Publisher's Synopsis
Rarely do we get an inside look at the effects of immigration on a child. We follow this little girl's journey within the covers of Bat Mitzvah Girl, we see through her eyes as she is reunited with her strong-willed mother and charming father, and becomes the beloved child of four loving Jewish childless aunties in London's East End. This is the true story of one immigrant child growing up in two very different cultures. She is loved and disrespected; protected and vulnerable; happy and sad - and is posed with the problem of figuring out who she is in all this divergence. Migration calls for lots of adjustments and, once they are made, a whole new set appears as Beverley is once again living in Jamaica with her dominant grandmother and a host of colorful relatives. Customs are challenging; school is terrorizing. She doesn't know what to believe, but she is surrounded by loving (if contradictory!) viewpoints in both England and Jamaica. Beverley's coming of age story deals with delicate issues of race, separation and longing and an abundance of family love. Walk with Beverley through this jumble of relationships and experiences. Know her confusion, feel her love of justice, see her shrink and grow within the loving embrace of different folks from different cultures, and see how they all work things out. These patchworks of experiences mould her to be the woman she is today. ***** Praise for Bat Mitzvah Girl "Bev East's charismatic personality and expansive humanity illuminate this tie-dyed sunburst reminiscence of a wide-eyed childhood spent in Jamaica and the UK. As much personal recollection as a travelogue - Bat Mitzvah Girl brings together two of the world's most tragic Diasporas in one Love." Colin Channer - Author of Waiting in Vain and the Girl with the Golden Shoes
