A review by simplymary
The House at Sugar Beach: In Search of a Lost African Childhood by Helene Cooper

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.