Lorraine Mason Releases Collection of Short Stories in SASSYWOOD MAN

Liberia, which means "land of the free," was founded by freed slaves from the United States in 1820. These freed slaves, called Americo-Liberians, first arrived in Liberia and established a settlement in Christopolis now Monrovia (named after U.S. President James Monroe) on February 6, 1820. This group of 86 immigrants formed the nucleus of the settler population of what became known as the Republic of Liberia.

The Sassywood Man written by author Lorraine Mason is a collection of compelling short stories and prose that speaks to the culture and people of Liberia at a time when innocence prevailed and life was a simpler time.

In this book, she introduces her readers to life in Liberia mostly during the 1970 which is a crucial time in her childhood. The Hostess, however, delves into the nuisances of current day Liberia and reasons as to how the more things change the more they stay the same. The struggles experienced by Ma Massa in Sassywood Man and the young mother in Only a Quarter are exacerbated by the introduction of war as noted in The Hostess.

Mason hopes to convey to readers the struggle of not only single mothers but of a people caught sometimes glued on the fringes of society-a disenfranchised and marginalized group. She explores a time when the possibilities of aspiring beyond one's social huddle had many implications; and concludes with the hope of a new day and a brighter future in light of the hundreds of thousands who gave their lives through death, sacrifice, displacement, and time lost.

The Sassywood Man is an entertaining, brilliantly-written literary masterpiece everyone will sure to love and learn from as it comes from an author whose life has been molded and shaped by her experiences both good and bad while living in the capital of her native country.

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About the Author
Lorraine Mason was born and raised in her native Liberia. She is a former clinical grief therapist and life coach. In addition to writing, Lorraine is the executive director of the Martha M. Wright Foundation and a freelance author of "A Journey of the Self: Yes, Jesus Loves Me," a contribution piece to the book of the same title, and a past contributing editor to the online magazine USAfrica. Lorraine lives in Bellaire, Texas, with her husband, Fulkra, and two of her three children. She is at work on other pieces as she establishes herself as a folklorist.

Sassywood Man * by Lorraine Mason
Publication Date: May 14, 2013
Trade Paperback; $19.99; 121 pages; 978-1-4836-2200-2
Trade Hardback; $29.99; 121 pages; 978-1-4836-2201-9
eBook; $3.99; 978-1-4836-2202-6

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