Blue Clay People: Two Years In Liberia
By William D. Powers
Bloomsbury (ISBN: 1582345325)

A moving story of a young man’s sojourn in a world of immeasurable poverty and instability: Charles Taylor’s Liberia. William  Powers went to Liberia in 1999, with the goal of fighting poverty and saving the rainforest, but he soon encountered a number  of obstacles to those dreams. He discovers how Liberia has become a Fourth World country, or a “black hole in the  international system”-poor, environmentally looted, scarred by violence, and barely governed. He comes face-to-face with unspeakable horrors and the insidious corruption behind every daily transaction. Yet, against the odds (and the attitude of  most aid workers), he finds his place in Liberia and persists in his efforts and his hopes for change. He asks difficult  questions about whether western aid work does good, or inadvertent harm? In the end, he decides, it may not be possible to  change the world, but we must continue to act as if we can. His memoir convinces us that the fate of places like Liberia must  matter to all of us.

Three Novels on the Creative Clash of Culture in Liberia
If you are looking for some interesting reading on Liberia, take a look at three fascinating novels by John Gay, which tell the story of twins Koli and Sumo, from their birth in rural Liberia in 1931 to 1995 when the civil war forces the family to become refugees in neighboring Ivory Coast.

• Red Dust on the Green Leaves, (written in 1970)

• The Brightening Shadow (written in the late 1970s)

• Long Day's Anger (written in 2003)

All three books are published by New World African Press, 1958 Matador Way, Unit #35, Northridge CA 91330. www.newworldafricanpress.com All profits from the three novels will go to Cuttington University College and Phebe Hospital in Bong County, Liberia. John and Judy Gay served as Episcopal missionaries in Liberia at Cuttington University College from 1958-74, and have visited again more recently. John will be in Liberia this fall, teaching and helping set up a research program at Cuttington. He will of course be visiting Phebe at the time, and hopes "to find both the college and the hospital getting back to full strength!"

Liberian Women Peacemakers:
Fighting for the Right to Be Seen, Heard, and Counted Africa World
Press (March 1, 2004) $19.95

This powerful and moving account of the work of Liberian women in trying to bring about peace during Liberia's protracted civil war is a testimony to their great determination and courage. Liberian Women Peacemakers is both a fascinating history of Liberian women's struggle to influence their country's future and a case study of the critical role women can play in conflict resolution and peace-building worldwide. The African Women and Peace Support Group was formed in 1997 to work with African women to document their efforts and increase recognition of their peace initiatives especially among policymakers in various contexts and at all levels. This is the group’s first publication. You can order this book online at www.amazon.com