I’m super excited about this memoir by Salena Godden called Springfield Road. Godden is the daughter of a white go-go dancer and a black jazz musician who is absent as she grows up. She recalls a childhood that many curly-haired kids will recognize particularly those who lived in isolated communities where they were the only “diversity” of the town.
Godden is a British, poet and performer who lives in London. The BBC has called her the “doyenne of the spoken word scene.” –Heidi Durrow
I was the only brown girl in the playground, definitely — in the village, actually. And, of course, being mixed race was really unusual. People didn’t really know what to call me. Half-caste, I suppose, but that felt like half of something and I’m definitely a whole Salena. There is not half of anything.–Salena Godden
You can listen to her NPR interview here. Get the book here.
