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The House at Sugar Beach

in Search of a Lost African Childhood
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Jun 16, 2014writermala rated this title 3.5 out of 5 stars
This poignant memoir is essentially in two parts. The first part deals with the author Helene Cooper's privileged childhood in Liberia and the second part her ascension as a journalist in the U.S. In the first part we hear of Helene's life at sugar beach - her home which has 22 rooms and is a mansion by the sea. Her family also has flashy cars and are tended to by servants. She even has a foster sister to be her companion. Unfortunately this blissful childhood came to an abrupt end when ca coup overthrew the ruling party and Helene and her family had to flea Liberia. The second part deals with Helene's angst in her U.S schools and then her meteoric rise in the world of journalism which culminates in her return to Liberia as a U.S citizen. She confronts the dangers of civil war torn Liberia and sets foot at her home, Sugar Beach. She can now cherish the memory of her childhood, "A beautiful dancer disrobing as we bounced along the road away from civilization." I enjoyed the book and it gave me a good idea of Liberian History.