Anita and Me

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 humour, 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.” 

"Far from just another coming-of-age saga, Syal's impressive debut offers a charming yet troubling evocation of recent times."  -  Kirkus Reviews

Like every nine-year-old girl, Meena can’t wait to grow up and break free from her parents but as the daughter of the only Punjabi family in the mining village of Tollington, her struggle for independence is different from most. She wants fish fingers and chips, not just chapati and dhal; she wants an English Christmas, not the usual interminable Punjabi festivities – but more than anything, more than mini-skirts and the freedom to watch Opportunity Knocks, Meena wants to roam the backyards of working-class Tollington with feisty Anita Rutter and her gang.

Written with great warmth and fun and just a hint of wistfulness, Anita and Me is a unique vision of a British childhood in the Sixties, a childhood caught between two cultures, each on the brink of change.