Isn’t this “21st century” supposed to be more accommodating and developed? Why do people still have to go through the pain of being either migrants or refugee seekers? For my second blog, I will talk about how lots of people have been displayed due to political turmoil, feuds, and also discuss the struggles they face into finding new homes and the struggles they face at their new homes.
In my ASTU class, the topic for discussion has been the issue of refugee seekers with our main case study being Gillian Whitlock’s “We Shall Bear Witness”. In this article, Whitlock manages to talk into detail about the testimonies or the personal accounts of refugee seekers who have endured torture, the act of dehumanization and persecution. In effect, this kind of life narrative emphasizes the struggles of the unfortunate and provokes the feeling of sympathy between the audience and spectators.
However for my second blog, my professor specifically asked her students to walk into a library, pick up a life narrative and analyze it. As soon as I read the prompt, I remembered the classic book I read and analyzed in grade 12; Helene Cooper’s The House At Sugar Beach: In Search of a Lost African Child.
In this book, Helene Cooper tells a story about her childhood as a rich girl in Liberia who lived in a mansion that had 7 bedrooms (which was quite unusual at the time) and had everything at her feet. However, her life gets rough at the age of 14 due to a coup d’état, which leaves Helene, and her family no other option than to leave Liberia leaving her adopted sister Eunice behind.
This book does not have a fancy or deep jacket. On the front page or the cover, you see a full-length picture of a young girl dressed in a beautiful dress either going to school or church. She had this beatific expression on her face, which showed she was extremely happy and peaceful which evokes quite a positive feeling about the book. However, when you move down to read the subtitle “In Search of a Lost African Child”, you realize the striking contrast between the outlook of the book(jacket) and the subject of the book. This makes the reader curious about the book.
However, this book has received countless praise from Liberians and the general public as a whole. Feelings were being expressed on sites like goodreads, amazon.ca and even twitter. One of the reviews on goodreads stated that “Wow. In spite of a slow start, this was a beautifully written and poignant memoir.” Another person said, “I enjoyed this book. I never paid much attention to the various struggles going on in Liberia and this provided a graphic picture. It also gave unique insight into the creation of Liberia as an American “colony” and giving it a five star rating.
Cooper gets to share her story and not only gains sympathy from her audience but also shares widespread knowledge about Liberian history.
