Doris M. Bailey

Doris M. Bailey's childhood memoir Children of the Green chronicles her early life growing up in the impoverished London neighborhood of Bethnal Green during the 1920s and 1930s. Written late in her life, this book displays Bailey's sharp photographic memory, as her remembrances are laced with remarkable detail. The memoir begins with the dreadful shame of one day being designated a "three" at school, meaning that her head was found to have nits; and ends with the family's uplifting move from Bethnal Green to a new flat in Leytonstone. Between those bookends, Bailey recounts with warmth, affection, and a nostalgic air the ups and downs of her childhood and the experiences, customs, and personalities that comprised the old neighborhood.… (mais)