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cseibs's review against another edition
3.0
Informative and fascinating. I appreciated that Cooper did not shy away from confronting her elite upbringing and acknowledged her lack of self-awareness as a child. I would love a Part II, though, to go into more depth about her return to her Liberian roots.
lindamooreauthor's review
1.0
The writing is so bad it prompted someone in my book club to question that this author actually writes for the NY Times....The only passable parts occur when she assumes a journalistic voice and writes about the history of revolution in Liberia. I forsee Helene Cooper cringing when she is actually old enough to pen a real memoir and looks back on the sophomoric effort she has produced in The House at SB! This is a missed opportunity to communicate something meaningful about an interesting life.
kimdeitzler's review
3.0
I love a good memoir, and this one tempted me from the "new releases" shelf at the library this evening.
ciona24's review
4.0
I read this before going to Liberia, so it was so great to see some recognizable names when I arrived. I learned so much about the history of Liberia, it's connection to the U.S. and its war. Cooper's honest prose is inviting and captivating.
hanntastic's review
4.0
Global Read 151: Liberia
This memoir did a great job of educating me about Liberia with all the beauty and horror of its history, but also telling a great narrative. It was extremely readable. It might have side stepped some of the darker chapters of Liberia's history a little bit, but I admire its attempt to be a fully fledged well rounded story and not just a litany of tragedies.
This memoir did a great job of educating me about Liberia with all the beauty and horror of its history, but also telling a great narrative. It was extremely readable. It might have side stepped some of the darker chapters of Liberia's history a little bit, but I admire its attempt to be a fully fledged well rounded story and not just a litany of tragedies.
simplymary's review
4.0
This is a story of a place I knew absolutely nothing about...I didn't even know an American colony existed in Africa. Liberian life for the elite was quite lavish, you learn as you read about Helene's childhood. Then comes the civil war, which forced Helene to leave for America--not to return until decades later, as a US news correspondent. Although the story lagged in the beginning, in my opinion, it was the strongest example I've ever read of how nostalgia works...things that were once just a part of everyday life, taken for granted, become gems of memories once taken away. My favorite moment in the book is at the end when she gives a tribute to her mother. It's breathtaking in its simplicity.