One Bright Child

Republished in celebration of Gloria Cumper centenary year tells the fictionalised life of Gloria Cumper, the first Black woman to graduate in law from Cambridge University.

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When precociously bright Gloria Carter is sent from Jamaica to grammar school in England, she learns to survive and even thrive in a society very different to her island home. It isn't long before Gloria learns that she will always need to be twice as good as everyone else in order to be considered half as good. Throwing herself into her studies, Gloria sets her heart on becoming a barrister and wins a place to study law at Cambridge University. Ahead lie struggles and joys as she enters a controversial mixed marriage. However, the hardships she encounters, far from dampening her spirit, ignite the fire for her inevitable success. Written by Gloria’s daughter Patricia, One Bright Child was originally an award-winning five-part Radio 4 drama series. The novel is based on the life of Patricia’s mother, Gloria, who was the first Black woman to graduate in law from Cambridge University shortly after the end of the Second World War.