Nancy’s Pick
December 2014
The House at Sugar Beach: In Search of a Lost African Childhood
A Memoir by Helene Cooper, July 2009
Helene Cooper, a well-respected journalist, grew up in Liberia’s upper Congo class. The author traces her ancestry back to being a descendant of two Liberian dynasties. Her ancestors who were freemen sailed from New York in 1820 to found Monrovia.
The author grew up at Sugar Beach, a 22 room mansion by the sea. Her childhood was filled with servants, flashy cars, a villa in Spain, and a farmhouse in the country. The author admits that she knew very little of Liberia and its history other than as “a scary place… I had no idea it began with freed slaves from America.”
At thirteen her privileged childhood ends when an April 20,1980 soldier led coup assassinates President Tolbert and kills the cabinet. The Congo class is hunted and Helene, her mother, and sister flee Liberia to come to America. The author shares the family’s journey to survive in America. She includes detailed stories about her father, family, and people left behind in Liberia.
The House at Sugar Beach is a personal and honest memoir that examines her violent social class country. Helene Cooper’s story telling captures the reader to finish the book and then continue to read more about the voyage of the freeman, the settlement, and the past and present struggles of Liberia.