She Would Be King: A Novel

Written by Wayétu Moore

Narrated by Wayétu Moore

Sarah Jessica Parker and the American Library Association Book Club Central Official Selection

A novel of exhilarating range, magical realism, and history―a dazzling retelling of Liberia’s formation

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.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Brilliance Audio
• Release date: Sep 11, 2018
• ISBN: 9781978621664

Wayétu Moore

Wayétu Moore is the founder of One Moore Book, an advocacy organization which encourages reading among children of countries with low literacy rates. She is a graduate of Howard University, Columbia University and the University of Southern California. Her debut novel, She Would Be King, described as "a modern epic", has been translated into multiple languages, and is also published by ONE. She lives in New York.

[scott best · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

This’s book had a fantastic writing style and creative concept. The characters were fantastic. I liked how the author delved into a historical setting seldom talked about. However the story was a little scattered and at times it can even seem their is no point to certain details. I feel it could have been a little longer and had more of a conclusion. Overall I really connected with this book and if your looking for a good book set in Africa I would highly recommend.

[Carine Normil · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Good storytelling, even though it took a while to get to know the three main characters, I enjoyed listening to the story.

[Busola · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I loved the book! The intersection of the stories were done seamlessly. Although I was a bit disappointed in the ending. I wanted to know what happened! How things ended! Who finally won

[Mariah-Rose Marie M · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

just incredible. made me weep. captured the spirit of the diaspora, the spirit of our people. and to be read to by the author herself was an incredible experience, her voice is lovely. 10/10

[Laura · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I honestly can't believe this is a debut novel, it was lyrical and beautiful

[Melissa Petersen · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Beautifully written and brilliantly read out by the author. I highly suggest listening to this book rather than reading it since the author does a brilliant job of breathing life into the story. What a beautiful experience this book has been. "
Fengbe, ke kamba beh, Fengbe kemu beh (We have nothing but we have God, we have nothing but we have each other. )

" There you are my darling, there you are my friend. "

[Belle Anjangha · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Captivating! A story of resilience in a multi-colored World. Enjoy

[Hannah Burns · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

A fascinating retelling of the history of Liberia, read with a beautiful warmth by the author. We are taken from an indigenous West African village to a slavery plantation in Virginia and then to Jamaica just after the Maroon wars. I found the first half to be fantastic. So much wrong has been done, so many lives stolen, so much suffering, cruelty and grief. The author manages to capture all of this along with the hope, love and humanity that still resides in these damaged but beautiful characters. The second half was less emotional as it became more plot driven and fantastical; which for me was not as quite as good.

[lew · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Historical fiction at it’s finest, I found it fascinating and educational:)!

[Apparittia Matthews · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

The reader (and author) brought all the different voices and accents alive. Wove together lives that I could not have imagined coming together

[rumbinakah · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This book was such a surprise, so many unexpected twists that finally came together in such a extraordinary way . The writer drew me In immediately and I can’t wait to continue this story .

[Christine · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

An experience. A beautifully-crafted and graciously-narrated experience. I loved it. Hats off to Wayetu Moore for both writing this book and delivering its audio format so vividly. She took me away. 4 stars, but adding the 5th to get more people to read it. It's truly wonderful.

[Oladeji Slitz · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This book wrapped me around its fingers and didn't let me go until the end. I wish this story were real.

[Charlene · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This is a beautiful emotional book that writes about a devastating period in history with care and hope.

[Lucia Garcia · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I really enjoyed this story. I learned a lot about Liberia and a bit of its history.
It is heartbreaking at times but it is full of strong characters and that ending... absolutely loved it.
Gbessa was truly my favourite int he whole story. She seem so vulnerable yet strong, full of love, yet no one to give it to. In the end she is truly majestic.

[Lindsey Rose · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Absolutely gorgeous story that pulls you in and never lets go.

[Erin Osadjan · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

the first half of the book is a bit confusing as it’s never quite clear who the narrator is until the end of the book. however, the story and characters were beautifully written. i absolutely recommend this to anyone.

[othemts · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

This fictional origin story for the nation of Liberia brings together three characters with unique talents. Gbessa, born with red hair in the West African village of Lai, is considered to be cursed and ostracized.  June Dey is born into slavery in Virginia under miraculous circumstances and develops superhuman strength.  Norman Aragon is the child of an enslaved woman and a white British slaveholder who gains an ability to fade from sight.  All three end up in Monrovia, the capital of Liberia founded by the American Colonization Society to resettle freed Black people.  The summary makes it sound like a comic book superhero team, but the book is more nuanced than that.  The book works well as an examination of the ongoing trauma of slavery, Liberia's intricate ties with the United States, and the interaction of the American Blacks with the indigenous people of that part of Africa.

[eas7788 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Great premise and intriguing characters. The writing was a little weak in some places. It illuminated some history I did not know anything about. The slipstream nature worked -- the combination of realism and fantasy was well done and appropriate.

[brontella · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

stunning. use of third person and the wind as narrator allows the story to open up wide.

[riofriotex · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

This is a blend of historical fiction and magical realism purporting to tell of the founding of the African country of Liberia. Gbessa is a native woman with red hair who is considered a witch, June Dey is an escaped American slave with a body inpenatrable by bullets, and Norman Aragon is the son of a white scientist and a Jamaican maroon (an African who has escaped slavery there) who has the ability to disappear. This was just too weird a book for me, although I did finish it.

[maryreinert · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This was a start but was well worth the effort to finish it. Beginning in the bush country in a place in Africa that would become Liberia, Gbessa is born with a curse. She is isolated from her people and eventually sent away. She is bitten by a poisonous snake but does not die. The beginning chapter is hard to read mainly due to the strange syntax of sentences and just never sure what is real and what is not.

The second part is the story of a baby boy born on the Emerson plantation in Virginia. His mother named him "June" because that's when she first felt him move in her and Dey after his father. She did not want her child named Emerson. The mother dies, June is known as Moses and develops an amazing strength. As a grown man, June escapes the plantation and eventually finds himself on a ship returning to Africa. The American Colonization Society is setting up a country for returned slaves.

In Jamaica, a baby is born to a white man and a maroon mother. (Africans who had escaped slavery and established their own communities). Norman Aragon develops the ability to become invisible as his mother does. His mother teaches him about the earth, herbs, etc. and after the death of both the father and mother, Norman wants to return to the land of his mother's birth, Africa.

In Africa, the three meet and each becomes aware of the others' skills. Gbessa takes most of the story as she becomes a maid in the household of free blacks in Monrovia. These blacks, who were once slaves, have become the leaders of the community and developed a very rigid social ladder looking down on the indigenous peoples. Gbessa eventually marries a strong man who is a leader and finds herself torn between the "civilized and Christian" Blacks and the natives in the bush.

This is a complicated story and not particularly easy to read. I've never been a fan of mystical realist, but this story drew me in especially in the second half of the book. The writing is excellent although I had to go back often to re read past chapters. Probably my weakness, not the book. Overall, I liked it a lot.

[kcshankd · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This one took some time to develop - it seemed like it took forever to get going. Africa diaspora experience, complete with more sentient ghosts, etc. I spent two weeks reading the first 180 pages and one day the last 120. Would have made a heck of a comic book.