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Read advance reader review of King Peggy by Peggielene Bartels & Eleanor Herman, page 4 of 4

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King Peggy

An American Secretary, Her Royal Destiny, and the Inspiring Story of How She Changed an African Village

by Peggielene Bartels, Eleanor Herman

King Peggy by Peggielene Bartels, Eleanor Herman X
King Peggy by Peggielene Bartels, Eleanor Herman

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  • First Published:
    Feb 2012, 352 pages

    Paperback:
    Feb 2013, 368 pages

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There are currently 24 member reviews
for King Peggy
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  • Patricia T. (Fallbrook, CA)
    King Peggy
    When I finished reading King Peggy, my first thought was this book would make a great Disney movie. For me it was rather a chore to finish, which is a pity because our heroine, Peggielene Bartels, is an amazing woman who took on a daunting task with determination, her story is unique and surely worthy of telling. I found the prose style problematic. Sometimes it read like a fable, sometimes like a middle school reader. Research was lacking: the author had the fishermen of Otuam pulling in an impossible mix of warm, cold, and fresh water fish from the tropical waters off Ghana; lions and rhinos are creatures of eastern, south-eastern, southern Africa, Namibia, the plains and veldts of the Great Rift Valley; Nelson Mandela is most certainly not the only African president to be jailed before taking office, Jomo Kenyatta of Kenya comes to mind. Sorry to be such a curmudgeon, these details may be considered trivial, but I found them bothersome. I actually admired Peggy very much. She was too naive in the beginning, but was anxious at all times to respect her heritage while at the same time improving the lot of Otuam's residents. I'm glad she succeeded.
  • Judith G. (Ewa Beach, HI)
    Fewer details, please
    This non-fiction story is interesting. The writing with so many details leading to the 'meat' of the story was off-putting. Perhaps it's the holiday tasks and appointments that kept me from reading this leisurely. I haven't finished the book and don't feel the pull to do so. I will try again after the New Year and perhaps I'll find it more readable. In the meantime I must say it should be a fascinating story.
  • Ariel F. (Madison, WI)
    A Woman King
    An interesting book about a Ghanaian born woman who is a secretary at the Ghanaian embassy in Washington, DC. who become King in a Otuam, a small Ghanaian village. The villagers feel that the ancestors have selected her as King despite her being in the US. Initially, she is reluctant to accept this role. She does decide to become King even though she is a woman. She goes to the village and finds that it has many needs including running water. Once back in the US she is tells the story of the village and its needs. The pastor of Shiloh Baptist church goes to the village and sees it needs. Members of his church are to go over to the village to help the village get a school and a library among other things.

    While this is Peggielene Bartels story and is being told by her, it is not written in the first person. I would have liked it to be written in the first person.

    I would recommend this book for book clubs that deal with travel, world cultures or the role of women.

Beyond the Book:
  A Message of Hope from King Peggielene Bartels

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