Madame President - Helene Cooper

When Ellen Johnson Sirleaf won the 2005 Liberian presidential election with the help of women voters, she demolished a barrier few thought possible. She obliterated centuries of patriarchal rule to become the first female elected head of state in Africa's history; on a continent and in a culture where women are treated as possessions or objects of conquest, Sirleaf's ascent to political power is equal parts astonishing and inspiring. Madame President is "a brisk chronicle of a strong-willed, tireless, and determined leader" (Kirkus Reviews), recounting Sirleaf's evolution from an ordinary Liberian mother of four boys to international banking executive, from a victim of domestic violence to a political icon, from a post-war president to a Nobel Peace Prize winner.

Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist, bestselling author, and native Liberian deftly weaves Sirleaf's story into the larger narrative of life for Liberian women. Madame President "unspools like a novel, fitting for a life that is nothing short of mythic" (USA TODAY), as Cooper guides us through the highs and lows of Sirleaf's life: from imprisonment in a jail cell for standing up to Liberia's military government to addressing the United States Congress; from reeling under the onslaught of the Ebola pandemic to signing a deal with then Secretary of State Hillary Clinton that enshrined American support for Liberian's future.

"Impressive for both its detail and insight" (The Washington Post) Madame President is a "propulsive" (The New York Times) book that illuminates the life of Liberia's greatest daughter in riveting detail and offers universal lessons we can all learn from this "Oracle" of African women.