Black Diamond (Paperback)

At the age of sixteen, 'Ellen' was a normal young girl, with dreams of continuing her education and having a happy life. All this was brutally taken away from her one day. The Liberian civil war was raging, and Ellen's family had decided to flee the capital. But before they could escape, Ellen's parents were murdered in front of her eyes by government soldiers. Ellen herself was then raped, stabbed, and left for dead. Miraculously she survived, and spent a year in a refugee camp recovering. When she was strong enough she made an astonishing decision - to return to Liberia and fight on the side of the rebel forces. She quickly rose through the ranks to become a leader of her own battalion of women; even fighting on the front line when she was eight months pregnant. She was so fierce and successful that many believed she was a legend, a myth - and named her Black Diamond. This is her true story - of how she survived, sought revenge - and how she is now trying to find a new life after the war - both for herself and the women who fought with her.