Cathy Liggett’s book signing at Barnes & Noble was a wildly successful event. All of Cathy’s book sold out and the bookstore invited her back to do another signing. Check out the photos.

Beaded Hope author Cathy Liggett will hold a book signing next Saturday. You don’t want to miss the chance to get your book signed and hear a little bit of Cathy’s inspiring story.

Here are the details:

Where: Barnes & Noble Bookstore
Waterstone Boulevard off Fields Ertel
Cincinnati, OH
When: Saturday, March 27th
Time: 1:00-3:00pm

For more information you can check out Cathy’s website: www.CathyLiggett.com.

And don’t forget, Cathy is generously donating 20% of the proceeds from the sale of the book back to the Beaded Hope organization. So, grab a couple girlfriends and head out for a break, a cup of coffee and a good cause!

I absolutely love to read and seek out anything that I can get my hands on associated with South Africa. So, I’ve decided share my reading list and reviews with you starting with Nelson Mandela’s autobiography, Long Walk to Freedom.

Enjoy! And feel free to post your own comments!

From the Publisher:
Nelson Mandela is one of the great moral and political leaders of our time: an international hero whose lifelong dedication to the fight against racial oppression in South Africa won him the Nobel Peace Prize and the presidency of his country. Since his triumphant release in 1990 from more than a quarter-century of imprisonment, Mandela has been at the center of the most compelling and inspiring political drama in the world. As president of the African National Congress and head of South Africa’s anti-apartheid movement, he was instrumental in moving the nation toward multiracial government and majority rule. He is revered everywhere as a vital force in the fight for human rights and racial equality. The foster son of a Thembu chief, Mandela was raised in the traditional, tribal culture of his ancestors, but at an early age learned the modern, inescapable reality of what came to be called apartheid, one of the most powerful and effective systems of oppression ever conceived. In classically elegant and engrossing prose, he tells of his early years as an impoverished student and law clerk in Johannesburg, of his slow political awakening, and of his pivotal role in the rebirth of a stagnant ANC and the formation of its Youth League in the 1950s. He describes the struggle to reconcile his political activity with his devotion to his family, the anguished breakup of his first marriage, and the painful separations from his children. He brings vividly to life the escalating political warfare in the fifties between the ANC and the government, culminating in his dramatic escapades as an underground leader and the notorious Rivonia Trial of 1964, at which he was sentenced to life imprisonment. He recounts the surprisingly eventful twenty-seven years in prison and the complex, delicate negotiations that led both to his freedom and to the beginning of the end of apartheid. Finally he provides the ultimate inside account.

My Review:
Having just finished reading Long Walk to Freedom, Nelson Mandela’s autobiography, I can honestly say that I am glad this was not the first book on South Africa that I read. Nelson Mandela rose to become the iconic symbol of the struggle against apartheid in South Africa in part due to his leadership capabilities and in part due to the myth generated around his incarceration on Robben Island. In his autobiography, Mandela tells his story in a rambling, timeless way that often leaves you wondering just what year he’s writing about. At the same time, he draws a clear picture of the love and passion that he has for his country and his people. Mandela was a privileged boy (raised by Chief Jongintaba Dalindyebo after his father passed away) who grew into an idealistic young man who evolved into the leader of the ANC (African National Congress) who, in the end, founded the Umkhonto we Sizewe (MK), the organization that took up arms to battle the apartheid system; his book gives insight into how that evolution occurred.

In the second part of the book, it is fascinating to watch Mandela grow from a man who advocates violence as the only means of combating apartheid (hence, landing him on Robben Island) to a man determined to negotiate with F. W. de Klerk (then State President of South Africa) to release all political prisoners, establish majority rule and draft a new constitution for South Africa. Throughout his autobiography, Nelson Mandela never, ever falters in his dedication to the freedom fighting cause of ending apartheid. His approach to that battle grows and changes in response to the times, his environment and his own personal growth. By Mandela’s own admission, while in prison he came to learn that his battle was against the system of apartheid rather than the white man. Perhaps this revelation was what allowed Mandela to sit at the table and discuss the future of South Africa with the “enemy.”

If you are seeking an unbiased perspective on the history of apartheid, this book is not it. Mandela clearly articulates what, in his perspective, caused the rise and fall of apartheid in South Africa. In the end, however, I would recommend this book to the reader with a solid understanding of the history of apartheid and South Africa. While far from a light read this book details one man’s perspective on the history of his country and the pivotal events that enabled change.

This is Lana and our worlds collided last week. Let me explain…

Lana (like banana) is a wife, a mother (of 5 kids!), home educator, voracious reader and prolific blogger. I met Lana recently after she wrote a review of Beaded Hope by Cathy Liggett. She loved the book. Actually, that’s putting it too mildly. She L.O.V.E.D the book (check out her full review here) and after she wrote her review she started tweeting about it. She tweeted so much that I had to send her a note and thank her for all the kudos that she was lavishing on Beaded Hope.

Then a few days later Lana decided to enter her blog in a contest for mom bloggers. Little Remedies is giving away a top prize of $1000 to the mom blogger who receives the most votes between now and April 26th.

But, here’s the thing, Lana has challenged all of her readers to vote for her blog to win the prize and, if she wins, she will donate half of the prize to Beaded Hope. Lana has decided to get involved in a way that makes perfect sense for her….how cool is that!

So, I think you ought to run on over to http://tinyurl.com/ye9r5ay and place a vote for ILoveMy5Kids. Seriously, get moving. And don’t forget that you can vote once a day between now and April 26th.

Then check out Lana’s blog at ILoveMy5Kids or follow her on twitter.

Thanks, Lana, for having such a big heart and for getting passionate!

Bono, Oprah, President Clinton, and Bill Gates are all well-known advocates for AIDS and/or Africa. All four of these public figures have used their position to increase awareness, raise money and, in some cases, trigger policy changes in support of their cause. But let’s be honest, most people don’t have the money, position, or power that these celebrities have. I know for sure that it’s not for me to solicit congress to appropriate additional funds for AIDS prevention abroad.

So, how can one regular person, like you or me, change the world?

Here are the 5 steps that I’ve come up with:

1. Get Passionate about something. Do you love animals? Is gardening your thing? Do you love helping the elderly? Have you lost a loved one to heart disease, diabetes, or lung cancer? Do kids, poverty, education or unemployment get you worked up? Everyone has something they’re passionate about.¬† What is it for you?

2. Get Shopping and raise money for your favorite charity. Admit it, you already love to shop and having something delivered right to your door is always fun. Well, now you can shop AND raise money for your favorite charity. It’s easy. Just go to Good Shop, pick your favorite charity and start shopping. Every time you shop at a participating online store your charity will earn up to 30% of your purchase. Totally easy and totally worthwhile.

3. Get Involved in whatever you’re passionate about. You don’t have to start a non-profit, write a book or solicit congress, there are organizations at the local, national and international level that you can get involved with. Go find one and volunteer, even if it’s just once a month. Need a little help finding an organization? GuideStar can help. Not quite ready to get involved with an organization? That’s okay. Look next door, does your neighbor need a meal or their lawn mowed? Get going.

4. Get Away and experience an entirely new environment by taking a mission trip. You don’t have to travel to South Africa to go on a mission trip; there are organizations that coordinate trips within the United States or to South America. A mission trip is a life-changing way to experience a new culture, see the world in a different way and get passionate about making a difference. Once place that you can get more information is Back2Back Ministries.

5. Get Together with your friends, family and even your children and get involved. It is an amazing thing when two (or more!) people get together, get passionate and get involved. Big things can happen.

In the end I believe that if I touch the life of one other person and make it just a bit better then I’ve changed the world for that person. So, I don’t have to be Bono, Oprah, Bill Clinton or Bill Gates to make a difference, I just have to be me.

Recently author Cathy Liggett was asked by More to Life, the online magazine for women, to talk about her journey writing the Beaded Hope novel. Below is an excerpt from her story.

Ordinary Women, Extraordinary Lives
by Cathy Liggett

A few weeks ago, following some record snowstorms, I woke up one morning to hear a strange sound coming from our entryway. As I turned on the light I detected the origin of the noise right away: a mini waterfall was pouring into our dining room.

After cleaning the inside mess, my husband and I moved outside to try to fix our ice-blocked gutters. Naturally, one thing led to another. By the time we finished, I was really irritated by the inconvenience of it all. I had big plans for my morning off from work‚ and now all that time was gone!

I grumped and whined, but then‚ I felt a tug on my heart. That tug was the thought of some extraordinary women half a world away in Mamelodi, South Africa….read more

Cathy Liggett, author of Beaded Hope, and Jennifer Davis, founder of the Beaded Hope organization, recently had the opportunity to sit down with Debba Haupert of Girlfriendology to discuss Beaded Hope, South Africa and, of course, friendships. If you didn’t get a chance to listen to this interview live on Blog Talk Radio you can still catch the podcast on the Girlfriendology website.

Thanks to Debba for being our first interview after the release of the book!

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Beaded Hope Mission Trip Volunteer Authors Inspirational Novel

CINCINNATI ‚ March 4, 2010 ‚ Beaded Hope, an African non-profit organization based in Cincinnati, inspired one of its mission trip volunteers, author Cathy Liggett, to write a novel also called Beaded Hope, to be released by Tyndale House Publishers in March 2010.

The non-profit group Beaded Hope’s mission is to further the ability of South African women living with HIV/AIDS to earn income by using their age-old African beadwork craft traditions. Of all the nations in the world, South Africa has been devastated the most by the HIV/AIDS pandemic, with approximately 18 percent of the nation infected. Out of South Africa’s population, women bear the brunt of this disease. Among those ages 25-29, women are twice as likely to be infected with HIV/AIDS as men.

In addition, South Africans must meet the daily challenges of poverty. More than 60 percent of black South Africans live in poverty and half are unemployed. Beaded Hope founder, Jennifer Davis, set out to create an organization that could help fight these challenges in a number of ways: assisting the artisans of South Africa to earn income for their families by selling their handmade beaded jewelry to a worldwide market, raising African AIDS awareness as well as HIV/AIDS awareness in general, and getting the word out‚ telling the powerful and inspiring stories of people living with HIV/AIDS.

“It’s hard to imagine the impact that poverty or unemployment or a pandemic has on a community,” said Jennifer Davis. “But when you combine all three and witness first-hand what it’s like for women to live in such difficult conditions, it’s clear that you have to get involved.”

One of the people to hear those inspiring stories was novelist Cathy Liggett. After participating in a mission trip to South Africa with Beaded Hope and working with some of the women living with HIV/AIDS who craft artisan beaded jewelry, Liggett’s life and work were changed. Meeting the women made me realize that, yes, their situation is a far cry from my own,‚ states the author. ‚But aside from that, they are no different than I am. They are women who want nourishment and a sense of well-being for their families, and mothers who want a more hopeful life and future for their children.

Beaded Hope the novel follows the stories of three women who travel to South Africa on a mission trip, and discover the truly transformative and empowering nature of hope.

Author Cathy Liggett will donate a portion of the proceeds from her novel to the non-profit organization Beaded Hope.

Cathy Liggett and Jennifer Davis crossed paths quite accidentally in 2005. Eventually they became friends, bonded by a common love of Africa and a desire to make an impact on the world. In March of 2008 they traveled to South Africa together, and from that trip came Beaded Hope, the novel.

You can hear the rest of their inspiring story live on Blog Talk Radio this Friday, March 5th at 2:00pm when they are interviewed by Debba Haupert of Girlfriendology. You don’t want to miss it!

Then check back to Girlfriendology to read our guest blog post. Thanks to Debba for being a great girlfriend and showing us such great support!

Today’s Daily Inspiration on Girlfriendology.com is entitled Thoughtfully Committed and features Beaded Hope. Be sure to check out the full blog entry and Girlfriendology.