The following version of this book was used to create this study guide: Moore, Wayetu. She Would Be King. Graywolf Press. Minneapolis, Minnesota. First edition. 2018.

The multi-faceted narrative is set in the early 1800’s and explores the experiences of several characters whose lives are shaped, directly or indirectly, by the slave trade of that era in history. The use of the lower-case “b” to refer to the black characters in the book is reflective of the text’s own usage of the term.

The first section of the narrative, Book One, is titled “The Three,” and focuses on the early lives of the story’s three main characters. The first sequence of chapters in Book One is titled “Gbessa,” and focuses on a young woman – Gbessa – who is regarded by those in her small African village as having been cursed at birth. She is viewed with fear and treated with disrespect throughout her life, even by a boy named Safua, who visits her when she is imprisoned in her mother’s home and grows into a leader and warrior. As adults, Gbessa and Safua find themselves attracted to each other, but when Safua’s son falls ill and apparently dies, the village blames Gbessa and her curse, and she is forced to leave. On her departure she is bitten by a poisonous snake, but even as she feels the poison enter her system, she knows she cannot and will not die.

The second sequence of chapters in Book One focuses initially on Charlotte, a black woman working as a slave on the Emerson plantation in America. In first-person narration, Charlotte describes her circumstances and history, including her long-standing conflict with the beautiful Darlene and her involvement with a male slave named Dey. Charlotte’s narration describes her giving birth to a baby boy and reveals that Dey is the father, but also states that she and Dey never actually had sexual relations. Eventually, the narration also reveals that Charlotte is, in fact, a ghost, and that the baby, whom she names June Dey, was magically conceived and born. June Dey is raised by Darlene, growing up to be incredibly strong and apparently invulnerable to harm. At one point, he and Darlene are sold to different owners, but Darlene resists. June Dey defends her, showing no signs of being wounded when he is whipped and shot. He attempts to flee with her, but she dies in his arms. June Dey continues his journeys through America.

The third sequence of chapters in Book One focuses on a white British researcher in Jamaica named Callum Aragon, his black slave Nanni, and the child they have together, Norman. The narration describes how Nanni had the gift of being able to disappear while in nature, and how Norman inherited that gift. As Norman matures, Nanni believes that Aragon will live up to a promise he made after discovering her ability, and send her to Africa. Instead, he makes plans to send both her and Norman to England for further scientific research. Nanni tries to escape with Norman, but she is killed. Several years later, after living in the mountains with a community of black Jamaicans, Norman uses his ability to disappear to stow away on a ship to Africa.

The final sequence in Book One explores the lives of the three main characters after June Dey and Norman Aragon arrive in Africa. The two men meet each other while escaping from white authorities, and then encounter Gbessa, weak and unwell but determined to survive. The trio is involved in the rescue of a village attacked by white slavers, but Gbessa is captured. June Dey and Norman consider going after her, but realize they have a mission to save other Africans and their villages from attack.

In Book Two, “She Would Be King,” the narrative focuses primarily on Gbessa as she becomes more and more involved with families and individuals engaged in the establishment of Liberia, a colony of freed black slaves in Africa. She catches the eye of Gerald Tubman, a warrior and politician, eventually marrying him and finding herself struggling to fit in with the emerging higher society in the area. Meanwhile, the political and military situation becomes increasingly intense, and soon Tubman and other black settlers find themselves having to fight to maintain Liberia’s freedom. Gbessa, June Dey, and Norman are reunited as they join a climactic battle against an invasion of slavers, with June Dey and Norman using their abilities to support the cause of the freedom fighters. Gbessa suffers a fatal wound, but knowing that her ability to survive any wound or any attack will enable her to live on no matter what.