Paid Servant
by E. R. Braithwaite
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E. R. Braithwaite, the acclaimed author of To Sir, With Love, poignantly recounts his time as a social worker dedicated to London's abandoned minority children Despite his Cambridge education and a sterling record with the British Royal Air Force during World War II, E. R. Braithwaite, a black man, was unable to find employment as an engineer in post-war London. Instead he accepted a position as a teacher in a tough East End school and wrote of his experiences in his classic bestseller To show more Sir, With Love. Nine years later, Braithwaite once again found himself assuming an unfamiliar professional role as a social worker charged with finding homes for London's orphaned, abused, or abandoned "coloured" children. While he lacked formal training, Braithwaite possessed qualities essential for the job: compassion, determination, and a deep, abiding understanding and love for the helpless, lost, and disregarded. In Paid Servant, E. R. Braithwaite shares his experiences in London's Department of Child Welfare, focusing on the case of his four-year-old client Roddy, a bright, handsome mulatto boy who was rejected for adoption by both black and white families because he was not their "own kind." Everywhere he turned, Braithwaite encountered racial prejudice. But he was willing to fight for what he believed in, and he believed in Roddy. Writing with great power, warmth, and a deep belief in human dignity and worth, Braithwaite offers a heartbreaking yet hopeful look into a society's attempt to care for its youngest, most vulnerable citizens. show lessTags
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28 Jan 2008 - Kidney Research
By the author of To Sir With Love, this follows Braithwaite into his career in Welfare Services. Although he has no formal training, he is thrown in at the deep end and asked to sort out some of the long-term cases of children needing adopting, most of whom are mixed race. As usual, he is forthright, opinionated, angry and caring. There's a very interesting thread on "Your People" through the book, which he finds ranges from the black community as a whole (black being used to denote non-white) to people who work for social services. A lovely, compassionate and passionate book. I hope some of the reactions he finds are now outdated (I don't think I'm visibly shocked if I open the door to find someone of a show more different race from mine), but the feelings, care and passion he puts forward certainly are not. show less
By the author of To Sir With Love, this follows Braithwaite into his career in Welfare Services. Although he has no formal training, he is thrown in at the deep end and asked to sort out some of the long-term cases of children needing adopting, most of whom are mixed race. As usual, he is forthright, opinionated, angry and caring. There's a very interesting thread on "Your People" through the book, which he finds ranges from the black community as a whole (black being used to denote non-white) to people who work for social services. A lovely, compassionate and passionate book. I hope some of the reactions he finds are now outdated (I don't think I'm visibly shocked if I open the door to find someone of a show more different race from mine), but the feelings, care and passion he puts forward certainly are not. show less
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10+ Works 1,633 Members
Eustace Edward Ricardo Braithwaite was born in Georgetown, British Guiana on June 27, 1912. He studied at Queen's College, Guyana and at the City College of New York. He moved to Britain after working at an oil refinery in Aruba. In 1940, he volunteered for service in the Royal Air Force. In 1949, he received a master's degree in physics from show more Cambridge University. From 1960 to 1963, he was a human-rights officer at the World Veterans Federation and from 1963 to 1966, he was a lecturer and education consultant at Unesco. From 1967 to 1969, he served as the first permanent representative of Guyana to the United Nations. He was later Guyana's ambassador to Venezuela. He taught at several universities including Howard University, New York University, and Florida State University. He wrote several books during his lifetime including Paid Servant, A Kind of Homecoming, Choice of Straws, Reluctant Neighbors, and Honorary White: A Visit to South Africa. To Sir, With Love, a memoir of teaching in London's deprived East End, was adapted into a film starring Sidney Poitier in 1967. He died on December 12, 2016 at the age of 104. (Bowker Author Biography) show less
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Common Knowledge
- Original publication date
- 1962
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- Members
- 73
- Popularity
- 430,146
- Reviews
- 1
- Rating
- (3.31)
- Languages
- English
- Media
- Paper, Ebook
- ISBNs
- 10
- ASINs
- 6
