Mighty Be Our Powers: How Sisterhood, Prayer, and Sex Changed a Nation at War; a Memoir by Leymah Gbowee, with Carol Mithers; Unabridged MP3 Audio Book; Narrator Kimberly Scott

As a young woman growing up in Africa, seventeen-year-old Leymah Gbowee was crushed by a savage war when violence reached her native Monrovia, 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 that women bear the greatest burden in prolonged conflicts. Passionate and charismatic, Gbowee was instrumental in galvanizing hundreds, if not thousands, of women in Liberia in 2002 to force a peace in the region after fourteen years of war. She began organizing Christian and Muslim women to demonstrate together, founding Liberian Mass Action for Peace, launching protests and even a sex strike.

Gbowee’s memoir, Mighty Be Their Powers, chronicles the unthinkable violence she’s faced throughout her life and the peace she has helped broker by empowering hundreds of her countrywomen and others around the world to take action and takes listeners along on her continuing journey as she harnesses the power of women to bring her country peace, saves herself, and changes history.

“Leymah bore witness to the worst of humanity and helped bring Liberia out of the dark. Her memoir is a captivating narrative that will stand in history as testament to the power of women, faith, and the spirit of our great country.”—Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, President of Liberia

“One of the most inspirational and powerful books I’ve ever read. The story of one woman’s struggle against the worst and what she can teach all of us about finding the courage and strength to change the world.”—Sheryl Sandberg, COO Facebook

“With commanding charity, Gbowee celebrates Liberia’s eight years of peace and continues teaching young women about the power of activism. A patriotic chronicle reverberant with valor and perseverance.”—Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

“A beautifully written narrative.”—Michelle Bachelet, Under-Secretary General and Executive Director of UN Women

Mighty Be Our Powers reminds us that even in the worst of times, humanity’s best can shine through.”—Archbishop Desmond Tutu, Nobel Peace Prize Laureate, 1984

“An engrossing, fluently written story that anyone who cares about changing the world has to read.”—Reverend Dr. Calvin O. Butts, III Pastor, the Abyssinian Baptist Church in the City of New York

Leymah Gbowee, a Liberian peace and women’s rights activist, is The Daily Beast’s Africa columnist. As war ravaged Liberia, Gbowee organized Christian and Muslim women to demonstrate together, founding Liberian Mass Action for Peace and launching protests and a sex strike. Her part in helping to oust Charles Taylor was featured in the documentary Pray the Devil Back to Hell. She is a single mother of six, including one adopted daughter, and is based in Accra, Ghana, where she is the executive director of the Women, Peace, and Security Network–Africa. She has spoken publicly numerous times on the issue of women in conflict situations and was a panelist at several regional and international conferences. In October 2007, the Women’s Leadership Board at Harvard University’s John F. Kennedy School of Government honored her with the Blue Ribbon Peace Award. This annual award is given to individuals and organizations that have made a significant contribution to peace building through innovative strategies that promote women’s leadership in peace processes on the local, national, or international level.