The House at Sugar Beach by Helene Cooper

Liberia is a country founded by former slaves settled there by Americans who felt that it was a good idea to send ex-slaves back to Africa. Helene Cooper captures some of that history in her memoir as she recounts the participation of her forebears in the event; then she moves on to describe more recent political events in Liberia. As a member of one of the country's wealthy families, she was able to escape the place when the political situation got nasty. She transitioned into an American college student and eventually became a reporter who traveled all over the world. The House at Sugar Beach is an interesting memoir, both as character study and as a recounting of historical events most of us know little about.