Culture Writer Ilina Jha takes on Culture’s ‘Story of My Life’ feature, reviewing the books which have been most formative for her from childhood through to adulthood
Childhood
Warning: The books in this section were all written in the early to mid-20th century and contain evidence of attitudes (regarding race, ethnicity, gender etc.) that we now consider to be offensive and wrong. I still find these books very enjoyable otherwise, but I think it is important to note these issues.
Swallows and Amazons series (1930-47) by Arthur Ransome
This classic children’s book series follows the holiday activities of the Walker, Blackett, and Callum children in the Lake District and beyond (plus the Coot Club children in the Norfolk Broads). From camping, sailing, exploring, being shipwrecked, and even gold-mining, there is certainly no end of adventure for the children! These books captured my imagination as a child, and I even dressed up as the character Dorothea ‘Dot’ Callum for World Book Day in Year 5. These books inspired me to learn to sail and have enhanced my many family trips to the Lake District.
Malory Towers series (1946-51) and The St Clare’s series (1941-45) by Enid Blyton
The popularity of these boarding-school stories is exemplified by the fact that, on every World Book Day, there would be at least one pair of girls representing the St Clare’s twins in my class. I loved reading these books, and I drew on important lessons from these stories, such as the value of doing your best and giving people a chance to change and reform. In many ways, the books tell pretty much the same story every time – there are always pranks to be made on teachers; there is always triumph at a sporting match; and there is always a midnight feast that has to be carefully planned so as to avoid discovery. But I think this is what I liked at the time about the books – the stories were familiar, and thus comforting. Perhaps I would find them more tedious now; as a child, however, I read and reread them many times.
I drew on important lessons from these stories, such as the value of doing your best and giving people a chance to change and reform.
Anne of Green Gables series (1908-1939) by L. M. Montgomery
Anne of Green Gables (1908) is a key childhood classic that sparked my imagination as a child. Anne Shirley is such a dynamic, loveable character, and the recent Netflix adaptation Anne with an E (2017-2019) testifies to the enduring popularity of her story. Anne of Green Gables had a big impact on my childhood imaginative encounters with the world. As a young adult, not only have I reread Anne of Green Gables, but I have also read the other books in the series – from Anne of Avonlea right through to Anne of Ingleside. These books, which continue to feature Anne’s humorous mistakes alongside touching and heartfelt moments, as well as more serious themes relevant to adulthood, have been very thought-provoking for me as a young adult.
Anne of Green Gables had a big impact on my childhood imaginative encounters with the world.
Teenage years/young adulthood
Pride and Prejudice (1813) by Jane Austen
13-year-old me was initially very grumpy at being forced to watch the BBC adaptation (starring Jennifer Ehle and Colin Firth) with my family. However, one episode in and I was hooked. Once we’d finished the series, I read the book. While I found the style challenging at first (it being so different from anything I’d read before), I managed to persevere.
It was studying Pride and Prejudice for my English Literature GCSE that showed me how rewarding and enjoyable literary analysis could be. While I went on to enjoy the other texts we studied, it was Pride and Prejudice that sparked my love for English literature – the subject I now study here at the University of Birmingham.
Geek Girl series (2013-17) by Holly Smale (includes spoiler)
The final book in this YA series, Forever Geek (2017), is perhaps my favourite in terms of the storyline and the character development of the protagonist, Harriet. She is a geek/unlikely model who, on her journey of growing up and finding confidence in herself, makes many mistakes, but also friends, along the way. Engaging characters and plot aside, this book is particularly special for me due to its importance when I was grieving the loss of my paternal grandfather. Spoiler alert: There is a scene in which Harriet spends one last evening with her terminally ill step-grandmother, whose optimism in the face of death makes a terrible situation a little bit more bearable. Rereading this scene was a great comfort to me, so much so that I even used it as a reading in our home remembrance of my grandfather.
Engaging characters and plot aside, this book is particularly special for me due to its importance when I was grieving the loss of my paternal grandfather.
Why I’m No Longer Talking to White People About Race (2017) by Renni Eddo-Lodge
Content warning: references to racism and the murder of George Floyd
Like so many people, I read this book in the wake of the murder of George Floyd in June 2020. I had considered myself to be reasonably knowledgeable when it came to racism and race; however, Renni Eddo-Lodge’s book was a huge eye-opener for me. As well as outlining the history of race relations in the UK, Eddo-Lodge explains how racism functions as a large, systemic form of oppression that can manifest in subtle and implicit ways, including in our own internalised prejudices, which we have to confront. She also makes it clear that we should be willing to learn from our mistakes, rather than getting upset when we’re called out on them because we ‘didn’t mean’ to be racist. I would highly recommend this book to anyone – it transformed my understanding of racism and what we can do to be anti-racist.
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