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A review by crystalisreading
Mighty Be Our Powers: How Sisterhood, Prayer, and Sex Changed a Nation at War by Leymah Gbowee
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.)