Mighty Be Our Powers

Book excerpt: As a young woman growing up in Africa, Leymah Gbowee was broken by a savage civil war that destroyed life as she knew it, depriving her of the education she yearned for and claiming the lives of relatives and friends. As war continued to ravage Liberia, Gbowee's bitterness turned to rage-fueled action as she realized it is women who are the silent sufferers in prolonged conflicts. Passionate and charismatic, Gbowee was instrumental in galvanizing women across Liberia in 2003 to force a peace in the region after 14 years of war. She began organizing Christian and Muslim women to demonstrate tog.