Overview

'I am truly a child of both countries and both cultures.' Born to an Indian father and an English mother, Jamila Gavin's childhood was divided between two worlds. Her earliest memories are of India, where she lived in a crumbling palace built for a prince, and learned to steal sugar cane and suck mangoes. But she would spend much of her childhood in England, where she picked blackberries, got chilblains, and learned to recognise doodlebug bombs. And between the two there were unforgettable journeys, by bullock carts and tongas, crowded trains and romantic P&O liners. A touching and very personal recollection, with a backdrop of world-shaking events, from the Blitz of World War II to the struggle for Indian independence and the assassination of Gandhi. Illustrated with the author's own delightful photographs.

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9780340854624

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Reviews

A timely memoir of her Anglo-Indian childhood which deepens the understanding of her novels . . . a unique record of dual heritage. - The Times Her story provides a fascinating - and not always comfortable - insight into the life of a family straddling two powerfully contrasting cultures. - The Guardian ...offers an enlightening, mixed-race slant on Indian independence as well as an account of a pre-TV, all-skipping 1940s childhood. The contrast between grey, cabbage-scented England and the vibrant sensuality of India is revealing as well. - The Independent evocative and absorbing - Writing Magazine, February-March 2003 a very moving and personal reminiscence...Filled with the author's own delightful and poignant photos, this Anglo-Indian story will touch anyone's heart while also teaching readers about Indian traditions and culture. - 4:teens, April 2003 a hilarious and informative account...It is something many mixed race children will be able to identify with. - The Voice

'A timely memoir of her Anglo-Indian childhood which deepens the understanding of her novels ... a unique record of dual heritage.' -- The Times 'Her story provides a fascinating - and not always comfortable - insight into the life of a family straddling two powerfully contrasting cultures.' -- The Guardian 20021112 '...offers an enlightening, mixed-race slant on Indian independence as well as an account of a pre-TV, all-skipping 1940s childhood. The contrast between grey, cabbage-scented England and the vibrant sensuality of India is revealing as well.' -- The Independent 20021019 'evocative and absorbing' -- Writing Magazine, February-March 2003 20021019 'a very moving and personal reminiscence...Filled with the author's own delightful and poignant photos, this Anglo-Indian story will touch anyone's heart while also teaching readers about Indian traditions and culture.' -- 4:teens, April 2003 20021019 'a hilarious and informative account...It is something many mixed race children will be able to identify with.' -- The Voice 20030818

Author Information

Jamila Gavin is the author of Coram Boy (Whitbread Children's Book of the Year 2000, and shortlisted for the Carnegie Medal), The Wheel of Surya, The Eye of the Horse, The Track of the Wind, The Singing Bowls, The Wormholers, and several other works of fiction for children, including Coming Home, a story about Divali, one of Hodder Wayland's Celebration Stories. She lives in Stroud, Gloucestershire.

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