Blue Clay People [Paperback]

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.

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!

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.

› Go to Amazon.com to see all 21 reviews  4.3 out of 5 stars