One of the best gifts you can give an author is a (good) review. It doesn’t have to be long, literary and fancy. A simple, ‘I loved this book/I’d recommend it’, or even just a star rating, is enough/ Or course, you should feel free to wax lyrical, too – just leave out the spoilers, please!
So, on behalf of myself and all my fellow authors, let me remind you that good reviews are free, quick and always fallen upon with lavish glee.
This Christmas, I’m asking for a little extra too. And it’s not for me, it’s for Bhola’s Children.
Many of you will know of the utter turmoil in Bangladesh at the moment. The political situation is dire, life is precarious, even unsafe, for so many ordinary people – worse for the poorest communities – and the cost of living crisis is compounding it all. On a personal level, Bhola’s Children, our charity for children with disabilities, is on a knife edge. It isn’t going to survive as is, but it is going to survive: at best as the thriving home and school it’s become; at ‘worst’ in terms of the legacy it leaves behind.
Bhola’s Children was established in 2007, inspired by my travel memoir to Bangladesh, A Blonde Bengali Wife. From a tiny, temporary home for a dozen young people, it has grown to including a school and educational centre, a physiotherapy hub, and a practical training workshop. You can read all about it here Bhola’s Children
Its enduring legacy is how it has changed the perception of disability on Bhola Island – home to 2 million people in the Bay of Bengal. The awareness-raising programme has altered attitudes and changed children’s lives – from winning national art competitions to participating in the world Special Olympics, to returning to the school to teach the next generation, our young people have done it!
Nearly eighteen years on, funds are low, the local committee is in disarray (through no fault of their own) and Bhola’s Children needs a new direction to be sustainable. We’re not yet sure what that is, and we’re hampered by a Foreign Office directive that recommends none but essential travel to Bangladesh. But nothing stays the same, and it will rise – somehow!
So here’s my plea: please buy a copy of A Blonde Bengali Wife. Or if you’ve already read it, leave a review on Amazon. The memoir is still available as a 2nd edition eBook. Obviously, I’m biased but it’s a good read – funny, easy, informative and still relevant. It’s only £2.99. And all the royalties go (and always have done) to Bhola’s Children.
It’s available here: A Blonde Bengali Wife
It won’t save Bhola’s Children, but what it will do demonstrate our faith in and solidarity with all the children, young people, staff and supporters who have always made the home, a home. And it will show them that none of them are ever forgotten. That, as they say, is priceless.
And of course, if you do have a few million spare ££ or $$ or €€, and want to do a good deed, just get in touch!
Thank you - and Season's Greetings, whatever you celebrate.
Anne x
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