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.