zzozra 's review for:

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

5.0

emotional hopeful informative inspiring reflective sad medium-paced

---

I have family in Liberia so this memoir felt more personal than others. The House at Sugar Beach explores childhood and early adolescence in Monrovia Liberia before the war. The chapters also give an adequate amount of history lessons (without overwhelming the reader) that explain the country's past, and political makeup in the government at the time, giving readers, enough knowledge to understand how some of the roots of the conflict began growing. The book has some sad parts as it does detail some common war crimes committed against members of the author's family. Yet, resilience and finding the strength to carry on are dominant themes in the story. It's a heartfelt read that I feel will resonate with many people who enjoy nonfiction and learning about the nature of conflict through the eyes of a local person.