her first serious relationship, with all its verbal and sexual and physical abuse, keep her down forever. She didn't let anyone other than herself define herself, or stop her from doing the things she needed to achieve, which in this book is primarily the Liberian peace movement. I also liked how Leymah's faith, however shaky at times, inspired her understanding of the world, and how it leaked out into her writing, the inclusion of relevant Bible passages, in a matter of fact, not preachy way.
What Leymah and other women (and some men) managed to do in Liberia was inspiring. I appreciated learning about this time and place, about her life and about Liberia's history, no matter how horrifying her story sometimes became. It is a worthwhile read. Pick it up if you can, and appreciate the work brave women like her did to help secure a better future for their children and themselves.
(Although I can't particularly recommend the audio version--it's read by a narrator with an American accent who adds nothing additional to the process.)
apevi's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
informative
inspiring
medium-paced
5.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Violence
Minor: Sexual violence, Sexual assault, and Alcoholism
tymelgren's review against another edition
3.0
I probably would have liked this better if I hadn't already seen the documentary. PRAY THE DEVIL BACK TO HELL has a more badass title and I think tells the story a little better so just watch that.
jennseeg's review against another edition
5.0
I saw this author's interview on the The Daily Show with Jon Stewart. She was so confident, interesting and funny I sought out this book to learn more about her life and work in Africa. I'm glad I did.
My knowledge of African politics generally and Liberian politics in particular is embarrassingly meager, so first of all, I learned a lot from reading about Leymah Gbowee's experiences. Beyond this knowledge, however, I also found this book to be tremendously inspiring. Leymah Gbowee's journey from a broken, (literally) beaten housewife to a social worker and then ultimately Nobel Prize winning internationally-recognized peace advocate....wow...so inspiring.
I appreciated her honesty as well. She is upfront about the fact that her devotion to the cause of peace and freedom in her home country came at an extreme personal price. She did not ultimately raise her children, had fragmented relationships with her lovers and family and often resorted to drinking to manage her stress and anxiety. I believe this kind of honesty is so admirable in a society where women are expected to hold it together perfectly in all of their roles all of the time.
Professionally, I struggle with many of the same feelings Leymah Gbowee articulates...particularly frustration related to working day to day trying to save one or two children/individuals, while ultimately feeling unsuccessful because large scale systems continue to perpetuate the problems. I've been debating entering a post-graduate certificate program in non-profit management for some time for this reason. After reading this book, I think I've received the push and inspiration I needed to finally take the jump. Great, great, book.
My knowledge of African politics generally and Liberian politics in particular is embarrassingly meager, so first of all, I learned a lot from reading about Leymah Gbowee's experiences. Beyond this knowledge, however, I also found this book to be tremendously inspiring. Leymah Gbowee's journey from a broken, (literally) beaten housewife to a social worker and then ultimately Nobel Prize winning internationally-recognized peace advocate....wow...so inspiring.
I appreciated her honesty as well. She is upfront about the fact that her devotion to the cause of peace and freedom in her home country came at an extreme personal price. She did not ultimately raise her children, had fragmented relationships with her lovers and family and often resorted to drinking to manage her stress and anxiety. I believe this kind of honesty is so admirable in a society where women are expected to hold it together perfectly in all of their roles all of the time.
Professionally, I struggle with many of the same feelings Leymah Gbowee articulates...particularly frustration related to working day to day trying to save one or two children/individuals, while ultimately feeling unsuccessful because large scale systems continue to perpetuate the problems. I've been debating entering a post-graduate certificate program in non-profit management for some time for this reason. After reading this book, I think I've received the push and inspiration I needed to finally take the jump. Great, great, book.
melanie_page's review against another edition
2.0
I knew I wanted to read more memoirs from non-Western countries so I could get a look at the globe through a personal lens. Leymah Gbowee, a Liberian woman, drew me in with her title: Mighty Be Our Powers: How Sisterhood, Prayer, and Sex Changed a Nation at War. I was reminded of Lysistrata and the women who ended war by going on a sex strike. I wanted to know more about how women could play a vital role in peacemaking.
I stopped listening to the audiobook at 6 hours, 52 minutes. The whole thing is 9 hours, 7 minutes. So close, I know. But as the war in Liberia raged and subsided, so many war factions and peace groups entered the picture, and Gbowee uses acronyms for them all, making it hard to follow along — and thus care.
In the beginning, there is a lot of history. In the prologue, she describes that this is the story of the Liberian civil war. Men are always at the front of these stories, women in the background, weeping, raped, sagging breasts. African stories are not typically told, she says. It’s a powerful prologue, one that promises to focus on what most war books overlook: women.
The first chapter starts on New Year’s Eve in 1989. Gbowee graduates high school that year. She lives in the capital of Liberia, Monrovia. She is seventeen just before things fall apart.
In Liberia, America-Liberians are lighter because black people from the United States are mixed-raced. Their lighter skin means they are considered a political elite over the tribal Africans. These America-Liberians did what happened to them in the States, building plantations and segregating themselves from tribal Africans. The indigenous people trying to take back their country is why Liberia had so many “problems.” I found this part of the history interesting because African Americans are doing to Africans what is done to them, but keep in mind that this is in the decades after the Civil Rights Movement. People seek power wherever they can get it, lowering themselves to hypocrites if need be.
At the beginning of the memoir, Liberia was run by President Tolbert, and the Gbowee’s father worked for him. But, President Tolbert had a general named Doe who decided to disembowel the president and overthrow him. Gbowee’s father was imprisoned for working for President Tolbert. President Doe was the first tribal person to be president, which was significant.
However, President Doe turned out to be corrupt, too. The author’s father was later asked to work for President Doe. This whole section describing how power is transferred in warring nations sounded similar to what Loung Ung described in First They Killed My Father. It seems like there is always a general who thinks “I can do it better!” and takes over. Ung’s father also worked for one government and was in danger when a new leader overthrew the previous. I found this section of Gbowee’s memoir interesting because it shows a pattern in how potential dictators come to power.
Of course, one guy overthrowing the government isn’t enough. Charles Taylor leads the rebel uprising against the new President Doe. In a country like Liberia and in the early 1990s when connectivity isn’t what it is today, people have to listen to gossip and make decisions based on that. Families doubt there will be war in Liberia until it’s everywhere. Here, the information gets tiresome, as it’s challenging to keep up with the different rebel groups. In Ung’s book, she narrates in present-tense starting from age five. We learn about the Cambodian genocide as it unfolds. Gbowee info dumps, which makes it hard to follow.
Around age twenty, the author gets into a relationship with a married man who practically stalks her into liking him. They have four children before she leaves him to return to her parents’ home where she is depressed and has no propose. Gbowee doesn’t seem forthcoming with her feelings. The man with whom she fathered these children is abusive, and while training as a counselor, she recognizes his behaviors in her lessons. How she deals with that, in a deep, meaningful way, is not shared with readers.
During the war, most roads in Liberia are impassable, there’s no electricity, no running water, and food availability is unreliable. The first war lasts from 1989 to 1997. As years pass, there isn’t fighting in the streets anymore, but President Charles Taylor has control of all the TV and radio stations. Gbowee gets involved in peacemaking organizations, but is getting really tired of the leadership she works with sitting by complacently because they don’t actually see fighting in the streets. Her kids are in Ghana with her sister where it is safer, but it’s causing a huge distance between her and her children, like she’s not their mother. A second round of war breaks out in 1999. It doesn’t end until 2003.
The Liberian civil war happened when we were all alive. 250,000 people were killed. Children were kidnapped and made into soldiers. You should not Google images of this war; they’re horrifying and gory. Charles Taylor was ousted in 2003, sent to trial in 2006, and was finally determined guilty in 2012. He was sentenced to 50 years in prison, but not before claiming that what he did was comparable to President George W. Bush’s actions during the War on Terror.
I did not finish this book. Gbowee worked more for peace, held sit-ins, and prayed. She only mentions the sex strike and says she doesn’t want to be asked about it all the time — though notice it’s in the title. She spends more time referencing organizations by their acronyms and less time getting into her emotions. It’s like reading a history book through one perspective. History needs a wide, unbiased lens. Memoir needs deep archaeological digs into one person’s psyche. For instance, after Gbowee tells readers that her parents’ history is important and then goes on to describe how they were raised, she needs to weave that information into the narrative, not make an assertion and leave the readers wondering why her parents’ history belonged in her memoir.
This review was originally published at Grab the Lapels.
I stopped listening to the audiobook at 6 hours, 52 minutes. The whole thing is 9 hours, 7 minutes. So close, I know. But as the war in Liberia raged and subsided, so many war factions and peace groups entered the picture, and Gbowee uses acronyms for them all, making it hard to follow along — and thus care.
In the beginning, there is a lot of history. In the prologue, she describes that this is the story of the Liberian civil war. Men are always at the front of these stories, women in the background, weeping, raped, sagging breasts. African stories are not typically told, she says. It’s a powerful prologue, one that promises to focus on what most war books overlook: women.
The first chapter starts on New Year’s Eve in 1989. Gbowee graduates high school that year. She lives in the capital of Liberia, Monrovia. She is seventeen just before things fall apart.
In Liberia, America-Liberians are lighter because black people from the United States are mixed-raced. Their lighter skin means they are considered a political elite over the tribal Africans. These America-Liberians did what happened to them in the States, building plantations and segregating themselves from tribal Africans. The indigenous people trying to take back their country is why Liberia had so many “problems.” I found this part of the history interesting because African Americans are doing to Africans what is done to them, but keep in mind that this is in the decades after the Civil Rights Movement. People seek power wherever they can get it, lowering themselves to hypocrites if need be.
At the beginning of the memoir, Liberia was run by President Tolbert, and the Gbowee’s father worked for him. But, President Tolbert had a general named Doe who decided to disembowel the president and overthrow him. Gbowee’s father was imprisoned for working for President Tolbert. President Doe was the first tribal person to be president, which was significant.
However, President Doe turned out to be corrupt, too. The author’s father was later asked to work for President Doe. This whole section describing how power is transferred in warring nations sounded similar to what Loung Ung described in First They Killed My Father. It seems like there is always a general who thinks “I can do it better!” and takes over. Ung’s father also worked for one government and was in danger when a new leader overthrew the previous. I found this section of Gbowee’s memoir interesting because it shows a pattern in how potential dictators come to power.
Of course, one guy overthrowing the government isn’t enough. Charles Taylor leads the rebel uprising against the new President Doe. In a country like Liberia and in the early 1990s when connectivity isn’t what it is today, people have to listen to gossip and make decisions based on that. Families doubt there will be war in Liberia until it’s everywhere. Here, the information gets tiresome, as it’s challenging to keep up with the different rebel groups. In Ung’s book, she narrates in present-tense starting from age five. We learn about the Cambodian genocide as it unfolds. Gbowee info dumps, which makes it hard to follow.
Around age twenty, the author gets into a relationship with a married man who practically stalks her into liking him. They have four children before she leaves him to return to her parents’ home where she is depressed and has no propose. Gbowee doesn’t seem forthcoming with her feelings. The man with whom she fathered these children is abusive, and while training as a counselor, she recognizes his behaviors in her lessons. How she deals with that, in a deep, meaningful way, is not shared with readers.
During the war, most roads in Liberia are impassable, there’s no electricity, no running water, and food availability is unreliable. The first war lasts from 1989 to 1997. As years pass, there isn’t fighting in the streets anymore, but President Charles Taylor has control of all the TV and radio stations. Gbowee gets involved in peacemaking organizations, but is getting really tired of the leadership she works with sitting by complacently because they don’t actually see fighting in the streets. Her kids are in Ghana with her sister where it is safer, but it’s causing a huge distance between her and her children, like she’s not their mother. A second round of war breaks out in 1999. It doesn’t end until 2003.
The Liberian civil war happened when we were all alive. 250,000 people were killed. Children were kidnapped and made into soldiers. You should not Google images of this war; they’re horrifying and gory. Charles Taylor was ousted in 2003, sent to trial in 2006, and was finally determined guilty in 2012. He was sentenced to 50 years in prison, but not before claiming that what he did was comparable to President George W. Bush’s actions during the War on Terror.
I did not finish this book. Gbowee worked more for peace, held sit-ins, and prayed. She only mentions the sex strike and says she doesn’t want to be asked about it all the time — though notice it’s in the title. She spends more time referencing organizations by their acronyms and less time getting into her emotions. It’s like reading a history book through one perspective. History needs a wide, unbiased lens. Memoir needs deep archaeological digs into one person’s psyche. For instance, after Gbowee tells readers that her parents’ history is important and then goes on to describe how they were raised, she needs to weave that information into the narrative, not make an assertion and leave the readers wondering why her parents’ history belonged in her memoir.
This review was originally published at Grab the Lapels.
flutey78's review against another edition
4.0
I felt it was very emotional and moving. The four stars is just because I had a hard time with the writing in a few places. Overall powerful story!
baileymichelle's review against another edition
4.0
This is a completely fascinating narrative of the Liberian Civil War that ended in 2003 - yes. I had no idea, and Gbowee actually won a Nobel Peace Prize in 2011 "for [her] non-violent struggle for the safety of women and for women's rights to full participation in peace-building work." This is a subject I knew nothing about, and I had no idea it was so recent.
The book itself is a little dry, and reads like Gbowee relating the story to Mithers. I'm sure this is what happened, but I've read narrated memoir before that felt more personal. It took me a while to read, and it was partially because of this. However, there are times when Gbowee's story is completely heartrending and emotional, as she talks about her family and her struggles with balancing her own life, especially with the undercurrent of alcoholism.
I really enjoyed this.
The book itself is a little dry, and reads like Gbowee relating the story to Mithers. I'm sure this is what happened, but I've read narrated memoir before that felt more personal. It took me a while to read, and it was partially because of this. However, there are times when Gbowee's story is completely heartrending and emotional, as she talks about her family and her struggles with balancing her own life, especially with the undercurrent of alcoholism.
I really enjoyed this.
mybookworldtour's review against another edition
3.0
'Mighty Be Our Powers' is the memoir of Nobel Peace Prize winner Leymah Gbowee, from Liberia. Gbowee won the Nobel Peace Prize alongside Ellen Johnson Sirleaf (Liberia) and Tawakkul Karman (Yemen) in 2011 for their "nonviolent struggle for the safety of women and women's rights to full participation in peacebuilding work." Gbowee led the 'Women of Liberia Mass Action for Peace,' a women's nonviolent peace movement that worked to end the Second Liberian Civil War in 2003. This is an inspiring story that should be known by more people!
annemariewellswriter's review against another edition
5.0
I loved learning about Leymah's life. I learned about her in college when I was in the Vagina Monologues and campaigning for VDay. I follow her on social media and she is such an inspiration. It was interesting to learn that even though she is so inspiring and she won a nobel peace prize that she not only struggled in her country because of civil war, but she struggled internally with failed marriages, illness, and alcoholism. I loved learning about the true breadth of her perseverance.
atlgoddess's review
5.0
This is one of the hardest books I've read, right up there with Elie Wiesel's Night. It is also one of the most important books I've ever read. We must never count anyone as down and out or useless. It is a story of personal empowerment leading to empowering a whole country of women and more.