This book is a new and innovative approach to writing a political biography and intellectual history. Ahmad A. Rahman provides a fresh perspective on Kwame Nkrumah, who led Ghana to become Africa's first sub-Saharan country to gain independence after World War II. Rahman analyzes Nkrumah's behavior through utilizing the epic hero patterns of Call, Quest, and Return. The scholarship is unique in its attention to Nkrumah's experiences in the United States, using recently declassified U.S. and British government documents. Nkrumah is portrayed as an epic hero who gained stature by overcoming enemies but who, like Africa's previous epic heroes, eventually lost his "throne" to increasingly stronger opponents.