What do You think about Anita And Me (1999)?
This book is a moving portrayal of growing up in the 70s as a nine year old Indian girl. It touches on personal subjects such as racism, the usual subjects of insecurities, friendships etc and the environmental changes in the day – a motorway being built through the middle of their village. I like Meera’s moving way with words – talking about her new baby brother - “I disliked him on first sight, a scrawny, yowling thing with a poached egg of a face, his long fingers clinging gekko-like to mama’s nightgown front whilst she held him up to me for a first sister’s kiss. I brushed his cheek sullenly with my mouth, it felt downy and damp, a strange smell of custard and roses made my nostrils twitch and for a second, he stopped crying and looked straight at me with wise old man eyes. The knowledge in them made me step back a moment. He had the face of a travel-weary prodigal, ancient dust and the maps of several continents lay on his brow, he had comet trails in his nappy and sea shells crushed between his toes. He was only a day old and I knew he had already seen places I would only ever dream of.”Also when she is describing listening to her friend “I would gasp for air and wait enthralled for the next revelation, each one tilting my small world slightly off its axis so I saw the familiar and mundane through new cynical eyes, Anita’s eyes.” She has a way to bring a moment to life.I also like the way Meera creates the character of Meena from her being a sulky, spoiled little girl and how she grows through experience. A book anyone can relate to if they think back to their own childhood.
—Sharon
"Anita and Me" is the best book I've read in years. I loved the simple style of storytelling--without any of the modern thrills and frills. No cliffhanger at the end of each chapter, no perilous adventure. Just beautiful, almost poetic description which perfectly captures a 10-year old child's perspective, with a touch of good ol' British humour. The main purpose of the book, of course, is outlining life of first and second generation South Asian immigrants in the 60's and 70's. I felt it was truly remarkable that I could relate to these characters on so many levels, despite being an immigrant of completely different circumstances and time period. A must-read for every immigrant, every South Asian, everyone friends with an immigrant--in fact, a must-read for everyone!
—Pooja जान
Anita and Me is the thinly-disguised autobiography of Meera Syal who grew up as the only non-white child in her village in the Midlands* of England in the 1960s and 70s. Of course I don’t know exactly how much was changed but if the name change is typical, it can’t be much – the main character’s name is Meena. There’s a point where a hospital nurse tells her, “I can’t pronounce your name, I’ll just call you Mary” and I thought – What? Can’t pronounce Meena? And it’s nothing like Mary … and then realized no, she was talking about Meera and then it makes sense.Anyway, it’s quite a funny/sad story in parts. It took me ages to read the first half (where Meena is a rather unsympathetic character, with her pointless lies and stealing) but I raced through the second half.* I can't imagine why some reviewers call it Northern England. She makes it very clear it's set just outside Wolverhampton.
—Rosemary
