Anna

Anna’s sons approached me to capture and preserve Anna’s legacy. They wanted to pass on her stories and memories, her values, beliefs and culture to her grandchildren who grew up in a very different time and place from Anna.

Luckily, Anna also wanted to write a book, which helps as she wrote,

“Since I had my grandchildren, they’ve been asking questions; they come here, and they keep asking me, ‘Grandma, what did you do? Even before that, I had always wanted to write a book, because I have had, to me, a very interesting and challenging life.” Anna

What They Wanted to Capture

Anna has dedicated her life to caring for others and bringing up her sons, and judging by those sons, she has done a pretty impressive job, and so they already have an amazing legacy, but this book also captures and preserves their family stories, their origin story.

One of eight, Anna’s childhood was spent in the family compound in south-east Nigeria. Her beloved father, the village chief, was a kind, wise, courageous, and charitable man who died when Anna was still young

Anna became a nurse and set up and ran clinics that helped women in remote areas before coming to England in the 1960s. Here, she worked as a midwife in rural England before running an award-winning care home. Now, as well as being a doting grandmother, she devotes herself to helping in various charities and supporting her extended family.

The Process

We started with a few phone conversations where we discussed the process, and I found out the shape of Anna's life; the main events, the important people, the values and topics she was looking to share.

Then we start recording. I visited Anna in her home and ask gentle questions and use other prompts to help Anna share her stories and thoughts.

A few weeks later, after editing and structuring the stories, I sent Anna her draft book, which she and her sons reviewed. Once they were completely happy with the manuscript, it was sent to my wonderful proofreader before we started designing Anna's book. A further PDF was sent to Anna, and with the help of her sons, we made a few more minor adjustments until we were ready to print.

That Golden Moment

Speaking to a storyteller and hearing their thoughts and memories is always wonderful, but often it is the little scenes that give me those spine-tingling golden moments, and Anna's book is full of them. One that really stuck with me was her earliest memory -

“I was with Mama in our compound and remember this lady who was in pain. She was moaning. I wasn’t sure what was going on but I went and stood behind her, rubbing her back. I found out later that she had a healthy, bouncing baby boy. This is something that I remember so clearly, this lady was in pain and I was able to help. I was three years old.”

I love this memory, as it sums Anna up so beautifully. As the title of her book says, she really was born a nurse.

The Result

“Alice you have done a wonderful job, and have engaged with my mother in a way that has got the story out that I know she wanted to tell.

— Mitch, 2024 (son)

Anna has successfully navigated around the many challenges life has thrown at her. Her book tells not just her story, but it will also allow future generations to hear about their family identity, their origin story and I anticipate for some will help them to understand themselves and their own choices.