MY BOOK: GEORGE (THE TEENAGE YEARS)

My book is dedicated to my daughter Davinia and my friend Anoushka. These two young people were children whom I constantly told stories to, based on my childhood experiences – I moved from Jamaica to South London aged 11.

As a small child, Davinia would always say “again” at the end of a story. As teenagers, both Davinia and Anoushka would repeatedly encourage me to write a book, so, one day, they could tell stories to their own children.

When Davinia went to university, and studied art and illustration, she decided her final project would be to illustrate a children’s book, and that book should be mine! So, she persuaded me to write the first few chapters for her to illustrate (and further twisted my arm into reading and recording said chapters!). the recordings became part of an art installation and so the book was started.

The story is an introduction of George to the masses; he is the representative of a generation of people, who have been heavily in the news in recent years.

George is an 11-year-old Windrush boy, who arrived in England from Jamaica in 1965. Narrated in third-person, the story speaks of George’s first experience in a cold country, the absence of an introduction to his new family, the difficulties he faces as a new boy in a new school, the struggles to find his place, his resistance to conforming to stereotypical expectations, and his fights to maintain the self-pride and independence he learnt during his early years in Jamaica.

As George progresses through school and struggles to assimilate, he moves from being the outsider to become a cultural educator to his peers and brings together the different groups within his association. However, he has difficulty reconciling his family and church life with his secular associates.

My book describes how it was for the West Indian immigrant community in London and the group of children they brought from the islands, how they mixed and associated with each other, their embryonic family and the indigenous population.

If you would like to order my book, you can do so via many online stores, including the Waterstones website.

There will also be copies available in the GUS Library. If you need any help using the library, contact Chloe Tilford at chloe.tilford@guhg.co.uk – please do leave a review!

Gilroy

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