King Peggy Notes

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

This is the autobiography of a government secretary who was proclaimed king of her village, Otuam, in Ghana after her uncle died.

Things I learned:

Peggy is an impressive woman. After becoming king, she continued to live and work in Washington DC, and used vacation time to travel to Ghana and perform her royal duties. Despite corrupt advisors stealing from the village coffers, Peggy had to come up with resources to repair the dilapidated palace, hold a proper funeral for the former king, provide running water for the village, and provide healthcare and education to her people.

As a woman, things were even tougher because her male advisors fully expected her to defer to them and ignore their blatant theft. I had to admire Peggy. She scrimped and saved her own secretarial salary, took out loans, and found donors to fund the work the village needed. She used sheer force of will and character to put a stop to the corruption.