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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.
About the author
Carol Spindel is the author of
In the Shadow of the Sacred Grove and
Dancing at Halftime: Sports and the Controversy over American Indian Mascots. She taught at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign for more than twenty-five years and currently teaches at the Iowa Summer Writing Festival.
Summary
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. Carol Spindel provides an intimate glimpse into this turbulent period by weaving together the daily lives and paths of five of her neighbours.
