Book: Anita and Me by Meera Syal

Don’t give them a chance to say we’re worse than they we are. You prove you are better. Always.

I saw the film adaptation in the early 2000s. It was primarily a comedy with some drama elements, but the book presents a more balanced blend of both.

This work is semi-autobiographical, but it offers so much more. Set in a fictional village in Wolverhampton, the story explores young Meena’s infatuation and later friendship with an older girl named Anita, while also weaving in and out of the lives of the villagers. Notably, it is set in the 1970s, a time when we are introduced to early adopters of the National Front stance. The phrase "it's not you, it's everyone else" came to mind while reading.

Meena and her parents are the only Indians in the former mining village. The rural setting reminds her mother, a teacher, of her upbringing in India, even though they lived in New Delhi before emigrating. She prefers this environment to the concrete landscape of nearby Wolverhampton, where they regularly visit friends.

Meena understands the importance of passing her 11+ exam to attend a good school, which ultimately leads to their family moving to Walsall to attend said establishment.

(I know this bit is likely true in the author's story as the family later moved to Walsall)

Anita and Me is 30 years old but feels fresh, unlike some 10-year-old books I’ve read that already seem dated. Meera Syal has a way - like all good authors - of taking you right inside her kitchen and those of her neighbours, ducking in and out of the fair, the local shop and visiting family friends - or family as she would describe it.

You take the best of their culture, not the worse. You'll be swearing and urinating in telephone boxes next.