The House at Sugar Beach

A Memoir

By: Helene Cooper

Narrated by: Helene Cooper

Length: 9 hrs and 27 mins

Publisher's summary

Helene Cooper 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 up-country. It was also an African childhood, filled with knock foot games and hot pepper soup, heartmen, and neegee.

When Helene was eight, the Coopers took in a foster child - a common custom among the Liberian elite. Eunice, a Bassa girl, suddenly became known as "Mrs. Cooper's daughter".

For years, the Cooper daughters - Helene, her sister Marlene, and Eunice - blissfully enjoyed the trappings of wealth and advantage. But Liberia was like an unwatched pot of water left boiling on the stove. And on April 12, 1980, a group of soldiers staged a coup d'état, assassinating President William Tolbert and executing his cabinet.

The Coopers and the entire Congo class were now the hunted, being imprisoned, shot, tortured, and raped. After a brutal daylight attack by a ragtag crew of soldiers, Helene, Marlene, and their mother fled Sugar Beach, and then Liberia, for America. They left Eunice behind.

A world away, Helene tried to assimilate as an American teenager. At the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill she found her passion in journalism, eventually becoming a reporter for the Wall Street Journal and the New York Times. She reported from every part of the globe - except Africa - as Liberia descended into war-torn, third-world hell. But in 2003 a near-death experience in Iraq convinced Helene that Liberia - and Eunice - could wait no longer.

At once a deeply personal memoir and an examination of a violent and stratified country, The House at Sugar Beach tells of tragedy, forgiveness, and transcendence with unflinching honesty and a survivor's gentle humor. And at its heart, it is a story of Helene Cooper's long voyage home.

©2008 Helene Cooper (P)2008 Simon & Schuster Audio

Critic reviews

"Rendered with aching nostalgia and wonderful language [it] is a voyage of return, through which the author seeks to recover the past and to find that missing sister, even as the war deepens over the years to come." ( Kirkus)
"Among Cooper's aims in becoming a journalist were to reveal the atrocities committed in her native country. With amazing forthrightness, she has done so, delivering an eloquent, if painful, history of the African migratory experience." ( Ms. Magazine)
"Helene Cooper's memoir is a remarkable page-turner: gripping, perceptive, sometimes hilarious, and always moving." (Jeffrey D. Sachs)

Great Book

Great read. Life changing Literature that tells a unique perspective of Liberia’s history. Well Done!

Reader made this book for me.

Helene Cooper has basically written an autobiography set in Liberia. Her voice, especially when she uses Liberian English, is wonderful. This book covers history of Liberia, which is little known to most Americans. She is a journalist and perhaps that is why the words flow so smoothly. I highly recommend this as a book more enjoyable to listen to than to read just to fall under the spell of her cadence.

Great Read

This book was a great read. I read other books related to the creation of Liberia. This one was insightful coming from a native Liberian perspective

Beautiful story

The amazing story of the Americo-Liberian young woman and her family journey through one of the most horrific war conflicts of our time. I learned so much and I truly enjoyed this story. Thank you Helene for sharing your life with us!

Fascinating read

This was such a fascinating read! Or should I say ‘listen’. I think I would have missed some level of color were it not for the native speaker reading it. She made me feel as if I was there. She told the story from so many sides, I felt like I was one of the characters. I did however have to listen to it twice to understand the dialect. That was good too. Each time I listened, I gained a new thought. Thanks so much Helene Cooper for bringing this to us. This was especially important for Black History Month. A definite must read or listen. No, you must listen to get the fullness of it.

Great History Lesson

This book grew on me. I had to get use to the full, monotone voice of the narrator. Once that happened I was able to focus on what she was saying. I truly enjoyed the history of Liberia and Helena’s life growing up there. Her Mother was such a strong and selfless person. Thank you for sharing your life. You never know what people go through to get to where they are. I admire Helena’s grit, determination and accomplishments. I hold your foot—love that!!!

Brilliant writing

I could not stop listening once I started. Awesome read and listen. I laughed, cried, and rejoiced throughout the book.

Authentic

I loved the way the author used her voice to mimic the other individuals in the book. The descriptive language helped me to visualize the areas in the book

Can't recommend it

I listened to this for my bookclub. I am not sure if the author reading it herself was what made it fall flat for me or if I just didn't like her writing. The topic was interesting but her writing didn't compell me to keep listening- I only finished it because I had to. First off the beginning was extremely boring and should have been edited better. The history lesson was great but the repetitive descriptions of child's play was snooze worthy. The horrific experience of her mother at the hands of the soldiers was not infused with the emotion that it must have generated. There is no passion in her writing and it was hard to believe that she is such a successful journalist. The only 2 people in the book I felt any sympathy for was her mom and of course her adopted sister Eunis. Helene had a privileged childhood and became a privileged American. Despite the tragedy of her family she survived and thrived and I really wanted to connect with her, however her writing didnt allow it to happen.