The 25th anniversary edition of Baroness Floella Benjamin's classic memoir, Coming to England. With a foreword by the author and some additional historical information, this is the incredible story of Floella's journey from Trinidad to London, as part of the Windrush generation, to the House of Lords. It is gloriously illustrated throughout by Joelle Avelino, perfect for readers aged 9+.
Floella Benjamin was just a young girl when she, her sister and two brothers arrived in England in 1960 to join their parents, whom they had not seen for fifteen months. They had left their island home of Trinidad to make a new life in London - part of a whole generation of West Indians who were encouraged to move to Britain and help rebuild the country after the Second World War. Reunited with her mother, Floella was too overwhelmed at first to care about the cold weather and the noise and dirt from the traffic.
But, as her new life began, she was shocked and distressed by the rejection she experienced. She soon realized that the only way to survive was to work twice as hard and be twice as good as anyone else. This inspirational story is a powerful reminder of how courage and determination can overcome adversity.
Orders for the Schools Virtual Event
Website pre-orders for the event close at midnight on Wednesday 4th June. If you have missed the deadline and would like to place an order, please do contact the shop as we may still have stock available.
Please ensure you enter your child’s full name, class and school name in the ‘Note to Bookseller’ comments box – this is to ensure we can get your order to you.
If purchasing an additional copy to ‘Pay it Forward’ please also make a note of this in at this point.
All books ordered ahead of the deadline on 4th June will be collated and delivered to the school, ready for the event. Orders can still be placed after the event for collected from the bookshop for free or sent by post. Any additional copies bought via ‘Pay It Forward’ will be collated for the school to redistribute as needed. Please note books will not be signed by the author as this is a virtual event only.
