The end of the road for freed US slaves ... and a slave trade facilitator. A "land of the free" for Black people ... who largely disenfranchise, demean, and disregard the native African population for over 150 years (and obsess for a time about the color line). A nation oversaturated with lawyers ... where written rules are subordinate to family ties and "civilized" status. A country with the world record for the most corrupt election. A coveted sliver of West Africa subject to the imperialist aims of France, Germany, and the United Kingdom.

Liberia's got stories! Ciment makes them bite-sized and pretty easy-to-follow (although repeated surnames lost me several times, tbh ‐ Which Johnson? Which Tubman, again?). I was engrossed and yet also let my mind wander with the implications and the ridiculous historical figures. Whewee, governance 🤡 

Conversely, Ciment's unrestrained use of "mulatto" as an assumed synonym or improvement upon descriptions of skin tone grates on my MF nerves.