Ghana and I were born seventeen days apart. On March 6, 1957, the British outpost known as the Gold Coast became the first sub-Saharan African colony to gain independence. Like other African nations that followed its lead, modern Ghana was forged like wrought iron—crudely, with rough hammers, in a white-hot fire of hubris and human misery. Yet for Ghana at least, that half-century flame has given way to an even brighter dawn. Today Ghana is a robust multiparty democracy with a free (even freewheeling) press, a highly engaged electorate, and a tradition of due process. Nevertheless, wealth and status in Ghana have accrued almost exclusively to well-connected businesspeople who curry favor with the ruling class, with whom they constitute a de facto oligarchy. Some would argue that comes close to describing the United States. A chief difference is that Ghana is a small country with a finely woven net of social and political connections; for a Ghanaian striving to better his life, a seemingly trivial affront to someone in power will not land him in jail, but it could very well wreck his career. As a result I have found it prudent to change the names of some Ghanaians. In the book, pseudonyms are always identified as such on first reference. Other than names, no facts have been changed.