The Official Site for Information About
REDEMPTION ROAD
Elma Shaw’s Redemption Road is on the WAEC prescribed list of Literature-In-English texts for the West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) 2026-2030!
For such a time as this…
Elma Shaw’s bestselling and award-winning novel explores themes that are more relevant than ever in the region, and its selection by the West African Examinations Council (WAEC) will hopefully give students in Ghana, Liberia, Nigeria, Sierra Leone, and The Gambia an opportunity to engage in meaningful dialogue about conflict prevention, the trauma of war, reconciliation, and other peace and justice issues.
“There comes a time in every country’s history when things go astray, when we don’t put our best faces forward, when we falter and stumble.”
President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf
in her Foreword to Redemption Road
About Redemption Road
Redemption Road is the captivating story of Bendu Lewis, a young woman who counsels survivors of the Liberian Civil War. She’s a pillar of strength for the broken, but beneath her resilient surface swirls a storm of trauma and haunting memories.
When the warlord who once held her in captivity suddenly appears in Monrovia, Bendu’s darkest memories come flooding back and threaten to unravel everything she’s built. She decides that for her own healing, and for the voiceless victims of the war, she must bring him to justice for the terrible things he did.
In her pursuit of Commander Cobra, Bendu finds much more than she bargained for, including the courage to finally confront her own painful war-time secret.
“Peppered with flashbacks, chock full of suspense, and sprinkled with a smidgen of romance, Redemption Road contextualizes the Liberian Civil War with gut-wrenching appeal…It brings to bear Liberia’s tortured history, and civil conflict no doubt, but it also transcends the country’s context to ask universal questions about truth, reconciliation, forgiveness, and the power of unconditional love.”
“A brave, forgiving, and so necessary work about healing, reclamation, and transformation.”
“The choices that Bendu makes teach lessons in much the way that Chinua Achebe aims at educating his African readers. Shaw has taken an enormously difficult theme and treated it convincingly after laying the horrific groundwork of what happens during time of awful warfare —especially to women. Atonement and renewal as Shaw develops them are believable and inspiring and exactly what so many potential readers in Africa need during these troubled times. I see Redemption Road finding many enthusiastic readers not only in Liberia, but also in Sierra Leone, South Africa, Rwanda, Congo—a list that sadly can be expanded too far.”
“A brilliant novel…a promising and incisive voice. Elma Shaw knows how to tell a story. Reading Redemption Road was a most refreshing and enlightening experience, and the best Liberian novel I have ever read. It will go a long way in placing Liberia on the map of world literature.”
“[Redemption Road] offers a way forward amidst all the ideological divisions about what peace in Liberia should look, sound, smell and feel like.”
ISBN 978-0-9800774-1-4 (Trade Paperback)
(Student Paperback Edition)
Meet the Author
Elma Shaw is the Founder & CEO of Cotton Tree Press. She believes that well-written and beautifully published books can inspire a love of reading in children, and open up a world of possibilities and potential for readers and authors of every age. Her bookshelves are always overflowing and her e-Reader is full. She loves to teach, and loves to dance. Everything she does is Divinely guided.
“Elma Shaw’s novel is a journey back to the ruins of our homeland, where the beauty of culture clashes with the ugliness of war. It is a story filled with both life and death, but throughout Redemption Road, I feel the power of hope in both the storyteller and the novel’s heroine.”
“Elma Shaw swims through the murky depths of Liberia’s recent past without holding her breath. She breathes and allows us to breathe through the pain. Her Redemption Road is a story that needs to be told and Shaw handles the emotions, the tragedy, the wounds, and the burden, with delicacy and power.”
Enjoy the First 3 Chapters Now…
Meet the main characters of Elma Shaw’s award-winning novel, and get ready to question your own perception of peace and justice.
Frequently Asked Questions
When will Redemption Road be available in my country?
Redemption Road will be available in Ghana, Liberia, Nigeria, Sierra Leone, and The Gambia in time for the beginning of the 2024-25 Academic Year.
I see three different covers for Redemption Road. Are the books different?
There is no difference inside the books. The only differences are in format and price.
Beware of pirated copies of Redemption Road, as they contain errors and may be missing important parts of the story. Piracy is the unauthorized and unethical use or reproduction of someone’s work.
How do we order copies of Redemption Road?
If you are a school or library interested in making a bulk purchase, please write to [email protected] for special discounts and purchasing arrangements.