The House at Sugar Beach: In Search of a Lost African Childhood

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For years the Cooper daughters -- Helene, her sister Marlene, and Eunice -- blissfully enjoyed the trappings of wealth and advantage. But Liberia was like an unwatched pot of water left boiling on the stove. And on April 12, 1980, a group of soldiers staged a coup d'état, assassinating President William Tolbert and executing his cabinet. The Coopers and the entire Congo class were now the hunted, being imprisoned, shot, tortured, and raped. After a brutal daylight attack by a ragtag crew of soldiers, Helene, Marlene, and their mother fled Sugar Beach, and then Liberia, for America. They left Eunice behind.

A world away, Helene tried to assimilate as an American teenager. At the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill she found her passion in journalism, eventually becoming a reporter for the Wall Street Journal and the New York Times. She reported from every part of the globe -- except Africa -- as Liberia descended into war-torn, third-world hell.

In 2003, a near-death experience in Iraq convinced Helene that Liberia -- and Eunice -- could wait no longer. At once a deeply personal memoir and an examination of a violent and stratified country, The House at Sugar Beach tells of tragedy, forgiveness, and transcendence with unflinching honesty and a survivor's gentle humor. And at its heart, it is a story of Helene Cooper's long voyage home.

What Customers Say About The House at Sugar Beach: In Search of a Lost African Childhood:

I was not engaged by the first third of this book, and felt no connection with the characters. The historical parts were fascinating, but not enough to compel me to keep reading. So I gave up.

She didn't bog us down in details of her American life; I never lost track that this was not a story about the triumphs of an escape to America, but the evolution of one Liberian's life and identity.Listening to the book was a special treat. Most books, I'm pretty satisfied to complete. I can only think of a few books that I really didn't want to part with. If you are of the Caribbean or have lived in it (or listened to Gullah), you are amused by how similar much of the cadences and expressions can be. This one was special.The Liberian angle was extremely interesting to me since I've been curious about the country since learning of the American Colonization Society many, many decades ago in junior high (I could even recall the year 1822). Cooper's story was engaging and detailed just enough to keep me reading at a steady pace, engaged in it all. This was a special treat for me; I wanted to hear more dialect. (I loved "Ah hol' you foot").I will be pushing this book on all my friends and relatives.

All in all, like many memoirs that express the sad state of Africa, this will move you. Cooper writes well and there is a strong connection to family members. Although I agree that the history is necessary for the reader to get a feel of the deep roots that both sides of the family had/has in Liberia, it did get to be a bit long in parts. I loved her language and different "Liberia" sayings that she shares. I enjoyed reading this book.

This story starts out well.lots of vibrant images, and rich detail. The ending seemed particularly aprupt, and left me wanting more detail. Unfortunately, the middle and ending seem rushed. Once the family moves to the United States, the characters seem to lose their vibrancy. There were several characters that were developed in the beginning, that seemed to be completely forgotten about in the end. For instnace, the author's sister, and mother were both fully developed characters that were left out of the ending completely.All in all, it was an entertaining read, but missed it's potential.

I throughly enjoyed Sugar Beach. I shared it with my Sister who is now in the process of reading it. It brought back childhood memories of my family when I was growing up.I also learned the history of Liberia that was not taught to us in school with very few Black History classes. It was heart wrenching to know how violently lives were lost and how poor the country was despite all the resources it seems to have; including it's proud people. I felt like I knew the author Helene Cooper as if she were a sister too. Good reading.