Borrowed Body - Softcover

Mason-John, Valerie

4.2

25 ratings by Goodreads

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1852428910 ISBN 13: 9781852428914

Publisher: Serpent's Tail, 2005

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?I could have been born and raised in Africa. But my Spirit was in too much of a rush to be reincarnated? At six weeks I was chucked out into the new year of 1965 which wasn?t prepared to welcome an African baby, abandoned on a harsh English winter?s day.? So begins Pauline?s spirited and moving story of her childhood and teenage years in and out of foster homes and detention units, and back and forth to Dr Barnardo?s ?Village? in Essex. Her Barnardo?s ?family? was ruled by an unlikely trio ? Aunty Claire, a born-again Christian; her laconic husband, the German Uncle Boris; and the cook, Aunty Morag. Woven into this feisty, quirky account are Pauline?s angel and spirit companions ? Sparky, Annabel and the Snake ? who play havoc helping her to survive in the ?real world?. The Barnardo?s good times are shattered by the sudden visits of her mother, who she calls Wunmi and with whom she goes to live in a London highrise. Wunmi?s method of refashioning Pauline into a dutiful African child is literally to knock the English out of her. But survive she does? A share of the profits from sales of this book will be donated to Barnardo?s

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Review:

?An extraordinary piece of work? Sara Maitland ?Luminous, funny and deeply moving, Borrowed Body is Valerie Mason-John's powerful debut about growing up black, female and in care. 70s and 80s Britain becomes another country, a land of foster homes, squats, and worse, where grace under pressure is the very least of what's needed, and it's all seen through the eyes of a girl they called ?Minstrel?? Bonnie Greer ?A riveting, truthful, touching read that tells us new things about the secret lives of children? Maggie Gee

About the Author:

Valerie Mason-John (aka Queenie) was born in Cambridge in 1962. She has worked as an international correspondent, covering a range of stories from Australian Aboriginal Land Rights to interviewing Sinn Fein prisoners in Maghaberry Prison, Northern Ireland and has contributed to the Guardian, The Voice and the Morning Star. She currently works as a trainer using forum theatre, drama and creative writing for temper control and conflict resolution. Winner of the Windrush Achievement Award 2000, she lives in south London.

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