Used book – The House at Sugar Beach, Hélène Cooper

Helene Cooper grew up among the privileged "Congos" – descendants of freed American slaves who founded Liberia in the 19th century. A month after the April 12, 1980 coup d'état, she fled to the United States with her mother and sister. This autobiographical account superimposes the tragic history of contemporary Liberia onto a joyful and carefree childhood, abruptly interrupted by civil war. With a subtle blend of tenderness and honesty, she describes how people like her became guilty of terrible injustices without being monstrous.

Once you start reading, it's impossible to put down this text, with its powerful images, colors, and scents, which lifts the veil on Liberia. Alexandra Schwartzbrod, Libération.