Precious Williams

Wow! What an amazing book! And what an amazing woman, to come through the ordeal called her life, to make it to where she is today.

Even though she was given up to a foster home as a baby by a mother who apparently couldn't be bothered with a child, unless it was convenient for her, Precious spend most of her life looking for love and acceptance from her mother. This book was at times very disturbing to read, I can't even imagine what it would have been like to live this life.

The author did survive this life and has gone on to become a journalist. More information about all of her achievements can be found at the author's website. http://www.preciouswilliams.com/

I read a ton of biographies when I was growing up and have gotten away from them. I have not read one for quite awhile. This is a genre that I need to rediscover. Reading about other people and what they have gone through makes me appreciate the life that I have and reminds me how strong human nature can be, when it means one's survival.… (plus d'informations)

Precious Anita Williams is placed into an unorthodox foster care situation at just 10 weeks old. Her biological mother is a well-to-do Nigerian woman working in London who, seemingly, has no interest in raising her own daughter. Instead, she leaves her in the care of a couple in their fifties who live in an all white suburb of London. Anita is subsequently sexually molested, belittled, raped, and completely isolated from her African culture. The story of how she overcomes these obstacles to become a successful woman is nothing short of remarkable. However, while the story is riveting, the writing falls a bit flat. As a result, one fails to connect emotionally with the characters, thus rendering the book a bit dull overall.… (plus d'informations)

Precious Williams is practically born into foster care. It's at ten weeks old that she's brought to Mrs. Taylor whom she'll call Nanny. Meanwhile, Precious Anita Williams will be known as "Nin" in reverence of Nanny's beloved literary character, Topsy who is described as a pickaninny in Uncle Tom's Cabin. This sentiment adds to the propriety of this seemingly loosely regulated and trendy practice She's placed with Nanny by her Nigerian mother via an ad in a publication specifically for arranging foster care. The practice was often done between the birth parents and the foster family while the former attended school in England. These arrangements were typically between African parents and white foster parents.

Precious' mother however, is not a student and is descended from Nigerian royalty. She simply doesn't want to be a mother. Yet, she maintains this inconsistent presence in her daughter's life for most of her childhood. Her complaints that Precious is "dull" and the taunting of schoolmates about her being "coloured" leave Precious floating aimlessly between two worlds. One world sees her as Nigerian though she has no connection with this side of herself and the other world is the one she lives in surrounded by white caretakers and school children. She feels thoroughly British but longs to have a sense of blackness.

Color Blind is a fascinating, though often heartbreaking, memoir of a girl navigating race in that she not only wants to find her identity as a person of color, but also who she is beyond the color of her skin.… (plus d'informations)