Friday, July 20, 2012

King Peggy by Peggielene Bartels

King Peggy.  An American Secretary, Her Royal Destiny, and the Inspiring Story of How She Changed an African Village by Peggielene Bartels and Eleanor Herman

Peggy is a secretary in Washington D.C. and at four in the morning, one lonesome night, she receives a phone call, that the spirits have chosen her to be King. King of a small ocean-side fishing village in Ghana.  King Peggy takes that vocation and chronicles her life's most significant journey within the pages of this book. 

Peggy is to be King of Otuam which is where her family is from and where she grew up.  She arrives in Otuam to find it full of problems like no running water, no hospital or doctors, bad roads, no high school and no banks.  Basically she has inherited a bankrupt village where the elder's are stealing the town's money.  Her palace is falling down around her in despair, her uncle, the late king, waits in the fridge for a proper burial she can't afford and his children neglect to help pay for.  In short, Peggy has accepted the Kingship and is not sure how she is going to help these people much less pay the bills.

Peggy is not a regular King because she is a woman.  Let it be known that she rules like any man and does not let anyone take advantage of her.  She is headstrong, savvy and smart and she goes about transforming the village of Otuam.  King Peggy is a book of hope and the transforming power of faith, love and hard work.  King Peggy will teach you about the culture and customs of the people of Ghana.  You will laugh and you will be shocked and in awe of all that Peggy has to deal with in her small village.

King Peggy chronicles her first two years as King in her memoir.  If her next two years are anything like the first two, she will have another best selling book on the way.  Peggy's story is not like a Cinderella, rags to riches story, in fact Peggy ended up spending most of her saving's to help the village.  It is inspiring to think that you can go to bed a secretary and wake up the next day and be a King.  The spirits chose Peggy for a reason and she has proved herself to be a great King.  God Save and Continue to Help King Peggy!