Book Review: "The House at Sugar Beach" by Helene Cooper

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

Author: Helene Cooper

Publisher: Simon & Schuster

ISBN, PUB Date: 978-0-7432-6625-3, July 21, 2009

Reviewed By: Denien Robbins for Author Exposure

Before Helene Cooper was a White House correspondent for the New York Times, she was a young girl living in Liberia. Her homeland was a place where social classes were divided into Congo and Country. As one of the social "haves" (as opposed to “have-nots”), she lived in a beautiful beach home with her family and adopted sister. For a time, her life seemed idyllic.

When the government began to breakdown and soldiers arrived to take possession of her childhood home, things rapidly began to change. A young girl, who seemed to have it all, suddenly was caught up in a whirlwind of politics and war. Helene and her family were forced to flee for their lives, scattering across two continents. This true story is both frightening and bittersweet.

While political issues are at the root of Ms. Cooper's life changes, it plays a background role. Most of the book focuses on the life of a young girl, desperately adapting to changes.

This memoir caught me by surprise with its innocence and its darkness. Those of us fortunate enough to be born "in the States" really have no idea what it is like to live in a war-torn country. Helene Cooper gives voice to her own experience in a way that reaches out and grabs the reader's attention.

I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys memoirs or coming-of-age tales.