Red Dust on the Green Leaves: A Kpelle Twins' Childhood

by John Gay

Book Overview

Red Dust on the Green Leaves is the first in a series of books about of two boys growing to manhood in Liberia. One follows the white man's ways; the other immerses himself in his indigenous culture.... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0882532200
• Release Date: January 1973
• Publisher: InterCulture Associates
• Length: 240 Pages
• Weight: 0.78 lbs.

Customer Reviews

Liberian literature for the disporia!

Flid Harmattan January 13, 2010 Book Review: Red Dust on the Green Leaves Grade 9 Christ Academy, Collingdale,PA The book, Red Dust on the Green Leaves, by John Gay, discusses the culture of the Kpelle tribe of Liberia, West Africa. As the introduction states John Gay happens to be one of a small band of world recognized experts on the subject of the Westernization of traditional societies, particularly the impact of this Westernization thought process. As a Liberian young person living in the United States, I read this book with interest and was quite pleased with the description and insights. This is a book about the culture of the Kpelle people. It tells the story of twin brothers, Sumo and Koli, growing up as members of the Kpelle tribe in the heart of Liberia. It follows them from birth into adulthood. Gay intimately follows the lives of the brothers through great personal crises. Koli becomes cosmopolitan. He is interested in what is new and foreign. Sumo on the other hand remains a traditionalist, brought up in the ways of Liberian culture. This book is more than a documentary recounting the lives of two brothers. As the introduction states, "Mr. Gay writes with distinction and compassion that surely reflects his fourteen years of deep involvement with the people he is describing." Since I left Liberia at age, six, I have experienced little of the traditional culture. However, I've heard my older sister, who grew up in the Kpelle County, talk about the extraordinary use of proverbs and of the formulaic way of dealing with human difficulties. This is the conventional way the Kpelle people put things into perspective. It is the traditional way. I strongly recommend that people who want to understand the traditional culture of the Kpelle read this book because it presents the basis of who the Kpelle are. It helps one to understand the struggle between the Western world and the native cultures of Liberia.