Before Before: A Story of Discovery and Loss in Sierra Leone
By Betsy Small (Sierra Leone, 1984-1987)
University of Michigan Press: Law, Meaning and Violence series.
Reviewer Mark D. Walker (Guatemala 1971-1973)
Betsy Small’s Before Before offers a deeply personal and historically rich account of Sierra Leone, blending memoir and ethnography with emotional resonance. She draws from her Peace Corps service in mid-1980 and a return visit in 2013 with her daughter. This memoir is more than a recollection—it’s a meditation on cultural exchange, colonial legacies, and the fragile threads of memory that bind us across time and geography.
Like the author, I ran for a map to find where my new Peace Corps home would be for the next two years. I, too, was recruited for an agricultural program despite having no prior farming experience. Although my site was isolated, after working in Sierra Leone for almost four years, I was amazed at the cultural and physical challenges facing Peace Corps Volunteers upcountry, which the author confirmed. Common ailments included malaria, Lassa fever, and monkey pox, which explains Sierra Leone’s reputation during the colonial period as the “White Man’s Grave.”
Set in Tokpombu, a remote rainforest village in Sierra Leone’s diamond district, Small’s story begins with her assignment as an agricultural extension agent tasked with improving rice yields despite having never seen a rice plant. This distance—between her intentions and the realities of local life—sets the tone for a book that is as much about learning to listen as it is about teaching. The village, home to forty rice-farming families, becomes a center for Small’s transformation. Christians and Muslims live side by side, elders pass down oral histories, and the rhythms of life are shaped by ancestral wisdom and communal labor.
What makes Before Before stand out is its ethnographic sensitivity. Small doesn’t merely observe; she immerses. Her evenings spent under kerosene lamps with village elders reveal a world grappling with change. The encroachment of diamond mining, the lure of quick wealth, and the erosion of traditional farming practices create a tension that is both local and global. Through Krio expressions like “Ohl ting bin swit, but now e poil” (“All sweet things are now spoiled”), Small captures the heartbreak of a community watching its values unravel. I appreciated her use of the official “Krio” language, which I learned there, but she translates any passages that aren’t close enough to English for the reader to understand.
Small’s writing is lyrical yet historically grounded. She weaves in historical context—from the trans-Atlantic slave trade to Reagan-era foreign policy—without losing sight of the human stories at the heart of her narrative. Her reflections on the Gullah culture of South Carolina, which shares linguistic and agricultural ties with Sierra Leone, add depth to her exploration of diaspora and identity. The book also critiques the Peace Corps’ racial makeup and its complicated legacy, noting that it wasn’t until 1977 that the organization appointed its first African American director.
The most compelling aspect of the book is its honest reckoning with loss. Small does not shy away from the brutal civil war that erupted in 1991, just four years after Small’s departure. Tokpombu, once a peaceful village, became ground zero for violence. The juxtaposition of her idyllic memories with the scars of war forces readers to confront the fragility of peace and the cost of global indifference. Yet even in this reckoning, Small finds hope—in the laughter of children, the wisdom of elders, and the enduring bonds of community.
Yet the book is not just about the 1980s. Its emotional core lies in Small’s return to Sierra Leone in 2013, accompanied by her 13-year-old daughter Lilly, a high school sophomore. We both brought our children back to our host country the same year, making this another part of the book I resonated with and it reframed the narrative through generational eyes.
This journey, decades after civil war ravaged the region, becomes a poignant act of remembrance and healing. Lilly’s presence reframes the narrative: what was once a solitary coming-of-age story becomes a shared intergenerational pilgrimage. Readers will be struck by the contrast between Small’s youthful naiveté and Lilly’s wide-eyed curiosity, as well as the resilience of the villagers who survived multiple rebel attacks.
The visit also underscores the continuity of relationships. Small reconnects with Ma Sando, the woman who once guided her through cultural disorientation. “Sabi no get worry,” Ma Sando had told her—“Knowledge does not worry.” This phrase becomes a thematic anchor, reminding readers that wisdom is not just learned but lived. Lilly’s interactions with the villagers, her questions, and her observations offer a fresh lens through which to view Sierra Leone—not as a place of tragedy, but as a repository of strength and beauty.
In conclusion, Before Before is a masterful blend of autobiography and ethnography, offering readers a window into Sierra Leone’s past and present through the eyes of a thoughtful observer and a loving mother. The 2013 visit with Lilly adds emotional depth and narrative symmetry, reminding us that stories—like lives—are never truly finished. They echo, evolve, and invite us to listen anew.
About the author
Betsy Small served in the Peace Corps in Sierra Leone (1984-1987) and has spent over forty years working with divided communities in the U.S. and abroad. A graduate of Syracuse University, Teachers College, Columbia University, and North Carolina Central University, she has held various roles, including special education teacher, counselor in public schools and community nonprofits, and as a violence prevention researcher at the Sanford School of Public Policy at Duke University. More recently, she has served as Executive Director for global peacebuilding organizations, collaborating with peacebuilding teams in Israel, Palestine, Cyprus, and Northern Ireland. She was interviewed for the “SoftPower” “FulStories” podcast, which brings together ambassadors, fearless Peace Corps alumni, aid workers, authors, and global influencers to share stories that highlight often unsung connections and collaborations around the world. . #5 – Betsy Small. Visit her website at: https://www.betsysmall.com.
About the Reviewer
Mark D Walker was a Peace Corps Volunteer in Guatemala and spent over forty years helping disadvantaged people in the developing world. Walker’s three books are: Different Latitudes: My Life in the Peace Corps and Beyond; My Saddest Pleasures: 50 Years on the Road, named Best Travel Book; and The Guatemala Reader: Extraordinary Lives and Amazing Stories. He’s written 80 book reviews, and of his 30 published essays, two were recognized by the Solas Awards for Best Travel Writing. He’s a contributing writer for the “Arizona Authors Association Digest,” “The Wanderlust Journal,” “Literary Traveler,” and “The Great Writers You Should be Reading.” His wife and three children were born in Guatemala. You can learn more at www.MillionMileWalker.com