| Blue Clay People: Seasons on Africa's Fragile Edge |  | Authors: William Powers, William D. Powers
Publisher: Bloomsbury USA
Category: Book
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Rating:  18 reviews
Sales Rank: 137,929
Media: Paperback
Pages: 304
Number Of Items: 1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.6
Dimensions (in): 8.2 x 5.5 x 1
ISBN: 1582346445
Dewey Decimal Number: 306.096662
EAN: 9781582346441
ASIN: 1582346445
Publication Date: May 16, 2006
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| | ISBN13: 9781582346441 | | | Condition: NEW | | | Notes: Brand New from Publisher. No Remainder Mark. |
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Product Description
“A haunting account of one man’s determination and the struggles of a people living in a deeply troubled country.”—Booklist
When William Powers went to Liberia as a fresh-faced aid worker in 1999, he was given the mandate to “fight poverty and save the rainforest.” It wasn’t long before Powers saw how many obstacles lay in the way, discovering first-hand how Liberia has become a “black hole in the international system”—poor, environmentally looted, scarred by violence, and barely governed. Blue Clay People is an absorbing blend of humor, compassion, and rigorous moral questioning, arguing convincingly that the fate of endangered places such as Liberia must matter to all of us.
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Showing reviews 1-5 of 18
 Honest, thoughtful, and inspiring coming-of-age memoir from an aid worker in Liberia October 8, 2005
Magic Man (Brigadoon)
14 out of 14 found this review helpful
In this memoir, William Powers tells of his two years (1999-2001) working for a major aid organization in Liberia. There, his mandate was to promote both environmental conservation and poverty alleviation. While his memoir gives some fascinating insights into the NGO world and sketches of life in Liberia (including the unscrupulous dealings of multinational timber companies), this is ultimately a story of personal development.
A strength of Powers's story is that he is straightforward. Many memoirs seem intent on justifying the author's intent or actions. (An annoying example of that is the still-worthwhile The Economist's Tale, by Peter Griffiths, about economic advising in Sierra Leone.) Here, Powers willingly presents aspects of his story that some might consider inappropriate or at least in need of justification (such as taking a Liberian girlfriend with no long-term intentions or getting involved with environmental activists) and lets the reader judge.
He is also honest about difficult questions he faces. He arrives in Liberia and then leaves Liberia still struggling to find the balance between eliminating dependency and showing compassion. And although he struggles, we see genuine growth over the course of the two years. Upon arrival, he wrings his hands over Liberian dependency on aid to the point of being annoying. (Quite annoying.) But by the end of his stay, he has made serious headway in encouraging self-sufficiency (at least in certain communities) by supplementing local knowledge with Western technical insights.
One drawback is that we learn relatively little about the actual work he does. He gives us glimpses here and there, but since most of the book is his personal journey, we know only fragments of his experience learning to work with and learn from local leaders. He does introduce us to some fascinating colleagues: a wise conservationist and refugee camp worker named Gabriel, a jaded long-term aid worker named The Jacket, and a working Liberian single mother who cares about both providing for her family and improving her country.
Ultimately, this isn't a book about development, but about Westerners trying to do development. That said, many Westerners (myself included) try to do or at least understand development, and for us, Powers's journey is instructive.
For a book on a related theme, read Robert Klitgaard's excellent Tropical Gangsters, in which he recounts his work as an economic consultant in Equatorial Guinea. Klitgaard is weathered in his work and thus presents less of a personal journey and more of a clear picture of government functioning and both efforts and challenges to improving people's lives through official channels. Another enjoyable aid memoir (and this is one is very short), much less in depth than Powers' or Klitgaard's (but a wonderful read), is Dear Exile, by Liftin and Montgomery, which recounts Montgomery's experience in the Peace Corps in Kenya.
 It can be fine-o! February 21, 2005
Old Man of Liberia (USA)
10 out of 10 found this review helpful
Having lived in Liberia for 2 years in the early 70's, this book was very personal to me. I thought Powers did a wonderful job capturing many aspects of life in this nation that has been ruined by corrupt leadership for so long. As the Liberians say, the powers above "ate" all the money, leaving the wonderful everyday people impoverished. These people have never given up, and they deserve for their hopes and dreams to be answered in this upcoming election. They continue to "try-small", which is amazing considering all that they have been through. Thank you Mr. Powers for your wonderful details and insights on life in Liberia at the turn of the Century!
Highly Recommended February 14, 2005
Bonnie (CA USA)
8 out of 8 found this review helpful
Powers' heartfelt memoir of his experience working as a humanitarian aid worker in Liberia is truly a great work. He vividly recounts the cultural and political atmosphere of the time with compassionate prose. The novel illustrates the hardships for Liberians while at the same time helps the reader to understand the coping mechanisms of people in a war torn country. Powers provokes readers to understand the complicated nature of both African politics and the involvement of the international community in African affairs. The medium of memoir allows the reader to be drawn into the history of Liberia through a personal perspective. Powers' work is certainly the most accessible and memorable reading on Liberian trials and tribulations and the intricate relationships that develop between people during atrocity.
Best of American Spirit January 30, 2005
Foreign Intrigue (Washington, D.C.)
13 out of 15 found this review helpful
I'm a jaded, news reporter, but Mr. Powers book about one of Africa's "hopeless basket cases" had me laughing aloud. The author deftly weaves his own life stories into a memoir of his days as the head of the Catholic Relief Services in turn-of-the-millennium Monrovia, Liberia. As he lands in the country, Powers is taken aback and notably disturbed by his own new role in a strange re-make of American Antebellum Southern living. Some of the language of the English-speaking Liberians is telling and comic. They keep approaching Powers asking for their "weekend" -- shorthand for "fun money" and just enough to make ends meet for their extended families. Invariably, Liberians in the street also refer to the author as "bossman," a funny and utterly ridiculous misnomer for an aid worker trying to get society back on its feet. The book tells us a lot about human nature in a bizarre setting and Powers' humble sprinkling of references to Graham Greene and other great writers concerned with the human spirit suggests that his own reading background is strong in this realm. The author takes on crucial issues that will interest both environmentalists and political scientists. Liberia happens to have a jungle with more diversity in its mammalian population (many monkeys) than any other locale on the globe. As an admitted ignoramus in bio-diversity, I would say that the world needs to start paying more attention -- as Powers would have us do -- to our relatives in the rain forests. Powers does flirt with "going native" and gets upset when fellow aid workers warn him of the dangers. He dumps his blonde beauty in America for a braided, barefoot bombshell in Liberia who trims his toenails with her teeth. (I could have done without the detail!) In the end, Powers' pragmatism and missionary spirit (he is only vaguely religious, but very spiritual)wins out and the girl is left in Liberia to do her good works as the author moves onto Bolivia. (Far more "civilized," we hope.) Through it all, however, Powers does not lose his classic American idealism, a spirit one runs into these days in the "Peace Corps" and very few other American institutions working abroad. Young men like Powers represent America's best foot forward in an increasingly hostile and unpredictable world. Let's hope that the author's powerful memoir isn't just a cry in the darkest jungles of the darkest continent on earth.
Consuming! December 27, 2005
Rachel Musgrove
7 out of 8 found this review helpful
I found myself hiding away to read this book from cover to cover.
William Powers writes like a white guy in a Liberian culture - out of his element. Which I loved! There's no faking how he felt or what he went through. The process that he went through as an aid worker in a war torn country was very honest, relevant, and real. If you're hoping for dry journalism, don't look here. This book is an intimant and colorful read.
I learned first hand what it might be like for me to be in Liberia, what I would see from my own US eyes. I learned about the cultures in Liberia, both the white and the black. I learned that this man can write. I bought the book for three people for Christmas and am looking forward to his next book. Five stars!
Showing reviews 1-5 of 18
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