Book description
Pilgrim State is a stunning memoir which tells the story of
Dorothy Walker - equal parts beautiful, headstrong, brave and tragic.
Her life is lovingly recreated by her daughter Jacqueline in homage to
the remarkable woman she was.
In the haunting opening pages, set in Pilgrim State mental facility
in New York State in 1951, Dorothy has been forcibly sectioned and is
battling to keep her children and her sanity. She will struggle all
her life to retain both. Dorothy and her children return to Jamaica
before finally making a home in post-Windrush London in the early 60s.
Dorothy and her children face prejudice and loss but are bound by
incredible love and their unique sense of family. This will prove to
be Dorothys greatest gift.
Stories like Pilgrim State dont come along that often. And
when they do you recognise you have something very special. And when a
voice is this strong and original, you stop to listen.
Pilgrim State celebrates place, the life-affirming nature of
family and the bonds between mothers and daughters that can never be
broken. The story is haunting and powerful and speaks for generations
of women, resonating long after the story ends. Jacqueline Walker has
done her mother proud.
Jacqueline Walker arrived in Britain in 1959. She has been a teacher,
a mother of three, taught creative writing as well has having completed
two Arvon writing courses.
Pilgrim State
is her first book.
