The Beginning Years of a Leader Almost right out of her mother’s womb Ellen Johnson receives affirmation of her purpose in this world. In her memoir, she tells a story told to her by her mother. In it an old man visiting her parents, looks at her and with a peculiar expression turns to Ellen’s mother and says, “Oh Martha, “This child shall be great. “This child is going to lead” (Sirleaf, 7). Ellen Johnson Sirleaf had a good life growing up in Monrovia, much different from her parents who came from poor beginnings, but they were provided an opportunity for a much better life. Both of her parents were reared through a “ward system” this was a historical legacy in Liberia, where poor children in villages were placed with chiefs or wealthier
