Red Dust Road
I've just finished reading Red Dust Road - the life story so far of Jackie Kay - one of Scotland's best known poets.
Jackie has an interesting 'hinterland', as they say - adopted soon after she was born by John and Helen Kay, lifelong socialists from Glasgow.
Jackie's birth mother was a young Scottish woman from Nairn and her birth father was a young Nigerian student - whom she met briefly while he was studying in Aberdeen.
Red Dust Road tells the story of Jackie's life with John and Helen Kay - and her subsequent search for her birth mother and father.
The book is a delight - funny, sad, powerful and poignant - all at the same time.
The opening chapter tells the story of Jackie's reunion with her birth father Jonathan in Nigeria - where he has become a born-again Christian - and she tells the 'hilarious' tale with remarkable honesty.
As she does when speaking of her birth mother - whose Mormon beliefs convinced her that adopted people ask to be adopted - while still in the womb.
Apparently, her mother believed that Jackie had found the perfect parents - in John and Helen Kay - because her birth mother had prayed for this to be so.
Jackie recalls: "I tried to picture the embryonic me, knocking on the wall of her uterus, shouting: Oi, you, can you get me adopted?"
I knew Jackie's father John Kay - he was the Industrial Organiser of the Communist Party in Scotland for many years - and knew everything there was to know about the trade unions in those days.
A fine man - who would have scoffed at all this religious mumbo jumbo - some of which has clearly rubbed off on his daughter, Jackie.
But the amazing thing is that Red Dust Road is not in the least bitter or resentful - just thankful and hopeful for the future - which I think sums up the true spirit of John and Helen Kay as well.
Jackie has an interesting 'hinterland', as they say - adopted soon after she was born by John and Helen Kay, lifelong socialists from Glasgow.
Jackie's birth mother was a young Scottish woman from Nairn and her birth father was a young Nigerian student - whom she met briefly while he was studying in Aberdeen.
Red Dust Road tells the story of Jackie's life with John and Helen Kay - and her subsequent search for her birth mother and father.
The book is a delight - funny, sad, powerful and poignant - all at the same time.
The opening chapter tells the story of Jackie's reunion with her birth father Jonathan in Nigeria - where he has become a born-again Christian - and she tells the 'hilarious' tale with remarkable honesty.
As she does when speaking of her birth mother - whose Mormon beliefs convinced her that adopted people ask to be adopted - while still in the womb.
Apparently, her mother believed that Jackie had found the perfect parents - in John and Helen Kay - because her birth mother had prayed for this to be so.
Jackie recalls: "I tried to picture the embryonic me, knocking on the wall of her uterus, shouting: Oi, you, can you get me adopted?"
I knew Jackie's father John Kay - he was the Industrial Organiser of the Communist Party in Scotland for many years - and knew everything there was to know about the trade unions in those days.
A fine man - who would have scoffed at all this religious mumbo jumbo - some of which has clearly rubbed off on his daughter, Jackie.
But the amazing thing is that Red Dust Road is not in the least bitter or resentful - just thankful and hopeful for the future - which I think sums up the true spirit of John and Helen Kay as well.
