Sweet Liberia by Susan Peters

Sweet Liberia, Lessons from the Coal Pot, the debut memoir of Susan Peters

In the 1970’s when Black Pride was at its height, many African Americans embraced their roots in Mother Africa by changing their hairstyles, their names, their way of dressing but continued to live in the United States. Thousands more took their identification with Mother Africa a step further and amidst chants of America, love it or leave it- they left it! Many immigrated to welcoming countries in East and West Africa. Susan Peters was one of them.

Sweet Liberia, Lessons from the Coal Pot is a delightful, easy to read memoir that chronicles the wonderfully thick slice of humanity sandwiched between Liberia’s April 12, 1980 coup and the Civil War, in 1989. Set against the author’s personal growth, her cultural struggles and triumphs, this book is an informative, personally revealing, inspiring and often-comical account of her family’s 11-year journey immersed in the rich culture of Liberia, West Africa.

Susan vividly recalls “A sunny day… and watching a fragile looking woman carrying bags of coal on her head. Covered in filthy coal dust, her grimy skin glistened from moving coal all day in the blistering sun. She did not weigh more than 90 lbs, but through her muscular neck easily carried three times her weight. Her sweat, her filth, the weight of her load and her determination to bear it brought her to tears. “She was both pitiful and powerful; every woman reading knows exactly what I mean. It is women like her that globally continue to raise womanhood to higher heights each day as we carry our burdens in dignity, strength and sometimes in fear.”

Twenty years ago, she fled Liberia with her children. Leaving behind a war characterized as, “The bloodiest Civil War since the Biafran War in 1967.” Now, as Liberia stands on the precipice of regaining its place among the world’s civilized nations under the leadership of Africa’s first elected female president, Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, Susan feels passionately that it is time to talk about the wisdom, beauty and resiliency she witnessed during her eleven year sojourn. Simply put, the Universe is saying it‘s time!

Sweet Liberia, Lessons from the Coal Pot is a publication of Sunrise Consulting, ISBN 978-0-98271-250-4, and price is $14.95+ shipping and handling. For more information or to book Susan for speaking engagements please visit www.susandpeters.com and www.sweetliberia.com.

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