She would be king
Moore, Wayétu
Genre:
Wayétu Moore’s powerful debut novel
"She Would Be King
" reimagines the dramatic story of Liberia’s early years through three unforgettable characters who share an uncommon bond. Gbessa
exiled from the West African village of Lai
is starved
bitten by a viper
and left for dead
but still she survives. June Dey
raised on a plantation in Virginia
hides his unusual strength until a confrontation with the overseer forces him to flee. Norman Aragon
the child of a white British colonizer and a Maroon slave from Jamaica
can fade from sight when the earth calls him. When the three meet in the settlement of Monrovia
their gifts help them salvage the tense relationship between the African American settlers and the indigenous tribes
as a new nation forms around them. Moore’s intermingling of history and magical realism finds voice not just in these three characters but also in the fleeting spirit of the wind
who embodies an ancient wisdom. “If she was not a woman
” the wind says of Gbessa
“she would be king.” In this vibrant story of the African diaspora
Moore
a talented storyteller and a daring writer
illuminates with radiant and exacting prose the tumultuous roots of a country inextricably bound to the United States. "She Would Be King" is a novel of profound depth set against a vast canvas and a transcendent debut from a major new author.
Target Readership: