Anita and Me (New Press International Fiction Series) [Hardcover]

Meera Syal (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 1997 | Series: New Press International Fiction Series

The prize-winning coming-of-age novel about a young Indian girl in northern England. Winner of the Betty Trask Award and finalist for the Guardian Fiction Award, Anita and Me, which has been compared to To Kill a Mockingbird, tells the story of Meena, the daughter of the only Punjabi family in the British village of Tollington. With great warmth and humor, Meera Syal brings to life a quirky, spirited 1960s mining town and creates in her protagonist what the Washington Post calls a "female Huck Finn." The novel follows nine-year-old Meena through a year spiced with pilfered sweets and money, bad words, and compulsive, yet inventive, lies. Anita and Me offers a fresh, sassy look at a childhood caught between two cultures.

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

Syal's debut paints a humorous and quirky portrait of a 1960s British mining town and a young girl stuck between her Punjabi family and her white, working-class neighbors. Meena Kumar, one of four nonwhite kids in her school, spends her time eavesdropping on the Yard Ladies, lying to her parents, perfecting her accent, and chasing after Anita Rutter and her gang. Even the arrival of a new brother and a visit from her grandmother do not manage to keep Meena out of trouble. It is only when Meena stands up to Anita's racist boyfriend, Sam, that things begin to change. Syal gives the reader a real feel for the neighborhood and its residents. At times you can almost smell the fish fingers and hear the Yard Ladies yelling back and forth over their fences. Syal has a gift of comedy that she uses to weave this delightful story. Recommended.?Editha Ann Wilberton, Kansas City P.L., Kan.
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Kirkus Reviews

Nine-year-old Meena Kumar's cheeky narrative of her life as the only Punjabi girl in a small English village unfolds through wonderfully evocative description. Tollington, a once-thriving Midlands mining village, is, in the early '70s, on the decline. When the mines shut down, the men are idled while the town's suddenly assertive women form the Ballbearings Committee, a name to designate their employment at the local factory (among other things). A highway threatens to take away part of the village, the grammar school is closing down, skinheads are beginning to loiter in the kiddie park, and suburban sprawl is inching closer. These ominous changes form the background of the inventive Meena's life. She is alternately amused and embarrassed by her family and idolizes the roughest, brassiest girl in town, Anita Rutter. Meena is, much to her parents' chagrin, no angel: She lies, commits minor thefts, and has the bad habit of making vulgar remarks when her prim and proper aunties are around. Each small incident that Meena tells about leads to an arsenal of vividly described related anecdotes before the linear narrative is finally regained, a process that forms an endearing, richly three- dimensional picture of Meena and her family. Meanwhile, the story of the girl's relationship with Anita nicely illuminates the difficult, unspoken politics of childhood friendship. The two girls lead a gang, bully others, and engage in exuberant antics even though, in an increasingly poor and tense England, there is always an ominous undercurrent to events. Anita's black poodle is named ``Nigger,'' a local Indian bank manager is the victim of a racial attack, and Meena's secret love becomes a boot-stomping skinhead. Meena's loss of innocence, and her recognition of her heritage, coincides with her realization that her seemingly harmonious village also harbors violence, hatred, and fear. Syal handles all of this with an expert hand. Far from just another coming-of-age saga, Syal's impressive debut offers a charming yet troubling evocation of recent times. -- Copyright ©1997, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 328 pages
• Publisher: New Press; F edition (April 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 156584372X
• ISBN-13: 978-1565843721
• Product Dimensions: 8.6 x 5.8 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (24 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,607,273 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Outstanding, August 30, 2000

By 

A. Ross (Washington, DC) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Anita and Me (Paperback)

A very wonderful and touching tale of a young Indian girl growing up in a small Midlands town in 1960s England. The book succeeds on two levels, both as the coming of age tale of young girl, dealing with her "differentness" and desire to assimilate, and as the story of a whole generation of immigrants from the subcontinent. In many ways it has that "young adult" book feel to it, lots of familiar clichéd plot devices and characters, but the nicely drawn setting makes it very different from what American readers may be used to. In particular, the use of slang stand out as particularly well-written. The only quibble I have is the jumbling of pop-culture references which don't seem to make any sense: 1960's "To Kill A Mockingbird" is called a "new" book from America, whereas fashion references seem to place it as late 60s, whereas teen heartthrob references (Donny Osmond, Shaun Cassidy) seem to place it in the 70s, and skinhead fashions are of the 1968-9 era. These are minor annoyances though, and barely distract from the touching and sometimes gut wrenching story of a little girl learning about herself.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars You'll laugh, you'll cry, you'll get hungry for indian food, May 11, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Anita and Me (New Press International Fiction Series) (Hardcover)

This is truly one of the best books I have read in a very long time. Syal's prose is not meerly proficient but utterly engaging. In Meena she creates a character who is so utterly charming that even her darkest deeds (like losing her mother's diamond necklace) seem excusable lapses in a temperament which is essentially both good and clever. Meena's cheeky and almost achingly accurate narrative of what it is like to be young and growing up in a small village when all you want to do is grow up and get away will strike a long-buried chord in many readers, it certainly did in me. In this extemely funny novel Syal's political agenda is suitably both understated and omnipresent, never overshadowing Meena's hilarious antics and inevitable (and literal) fall from grace. I will be recommending this book to anyone who will listen, buy it now - its fantastic.

Angie Ryan.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Anita and Me!, December 26, 2004

By 

Austin Parimanath - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Anita and Me (Paperback)

Oh how I enjoyed this one my dad asked me to read it and I absolutley adored this book about the Kumar's living in the 1900's or so and racism she endured. It was hilarious at SSR I would be laughing my heart out, and everyone would look at me funny. It was sad, but enjoyable. Meena is not accepted into the English world, but doesn't seem to fit in with her Indian family. You can relate if you are a kid who lies a lot trying to make your life exciting. Meena is a very enjoyable character she's smart, funny, imaginitive, creative (same thing i guess), charming, and witty. This is a book as a kid I reccomend for everyone!