Review: Dignity and pride in the face of cruelty and prejudice. A true story
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 07 16, 2011
What a poignant true tale.A young Jamaican girl, whose mother was white, and father black, goes to England just before the outbreak of WW2 in the hope of becoming a dancer.The dance school cannot accept her, and so she turns instead to nursing, a career that she loves. She longs to qualify and return to her family in Jamaica and make them proud of her.Naive, religious, timid, she becomes the victim of a callous encounter, and with an illegitimate child she can no longer be accepted as a nurse. She must find ways and means to support her little girl, and is prepared to endure any humiliation as long as she can give her child a good education. She is too ashamed to let her family in Jamaica learn what has happened to her.Her story is written by her daughter, mainly in diary form. Olga suffers because of the colour of her skin, but also receives much kindness from nursing staff and people with influence. However, with a small child, finding work and keeping a job is not easy. Throughout her ordeals she shows no sign of self-pity or bitterness. She gets on with her life as best she can to raise her child.I can't remember where I saw this book mentioned; I think it was on Facebook, but I am so glad that I followed up and bought it. I became so attached to Olga that I have written to her daughter to ask for further news about her, so I think the author has done an excellent job of portraying a memorable woman of great dignity and courage.