Set in Monrovia during the administration of Liberia's former president, Charles Taylor, this riveting debut is a story of recovery, atonement, and the continuing quest for peace and justice in a nation plagued by conflict and inequalities since its founding by free blacks and former American slaves. Life in war-torn Liberia is not easy, and it is especially challenging for Bendu Lewis, a young woman who counsels traumatized survivors of Liberia's civil war while struggling silently with memories of her own war-time experiences. When the warlord who once held her in captivity suddenly appears in town, she decides that for her own healing, and for the voiceless victims of the war, she must bring him to justice for his past atrocities. In her pursuit of Commander Cobra, Bendu finds much more than she bargained for, including the courage to finally confront and make amends for her own painful war-time secret. Written with compassion, honesty and clarity, Elma Shaw's Redemption Road helps us to finally begin to make sense of what has often been termed a 'senseless' war. Hers is a new but mature voice that shows remarkable insight into both the causes of Liberia's civil war, and the cure for healing the wounds and averting further conflict.

Redemption Road: The Quest for Peace and Justice in Liberia (A Novel)

History

Elma Shaw

Africa

Cotton Tree Press

Set in Monrovia during the administration of Liberia's former president, Charles Taylor, this riveting debut is a story of recovery, atonement, and the continuing quest for peace and justice in a nation plagued by conflict and inequalities since its founding by freed American slaves. Life in post-war Liberia is not easy, and it is especially challenging for Bendu Lewis, a young woman who counsels traumatized survivors of Liberia's civil war while struggling with memories of her own war-time experiences. When the warlord who once held her in captivity suddenly shows up in town, she decides that for her own healing, and for the voiceless victims of the war, she must bring him to justice for his past atrocities. In her pursuit of Commander Cobra, Bendu finds much more than she bargained for, including the courage to finally confront and make amends for her own painful war-time secret.

Redemption Road

Literature & Fiction

Literary

Set in the mid-1960s, Birds Are Singing is the story of an ambitious native Liberian caught in the webs of conservative tribal and “civilized” societies that deny him the freedom to live according to his own plans. Korli, as he is known, wants more than just to earn a living, raise a family, and die of old age. He refuses to join any secret society besides the Poro, and he rejects an arranged marriage. Korli’s father, Nuulaa, resents his disdain for the conventions, and doesn’t hesitate to try to sacrifice him to win a chieftaincy election. Korli shoots his disguised attacker and flees to the so-called civilized society when he discovers that he has killed his own father. Can a country man make it in Liberia? This is the question Korli wrestles with during his long and eventful journey from village life in Fuama Chiefdom to the capital city, Monrovia. Wilton Sankawulo’s last novel, published posthumously, is a magnificent story that brilliantly portrays a nation torn apart by tribalism and tyranny, while offering possible remedies for greater equality and justice.

Birds Are Singing

Annaird Naxela Wilton Sankawulo

Konkai Stevens was a quiet ten-year-old when he was molested at school by an older male student. The pain of the experience devastated him emotionally and was the beginning of his confusion about his sexuality. Konkai ultimately embraced a homosexual lifestyle, and, because he took no precautions, eventually contracted HIV and died of AIDS in Boston, USA, at the age of 32. This memoir, written by his sister, is a narrative of the dynamics between Konkai and his family as they dealt with his sexual orientation and his illness while their country, Liberia, was being destroyed by a brutal civil war. Told with intimate detail, Konkai is a tragic story of searching for one’s place in life, of longing for love and acceptance, and of preparing to let go.

Konkai: Living Between Two Worlds (a Memoir)

Biographies & Memoirs

Stone, Mardia

Memoirs

Can a country man make it in Liberia?\nThis is the question Korli wrestles with during his long, eventful journey from village life to the capital city, where kwii men seem to have all the power. Will he be able to escape the webs of tribal and “civilized” societies that both deny him freedom to live up to his ambitions?\nSet in the mid-1960s, Birds Are Singing gives us a glimpse into rituals of secret societies and traditions from rural Liberia, and into the nature of unscrupulous folk that rule in the city. Korli’s (mis)adventures in both arenas reveal the social, cultural, and political factors that have long inhibited development and unity. Through all the temptations, will he stay true to himself and to his wife, Leanya? Will he ever be accepted for his talents and respected for his vision? Can a man like Korli make it in Liberia?

Sankawulo, Wilton

Genre Fiction

Monrovia Rain and Other Stories Lost and Found offers moving perspectives on day-to-day life in the throes, and in the aftermath, of the civil war that affected every Liberian in some way. The authors portray tension within families, the hustle out on the streets, the plight of street children, the exploitation of young women, and the continuous search for answers and closure. This short but powerful collection, along with the authors' reflections on their stories, will help you understand the people who lived through the conflict just a little bit more.

Monrovia Rain and Other Stories Lost and Found

Sherif, Vamba

Voahn, Augustus

Russell, Gii-Hne

Roberts, M. Woryonwon

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Books by Cotton Tree Press

See the best price to sell, buy or rent books by the Cotton Tree Press publisher. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

Redemption Road: The Quest for Peace and Justice in Liberia (A Novel)

Redemption Road

Birds Are Singing

Konkai: Living Between Two Worlds (a Memoir)

Birds Are Singing

Monrovia Rain and Other Stories Lost and Found