Mighty be our powers

Mighty Be Our Powers is an inspirational memoir of what women can achieve when we come together with determination and purpose. It is also a saddening, personal tale of how difficult it can be to break free of an abusive relationship. As a child, Leymah Gbowee had a wonderfully promising future, however the trauma of living through a vicious war left her in a very different situation and with none of her former vivacity and confidence.

In this memoir, Gbowee is candidly honest about herself, her family and her country, detailing what led her to make certain life-changing decisions and talking about the women who both helped and hindered her. There is a lot that I found quite disturbing to read and Mighty Be Our Powers may be triggering for some readers because of its themes of war violence and domestic abuse. However, because the book is written from a place of personal strength, there is always a sense hope, sometimes very weak, but always present.

Gbowee explains the Liberian political situation well, despite its shifting complexities as the war drags on, year after year. I also got a clear impression of the sheer desperation that forced first a small group, then more and more women, to take matters into their own hands, standing silently with handmade placards protesting the violence surrounding them. I was particularly struck though by attitudes towards these courageous women, especially when Gbowee is discussing, after the war, trying to find images of their protests. Foreign journalists had thousands of images of men with guns, but despite the impact the women in white had, they were mostly ignored other than a brief flurry of interest in the 'sex strike', a minor part of their long campaign. It's frustrating how a women's action that didn't fit the pre-determined narrative of women during wartime - protesting rather than fleeing - was effectively ignored by the wider world.

Gbowee is certainly a charismatic woman and I appreciated this opportunity to learn about her life, particularly the way in which she generously shares the credit for what she achieved with the women who helped her do so. I could understand her determination, but also felt her pain at having to leave her children in her sister's care in order that they might have a safe country to grow up in. Gbowee explores a number of interconnected issues that she faced as a result of her varied roles being a working woman, a wife and mistress, a daughter, sister and mother. I think that, overall, Mighty Be Our Powers is very much a memoir for women, but it also gives a distinct perspective on war and post-war trauma that would be valuable for everyone.

"In a time of death and terror, Leymah Gbowee brought Liberia's women together--and together they led a nation to peace. As a young woman, Gbowee was broken by the Liberian civil war, a brutal conflict that tore apart her life and claimed the lives of countless relatives and friends. As a young mother trapped in a nightmare of domestic abuse, she found the courage to turn her bitterness into action, propelled by her realization that it is women who suffer most during conflicts--and that the power of women working together can create an unstoppable force. In 2003, the passionate and charismatic Gbowee helped organize and then led the Liberian Mass Action for Peace, a coalition of Christian and Muslim women who sat in public protest, confronting Liberia's ruthless president and rebel warlords, and even held a sex strike. With an army of women, Gbowee helped lead her nation to peace."





War came over Liberia in waves. First Charles Taylor took power and then a group of rebels fought him. Each group terrorized the citizens. The soldiers were boys with guns who were told to take what they needed as they moved through the country. They murdered and stole and raped their way across the country.

Leymah Gbowee had just graduated from high school when the fighting started. She had a bright future ahead of her and it all collapsed. Suddenly, getting food and water and a safe place to sleep was the only priorities. She went from being an aspiring doctor to being a mother of four children trapped in an abusive relationship in a few years. She got a job working with trauma counselors during a time of relative peace. She loved the work and was able to move into working with women who were the most impacted by the fighting.

When the war started again she mobilized the women in the capital and in the refugee camps to stage sit ins to protest for peace. She claims that her story shows how God worked in Liberia through the women's prayer. I say that it shows the exact opposite. The mass protests (and prayers) were not effective until they were paired with direct political action. They would protest for weeks and then she'd get mad because nothing was happening. At this point they would get in the faces of the men who were obstructing the peace and cause change to happen.

To give all the credit for this to God erases the power and bravery of the women who stepped up and said, "Enough!"

This isn't a fairy tale about bringing peace.  Their world was cruel and heartbreaking.  Leymah sacrificed her family over and over.  She is open about drinking to cope with what her life had become.  This book was published in 2011 just before she was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for her work.

A documentary about her work called Pray the Devil Back To Hell was made.  You can watch it for free on Amazon. It puts faces to the women who she writes about.

I'd recommend this for anyone who loves women's history and the power of women to demand change in the world.This review was originally posted on Based On A True Story