Yoruba Girl Dancing

Simi Bedford wrote a novel called Yoruba Girl Dancing. It's about a little girl name Remi Foster who was born in a Nigerian family, in Africa. She loves her family and accepts the way of life. She lives in an extended family and lives with love and culture all around her. But when she is around six years old she is moved by her father to England to become a perfect little English girl. She is sent where she is the only black girl in a school. She goes through being teased by her classmates, about her culture, and of what race she is from. Her family told her they would come back and she discovers lies. She has to celebrate her holidays with strangers she has never met before. She realizes that she has to learn two different cultures and must make a choice which one she takes, which makes her Yoruba girl dancing. The way she confronts the teasing and taunting shows me that she is a strong person. The book it's self I liked. The culture that is shown through a little girl's eyes is amazing. How her friend wants to make a spell on another girl just because she doesn't like her makes me laugh. I see myself when I was little and how my family was different to others families. It showed me that I was not alone. Simi the author, must have experienced the same thing when she was growing up. Remi is a strong girl. Remi lives most of her life in a different country, different culture and manages to survive with no one really shows her and guides her. She is ready for anything that comes across her path. With a strong plot and exciting story and I would want any one in their pre-teens to read this book. If they like to read about change and differences in some ones life I would recommend you to read this book. It would lead you through a wave of emotions.

I have no idea how this book came into my possession, but I am glad that it did. This book is great - entertaining, frustrating, thought-provoking, etc. Remi, the main character, was an absolute delight. Her descriptions and observations of people and goings on were hysterical - I laughed out loud several times while reading this book (her description of her father's actions in London had me in tears). She was also a very brave little girl who handled the various situations that she found herself in with such skill and grace that I had to keep re-reading passages to find out how old she was at various points. For a different kind of coming of age story, please check this book out.

This was a beautifully written novel. And its perspective is delightfully unique. I've been waiting for years for Bedford to write another book.