I Give You Half The Road
In Ivory Coast, the farewell "I give you half the road" is an expression of hospitality, urging a departing guest to come back again. After their first stay in a welcoming rural community in 1981, Carol Spindel and her husband did just that. Over the course of decades, they built a house and returned frequently, deepening their relationships with neighbors.
Once considered the most stable country in West Africa, Ivory Coast was split by an armed rebellion in 2002 and endured a decade of instability and a violent conflict. Spindel provides an intimate glimpse into this turbulent period by weaving together the daily lives and paths of five neighbors. Their stories reveal Ivorians determined to reunite a divided country through reliance on mutual respect and obligation even while power-hungry politicians pursued xenophobic and anti-immigrant platforms for personal gain. Illuminating democracy as a fragile enterprise that must be continually invented and reinvented, I Give You Half the Road emphasizes the importance of connection, generosity, and forgiveness.
Advance Praise:
“Covering a period of nearly forty years, Spindel leaves no subject unturned in her reflections on Ivorian resilience against the challenges of poverty, ethnic discrimination, gender inequality, and violence. An enlightening and welcome addition to writings on the civil war crisis, this memoir captures and empowers the voices of those most disadvantaged during processes of social and political change.”
—Jeanne Maddox Toungara, Howard University
“By turns a nerve-wracking chronicle of political upheaval, and an empathetic portrait. Spindel draws on decades of experience to tell a story of fracture and reconciliation in Ivory Coast. She has provided a tragic and hopeful act of witness centered on everyday Ivorians, whose struggles and successes make up the book’s beating heart.”
—Will McGrath, author of Everything Lost Is Found Again: Four Seasons in Lesotho
“Spindel has crafted a beautiful tale of West Africans as they live through bittersweet history. Her memorable story not only captures the joys, challenges, and aspirations of a small remote rural community but also bears witness to the profound struggles of a nation in political turmoil.”
—Phillip Carter III, former US Ambassador to Ivory Coast
“Written in an accessible and engaging narrative nonfiction style, this book shares the story of five young people who come of age during the tumultuous democratic transition in Ivory Coast. Spindel’s honest storytelling, close friendships with everyday Ivorians, and more than thirty-five years of experience in the country shine in this riveting account.”
—William Moseley, coauthor of Africa’s Green Revolution: Critical Perspectives on New Agricultural Technologies and Systems