Reviews
'A truly fascinating autobiography of arguably the most intriguing woman in Liberia in the first half of the twentieth century, supplying a rich mine of information on the Vai, on early Liberia, the power elite, and race relations in three countries--Germany, Switzerland, and the United States. Superbly edited by three competent hands, Fatima Massaquoi comes through as well-bred, royal, regal, and majestic. This is a book to teach students about the transformative powers of nationalism, transnationalism, and cosmopolitanism.'--Toyin Falola, author of a Mouth Sweeter Than Salt: An African Memoir 'Vivian Seton, Konrad Tuchscherer, and Arthur Abraham have given us a great gift: a memoir of a fascinating woman who was a lively and perceptive observer of a critical period of world history, in Africa, Germany, and the United States. It is a rich and rewarding book, expertly edited and introduced, now properly preserved for posterity.'--Marcus Rediker, author of The Amistad Rebellion: An Atlantic Odyssey of Slavery and Freedom, "A truly fascinating autobiography of arguably the most intriguing woman in Liberia in the first half of the twentieth century, supplying a rich mine of information on the Vai, on early Liberia, the power elite, and race relations in three countries--Germany, Switzerland, and the United States. Superbly edited by three competent hands, Fatima Massaquoi comes through as well-bred, royal, regal, and majestic. This is a book to teach students about the transformative powers of nationalism, transnationalism, and cosmopolitanism."--Toyin Falola, author of a Mouth Sweeter Than Salt: An African Memoir "Vivian Seton, Konrad Tuchscherer, and Arthur Abraham have given us a great gift: a memoir of a fascinating woman who was a lively and perceptive observer of a critical period of world history, in Africa, Germany, and the United States. It is a rich and rewarding book, expertly edited and introduced, now properly preserved for posterity."--Marcus Rediker, author of The Amistad Rebellion: An Atlantic Odyssey of Slavery and Freedom, "A truly fascinating autobiography of arguably the most intriguing woman in Liberia in the first half of the twentieth century, supplying a rich mine of information on the Vai, on early Liberia, the power elite, and race relations in three countries--Germany, Switzerland, and the United States. Superbly edited by three competent hands, Fatima Massaquoi comes through as well-bred, royal, regal, and majestic. This is a book to teach students about the transformative powers of nationalism, transnationalism, and cosmopolitanism." - Toyin Falola, author of a Mouth Sweeter Than Salt: An African Memoir "Vivian Seton, Konrad Tuchscherer, and Arthur Abraham have given us a great gift: a memoir of a fascinating woman who was a lively and perceptive observer of a critical period of world history, in Africa, Germany, and the United States. It is a rich and rewarding book, expertly edited and introduced, now properly preserved for posterity." - Marcus Rediker, author of The Amistad Rebellion: An Atlantic Odyssey of Slavery and Freedom, "A truly fascinating autobiography of arguably the most intriguing woman in Liberia in the first half of the twentieth century, supplying a rich mine of information on the Vai, on early Liberia, the power elite, and race relations in three countries'€"Germany, Switzerland, and the United States. Superbly edited by three competent hands, Fatima Massaquoi comes through as well-bred, royal, regal, and majestic. This is a book to teach students about the transformative powers of nationalism, transnationalism, and cosmopolitanism." - Toyin Falola, author of a Mouth Sweeter Than Salt: An African Memoir "Vivian Seton, Konrad Tuchscherer, and Arthur Abraham have given us a great gift: a memoir of a fascinating woman who was a lively and perceptive observer of a critical period of world history, in Africa, Germany, and the United States. It is a rich and rewarding book, expertly edited and introduced, now properly preserved for posterity." - Marcus Rediker, author of The Amistad Rebellion: An Atlantic Odyssey of Slavery and Freedom, "A truly fascinating autobiography of arguably the most intriguing woman in Liberia in the first half of the twentieth century, supplying a rich mine of information on the Vai, on early Liberia, the power elite, and race relations in three countries Germany, Switzerland, and the United States. Superbly edited by three competent hands, Fatima Massaquoi comes through as well-bred, royal, regal, and majestic. This is a book to teach students about the transformative powers of nationalism, transnationalism, and cosmopolitanism." - Toyin Falola, author of a Mouth Sweeter Than Salt: An African Memoir "Vivian Seton, Konrad Tuchscherer, and Arthur Abraham have given us a great gift: a memoir of a fascinating woman who was a lively and perceptive observer of a critical period of world history, in Africa, Germany, and the United States. It is a rich and rewarding book, expertly edited and introduced, now properly preserved for posterity." - Marcus Rediker, author of The Amistad Rebellion: An Atlantic Odyssey of Slavery and Freedom "[This is a] one-of-a-kind tale of a life lived on three continents, chronicling everything from insider views of traditional life and societies in Africa, to intense racism in other parts of the world." - Jene Desmond-Harris, TheRoot.com "Gem of a book ... beautifully written, exquisitely edited ... An important contribution to the understanding of 20th-century African history." - Elizabeth Schmidt, Professor of History, Loyola University of Maryland, author of Foreign Intervention in Africa (CUP, 2013) 'The Autobiography of an African Princess takes us on an extraordinary trans-Atlantic journey from Gendema in Sierra Leone, to Monrovia in Liberia, Hamburg in Germany, Geneva in Switzerland, Tennessee in the United States, and back to Monrovia. During that journey, local histories, cultures, languages, and values crossed part with the darker side of human nature that found expression in racial bigotry Nazism and Jim Crowism sexism, and ethnocentrism.' - African Studies Quarterly (December 2014), Foreword by Hans Massaquoi 1. My Birthplace, Ethnicity and Parents 2. My Birth and Customs about Childbirth in the Gallinas Country 3. Life and Customs in the Bali (Bari) country of Sierra Leone. 4. Life and Customs in the Vai Country of Liberia 5. On Beauty and Aspects of Vai Social Organization 6. Life in Monrovia 7. School Begins at Julie C. Emery Hall 8. More on Life at the Mission School 9. I Bid Farewell to Liberia 10. I Arrive in Germany 11. I Meet a Nazi … and More on the Work of the Consulate-General 12. Hard Times, 'isms' and School 13. Christmas and School Trips in Germany 14. The 'Invincibles' and My Departure for Switzerland 15. L'Ecole Superieure et Secondaire (Switzerland) and Rough Times on My Return to Germany 16. Departure for America 17. Welcome for a 'Savage' at Lane College and Death of Father 18. The Fisk University Saga 19. Goodbye Friends You Shall Be Hearing from Me, "A truly fascinating autobiography of arguably the most intriguing woman in Liberia in the first half of the twentieth century, supplying a rich mine of information on the Vai, on early Liberia, the power elite, and race relations in three countries Germany, Switzerland, and the United States. Superbly edited by three competent hands, Fatima Massaquoi comes through as well-bred, royal, regal, and majestic. This is a book to teach students about the transformative powers of nationalism, transnationalism, and cosmopolitanism." - Toyin Falola, author of a Mouth Sweeter Than Salt: An African Memoir "Vivian Seton, Konrad Tuchscherer, and Arthur Abraham have given us a great gift: a memoir of a fascinating woman who was a lively and perceptive observer of a critical period of world history, in Africa, Germany, and the United States. It is a rich and rewarding book, expertly edited and introduced, now properly preserved for posterity." - Marcus Rediker, author of The Amistad Rebellion: An Atlantic Odyssey of Slavery and Freedom "[This is a] one-of-a-kind tale of a life lived on three continents, chronicling everything from insider views of traditional life and societies in Africa, to intense racism in other parts of the world." - Jenée Desmond-Harris, TheRoot.com "Gem of a book ... beautifully written, exquisitely edited ... An important contribution to the understanding of 20th-century African history." - Elizabeth Schmidt, Professor of History, Loyola University of Maryland, author of Foreign Intervention in Africa (CUP, 2013) 'The Autobiography of an African Princess takes us on an extraordinary trans-Atlantic journey from Gendema in Sierra Leone, to Monrovia in Liberia, Hamburg in Germany, Geneva in Switzerland, Tennessee in the United States, and back to Monrovia. During that journey, local histories, cultures, languages, and values crossed part with the darker side of human nature that found expression in racial bigotry Nazism and Jim Crowism sexism, and ethnocentrism.' - African Studies Quarterly (December 2014)
