In this groundbreaking study of postconflict Sierra Leone Lyn Graybill examines the ways in which both religion and local tradition supported restorative justice initiatives such as the national Truth and Reconciliation Commission TRC and villagelevel Fambul Tok ceremonies. Through her interviews with Christian and Muslim leaders of the InterReligious Council Graybill uncovers a rich trove of perspectives about the meaning of reconciliation the role of acknowledgment and the significance of forgiveness. Through an abundance of polling data and her review of traditional practices among the various ethnic groups Graybill also shows that these perspectives of religious leaders did not at all conflict with the opinions of the local population whose preferences for restorative justice over retributive justice were compatible with traditional values that prioritized reconciliation over punishment. These local sentiments however were at odds with the international communitys preference for retributive justice as embodied in the Special Court for Sierra Leone which ran concurrently with the TRC. Graybill warns that with the dominance of the International Criminal Court in Africathere are currently eighteen pending cases in eight countrieslocal preferences may continue to be sidelined in favor of prosecutions. She argues that the international community is risking the loss of its most valuable assets in postconflict peacebuilding by pushing aside religious and traditional values of reconciliation in favor of Western legal norms.