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

by Peggielene Bartels and Eleanor Herman

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Book cover for King Peggy

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Peggielene Bartels was an ordinary fifty-something secretary working at the Ghanaian Embassy in Washington DC when she received the unexpected and astonishing news that she had been elected king of the impoverished fishing village of Otuam in her native Ghana, half a world away. Peggy had read about two other female kings in Ghana, but it was a rare phenomenon. Her royal dynasty had never had one before. Arriving in Otuam for her crowning ceremony, she discovers the dire realities of life there: no running water, no doctor, no high school, and corruption is rife. To make matters worse, the body of her uncle, the late king, lies in a morgue awaiting a funeral in the palace, which is in ruins. The longer she waits to bury him, the more she risks incurring the wrath of her ancestors. King Peggy is a charming real-life fairy tale about a traditional African town lifted up by the ambitions of its headstrong, decidedly modern female king.
  • ISBN10 0385534329
  • ISBN13 9780385534321
  • Publish Date 21 February 2012 (first published 1 January 1960)
  • Publish Status Out of Stock
  • Publish Country US
  • Publisher Random House USA Inc
  • Imprint Random House Inc
  • Format Hardcover
  • Pages 333
  • Language English