Amazing book.

Very interesting history of politics in Liberia. Well written but not for the faint of heart. I could not finish it because of the horrific brutality. If you can work your way through this it is definitely an interesting worthwhile read.

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Amazing❤️❤️💕💕

I loved it and I want to say thank you for putting it on Audio🙏❤️

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An autobiography not a critical analysis

When I first started listening to the book, I was quite disappointed in how uncritical it is of the woman who became Mme President. It felt like propaganda. As I kept listening, I just adopted the attitude that the book was really just an autobiography--Mme President was clearly the primary source and it feels as if the book was written to get her approval. With this mindset, the book was far more interesting. It is not a critical look at the rise of this person but her story.

The reading was done by a Liberian which greatly added to the story.

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A must read!

This is an excellent biography in regards to the author, the audible performance and Madame President herself!
The Liberian culture, history, politics, the resiliency of women ..... too many points to list - just read this book. You're welcome.

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Helene Cooper's Madame President

Yay!!!! Madame President is done!!! My conclusion: This book was specifically to tell the Ellen Story-her struggle, successes and failures. Completely told through the eyes of herself and people who knew her best. It doesn't have a single objective or critical voice if that's what you're looking for. It serves the purpose of a story for Ellen and of Ellen. But overall it's a very good read.

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Amazing story

Interesting view from within. I know a young refuge, a middle aged refuge and now I feel like I have an older Liberian's perspective.
I loved the house on Sugar Beach so I bought this when I heard her on NPR. Baboon no credit monkey so ( my attempt at Liberian English). Thank you for sharing yourself with the world.

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Enlightening

As a public health professional, I was impressed how President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf handled the Ebola Crisis in Liberia (2013-2016). President Sirleaf has now launched a massive mental health program for the Ebola survivors. Liberia was just beginning to make some headway out of its horrible state when it was hit by the Ebola epidemic. I started looking for more information about her. I discovered she won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2011.

This book not only provides the biography of Sirleaf but also provides a brief overview history of Liberia. Cooper tells the early life of Sirleaf, her marriage at seventeen and birth of four boys quickly thereafter. Cooper covers the horrible Civil War (1989-2003) and the imprisonment of Sirleaf and her near brushes with death. Cooper covers the horrible violence and carnage of the Civil War so readers need to be prepared. Sirleaf worked for the Liberian Treasury Department and then went on to work at the World Bank. She became an expert in government debt. When she was elected to the presidency two years after the Civil War ended, the country was 4.7 billion dollars in foreign debt. Sirleaf used her knowledge and contacts to get this debt forgiven; otherwise, the country would not be able to survive. I was shocked to hear how predatory funds buy up poor countries’ debt and then charge enormous amounts of interest; the countries are then unable to ever get out of debt. Sirleaf was the first democratically elected women president in Africa. She is now the longest serving female president. She has brought peace to the war-torn country.

The book is well written and meticulously researched. The author tends to present Sirleaf in a favorable mode. Cooper does cover the mistakes made by Sirleaf and also covers the various charges of corruption in her government and how she tried to correct it. The author also indicated that Sirleaf gave back to her opponents in the manner she was treated. Her opponents called her a United States imperial puppet. Cooper reveals what horrible things the women of Liberia endured to obtain their freedom and basic human rights. Cooper covers the native cuisine and culture of Liberia. The language is a mixture of English and Creole with British and American slang tossed in.

The story of Helene Cooper is also interesting. Her family fled the Civil War in Liberia when she was thirteen and came to America. She was educated in the United States and worked as a reporter at the New York Times where she won the Pulitzer Prize for her coverage of the Ebola Epidemic in West Africa.

I read this as an audiobook downloaded from Audible. The book is about thirteen hours long. Marlene Cooper Vasilic does an excellent job narrating the book. Vasilic does a great job with the Liberian manner of speech and patois. This book works best as an audiobook because of the accents and patois.

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Inspirational and Interesting

Did not expect it to be such a ‘page-turner’ but it was riveting and I binge listened.

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Very well written a MUST read!

Very interesting history of the West African country Liberia. This book will have you looking up maps of the country and the people mentioned in the book.

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THE MOST INSPIRING BIOGRAPHYH

This is my 2nd time listening to the President Sirleaf biography. It is difficult to stop listening because the writer is so engaging with facts, the writing is better than watching a movie.
An inspiring biography…”Never Quit, Keep Pursuing Your Unheard of Dream”…one is never too old!

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