Mighty Be Our Powers

As a young woman growing up in Africa, Leymah Gbowee was crushed by a savage war when violence reached her native Monrovia, depriving her of the education she desired and claiming the lives of relatives and friends. As war ravaged Liberia, Gbowee’s bitterness turned to rage-fueled action as she realized women bear the greatest burden in prolonged conflicts. Passionate and charismatic, she was instrumental in galvanizing hundreds, if not thousands, of women in Liberia in 2003 to force peace in the region after fourteen years of war. She organized Christian and Muslim women to demonstrate together, founding Liberian Mass Action for Peace and launching protests and a sex strike. Gbowee’s memoir chronicles the unthinkable violence she’s faced and the peace she’s helped to broker and takes us on her continuing journey as she harnesses the power of women to bring peace.