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Agnes Kamara-Umunna
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And Still Peace Did Not Come: A Memoir of Reconciliation Kindle Edition

by Agnes Kamara-Umunna (Author), Emily Holland (Author) Format: Kindle Edition
4.5 4.5 out of 5 stars 47 ratings
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When bullets hit Agnes Kamara-Umunna's home in Monrovia, Liberia, she and her father hastily piled whatever they could carry into their car and drove toward the border, along with thousands of others. An army of children was approaching, under the leadership of Charles Taylor. It seemed like the end of the world.

Slowly, they made their way to the safety of Sierra Leone. They were the lucky ones.

After years of exile, with the fighting seemingly over, Agnes returned to Liberia--a country now devastated by years of civil war. Families have been torn apart, villages destroyed, and it seems as though no one has been spared. Reeling, and unsure of what to do in this place so different from the home of her memories, Agnes accepted a job at the local UN-run radio station. Their mission is peace and their method is reconciliation through understanding and communication. Soon, she came up with a daring plan: Find the former child soldiers, and record their stories. And so Agnes, then a 43-year-old single mother of four, headed out to the ghettos of Monrovia and befriended them, drinking Club Beer and smoking Dunhill cigarettes with them, earning their trust. One by one, they spoke on her program, Straight from the Heart, and slowly, it seemed like reconciliation and forgiveness might be possible.

From Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf, Africa's first female president, to Butt Naked, a warlord whose horrific story is as unforgettable as his nickname--everyone has a story to tell. Victims and perpetrators. Boys and girls, mothers and fathers. Agnes comforts rape survivors, elicits testimonials from warlords, and is targeted with death threats--all live on the air.

Set in a place where monkeys, not raccoons, are the scourge of homeowners; the trees have roots like elephant legs; and peacebuilding is happening from the ground-up. Harrowing, bleak, hopeful, humorous, and deeply moving--And Still Peace Did Not Come is not only Agnes's memoir: It is also her testimony to a nation's descent into the horrors of civil war, and its subsequent rise out of the ashes.
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  1. Print length
    320 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Sticky notes
    On Kindle Scribe
  4. Publisher
    Hachette Books
  5. Publication date
    March 22, 2011
  6. File size
    1131 KB
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Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Agnes Kamara-Umunna was born in Liberia, where she hosted the radio program Straight From the Heart and is a statement taker for the Liberia Truth & Reconciliation Commission. She lives in New York with her three children.

Emily Holland is an in-house producer and reporter for the International Rescue Committee (IRC), has contributed to Jane Magazine, the Princeton Alumni Weekly, and writes a "Dispatches from a Humanitarian Journalist" column for Dave Eggers's online publication McSweeney's Internet Tendency.

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B004Q9TYWG
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Hachette Books (March 22, 2011)
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ March 22, 2011
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 1131 KB
  • Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Sticky notes ‏ : ‎ On Kindle Scribe
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 320 pages
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.5 4.5 out of 5 stars 47 ratings

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Agnes Kamara-Umunna

Agnes Kamara-Umunna

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4.5 out of 5 stars
4.5 out of 5
47 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

Jim Patton
5.0 out of 5 stars my imagination would never have been so aware of the haunting truths that are yet being still exposed.
Reviewed in the United States on March 9, 2012
Verified Purchase
In the early morning hours today, I finished reading Agnes' memoir And Still Peace Did Not Come.

Your efforts in bringing this story to light are worthwhile. The appreciation I have for you reading my words is nearly as much as I have for my being able to have such a story be put in to words of understanding.

Its creation is a touching and brilliant collection that's taken me in to a world outside of my own experiences. It communicates that which, in the relative stable communities I've lived, most would find what's happened hard to find an attachment of sentiment.

If not for reading the story, my imagination would never have been so aware of the haunting truths that are yet being still exposed. Every minute of every day, the ones who have been there will most likely not be able to escape the nightmares which reach in to their memories and re-open the scars on the wounded emotions of their lives.

I'd often wondered what had occurred in Liberia. The pictures I now have are vivid. Each one, in mind, has a clearly inscribed thought attached: There are lines and lines attesting to the horror. The depictions of humanistic cruelty are sobering views. That realism, unknown to so many, I hope will never befall upon any I love, know, or am even remotely acquainted with. Such monstrous devastations I could wish upon no people!

In reading And Still Peace Did Not Come, the spirit in my heart felt a sorrowfulness for those who've suffered through that part of Liberian history which was shown to me. However, in coming to feel the sorrow, my mind strengthened against an acceptance of such horridness. I do accept that there should not be such pains inflicted upon any people.

Yes, it's been said that war is hell but this story gives details to fiends that have created a devilish domain that has far exceeded the definitions once thought to be sufficient for an explanation of dire situations.... this new-hell is a current creation that none should condone or even consider as a no comment occurrence.

In closing, thank you. The book cry's out for a hope. The tears I do see, the pain I do feel, and most of all I believe that others will see and feel the same hope too.

Sincerely,
Jim Patton
Ventura County California
mailjp@roadrunner.com
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Ichi Vazquez
5.0 out of 5 stars And Still Peace Did Not Come: A great book
Reviewed in the United States on September 12, 2011
Verified Purchase
As someone who knew little to nothing about Liberia before traveling there over the summer for the first time, "And Still Peace Did Not Come" was one of the more engaging reads of the year for me, and provided a valuable window of insight and memories from Liberia's war-torn past.

It was an extremely easy and fast read, and the writing was uncomplicated and straight to the point; I found that the stories in this book were powerful enough on their own that this approach worked very well.

Agnes' tale of taking steps to encourage reconciliation between Liberia's ex-child soldiers and civilian victims of two gruesome civil wars is extremely courageous and admirable. Agnes laid the foundation for integration for many of these soldiers, and their stories show us that when it comes to war - whether one is the perpetrator or the victim - no one is left unscathed, and often the line that separate the two is blurry.

I also found that this book truly highlighted the strength and resilience of the Liberian people, and put the country's current path to recovery, with all its obstacles, into sharper context.

Thank you Agnes and Emily, for the great read. I highly recommend this book to anyone who is interested in going to Liberia or learning more about the country, as well as understanding the severe physical and psychological consequences of war and its effect on the children, young men and women caught it in.
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Lisbeth
4.0 out of 5 stars Interesting Premise
Reviewed in the United States on October 14, 2013
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This book takes an interesting perspective on the horrific civil war in Liberia and surrounding locales. The author hosted a radio show, giving those who had committed atrocities to try and relieve themselves a little of the burden of guilt they carry. Emphasis was placed on child soldiers who were definitely the hapless, helpless victims of the likes of Charles Taylor and his ilk. I finished this book with a clearer understanding ....if you want to get together a quick army to carry out nefarious acts, nothing works better than a band of frightened, traumatized children. Very disturbing. The author shed little light on her own life as far as her own children were concerned, which was sort of odd.
One person found this helpful
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pclarke
5.0 out of 5 stars One of the most important books to come out of Africa
Reviewed in the United States on April 19, 2011
Verified Purchase
Gloria Steinem is right. This book is a gift. Many words have been written about this war by western correspondents, including me, and Liberians who were out of the country for most of it. Few of us have succeeded in explaining the suffering of the Liberian people from their perspective. The result is that readers are given the impression there is something different about Africans. That it's okay to do nothing because they're better able to endure these horrors than we are.

In this deeply compassionate book Agnes and Emily show us that Africans feel every bit the way we do; that their suffering is every bit as bad as ours would be in the same situation. And there is no excuse for rich countries to continue allowing soulless warlords to play puppetmaster with Africa's impoverished children. I hope those business and political leaders who've chosen not to do their part to stop the fighting in the Congo read this book.

Thank you Agnes and Emily and Hyperion for being brave enough to publish these stories.

Prue Clarke
Visiting Associate Professor
City University of New York
& Executive Director, New Narratives - Women Reporting Africa
[…]
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