In hopes of a better life, Grace, a responsible and mature sixteen year old from Trinidad, is sent to New York by her mother... Nothing goes as planned but Grace is flexible and resourceful, and finds a family to live with, a job as a nanny, and friends in Brooklyn. The nanny job is actually housekeeper, maid, and shopper, as well as minding little Ben. Chores do not end as scheduled, as most days begin well before reporting time. Days off are arbitrarily rearranged or taken away, and proper compensation is rarely part of the new arrangement.
Minding Ben is a vivid portrayal of an immigrant's path in the United States, service versus servitude, and a young girl coming of age while learning to live in a new country far away from her mother and sister.
It also depicts the tendency among the greater white world to view as the same all "black" people, but Caribbeans and Africans draw many distinctions and proud comparisons. I empathized, as Asians are commonly lumped together as well! -Micki K.
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