Precious is Precious

Precious Williams’ fluid and engaging writing skills transported me, the reader into her early childhood and teenage years experiences with such vivid descriptive flair that many times I felt as though I was walking the journey with her, though as an invisible and helpless friend.

Her memoir is a transparent, reflective jigsaw puzzle that she has pieced together, enabling the reader to follow effortlessly with clarity and depth along this emotional rollercoaster ride of confusion, fear, trauma and triumph. Every page gave me a further thought or moved me in someway which is evidenced through the numerous dog ear folds and underlining that are present within my copy of the book.

In 1971 an ad was placed in Nursery World "Private foster parents required for a three-month-old baby”. Nanny, a 60-year-old white foster parent in rural England, who loves black babies due to Uncle Tom’s Cabin, applies and here is where Precious’ story begins.

The confusion, ignorance, clarity and struggles Williams encounters along the way are astonishing and heart rendering, whilst the relationship between Nanny and Williams’ mother are at times comical. The power mainly lies with her biological mother, who is a “haughty” Nigerian woman from an upper class background whose position was far removed from the status quo of England at that time. Such was her presence Williams for a long time thought “Black women ran the world”.

As a counsellor I cannot ignore the amount of self-processing Precious has gone through in order to connect the dots, become self-aware, understand and “be”. This in itself is an achievement, though to then encapsulate her journey to be read by the masses in such an engaging and coherent way is on a completely different level.

The social workers' real notes and reports are printed throughout the book, revealing a different and eerie tone to Precious’ encounters. They confirm incidences that at the time Precious found hard to make sense of due to her age, whilst also containing the attitude of authorities towards black children. One report commended Nanny for "giving this coloured girl more attention than most would”.

Her personal story transcends beyond touching those who can relate and those who empathise, as within lies qualitative data. Williams’ experience highlights so many themes and paves the way for further discussions to be had on numerous level; ‘race’, identity, the signs and symptoms of behaviour, the affects of being placed into care, the impact this has on adult years and the more recent discussions of whether adoption should be colour blind (my thoughts on this debate can be found within my past article Colour Blindness is not the way forward), need to be had.

Nanny clearly loved Precious, though love without the embracing of cultural differences had a major impact on self, self-worth and identity, as is evident within. Her story holds immense worth and can be used to inspire others who have have had similar experiences and used to help help find and incorporate new solutions for the promotion of a healthy considered adoptive system.

Her experience also furthers my belief that parents, teachers and social workers for example need to know the possible causes to the change in children and young adult’s behaviour. The signs and symptoms are there, however you have to know what the signs are in order to process what may be going on. This is an under acknowledged priority.

Captivating and heart-wrenching. Beautifully written and immensely powerful, I am glad Precious Williams shared her story.

Related Posts:

1.Colour Blindness is not the way Forward

2.Dazzled by the Stars...

3.Simon Says...

© Lisa Bent 2011