First published 2008
Helene Cooper grew up as Liberian royalty at Sugar Beach, a seaside mansion where she lived with her sister Marlene and foster sister Eunice. The Cooper family belonged to the Congo class, descendants of freed American slaves who founded Monrovia in 1820. Their privileged world included servants, luxury cars, and international travel. On April 12, 1980, soldiers assassinated President William Tolbert and targeted the Congo elite for imprisonment, torture, and death. After a violent attack on their home, Helene, Marlene, and their mother escaped to America, leaving Eunice behind. Cooper became a successful journalist for the Wall Street Journal and New York Times, reporting worldwide except in Africa as Liberia collapsed into civil war. A near-death experience in Iraq in 2003 compelled her to return to Liberia and search for Eunice. This memoir examines both Cooper's personal journey and Liberia's brutal transformation from elite privilege to war-torn chaos.
Genres: civil-war, historical-fiction, 20th-century, autobiography, biography-memoir, 21st-century, africa, african-american-historical-fiction
Vibes: atmospheric, emotional, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: found-family, personal-journey
Setting: Sugar Beach, Monrovia, Liberia, America, Iraq
Period: 1980, 2003
354 pages · Hardcover · Simon & Schuster
Content warnings: violence, war