Liberian Author Travels With Her People Down Redemption Road

Interview by Awo Sarpong Ansu | September 11, 2008 | Leave a Comment

Not many first novels feature a foreword by the President of the author’s country. But Liberian author Elma Shaw’s Redemption Road: the Quest for Peace and Justice in Liberia, opens with a Foreword by Liberian President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf. An endorsement of such gravitas puts a lot of pressure on a book to be good, and Redemption Road more than meets the challenge. Redemption Road is the recounting of Liberia’s process of healing from the wounds of its civil war and the efforts of the nation and its people to rebuild themselves individually and collectively. Through the eyes of fictional characters who speak the truth of what Liberians experienced during the war and its aftermath, Ms. Shaw shows that she truly understands the restorative power of words. Ms. Shaw spoke to Jamati and other attendees of her book discussion at the Culture Shop in Washington, D.C. about her inspiration and hopes for Redemption Road.