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Paid Servant
This is a sequel To the novel "To Sir With Love".
- GenresFiction
First published December 1, 1962
14 people are currently reading
210 people want to read
About the author
E.R. Braithwaite
21 books102 followersE.R. (Edward Ricardo) Braithwaite was a novelist, writer, teacher, and diplomat, best known for his stories of social conditions and racial discrimination against black people.
An alumnus of Queens College, Braithwaite excelled at City University of New York, after which he served in the RAF during WWII as a fighter pilot (1941-45) and then went on to receive an advanced degree in Physics from Cambridge University (1949). Braithwaite also attended the University of London.
Unable to establish a career in physics, his chosen field, which he attributed to his status as an ethnic minority, Braithwaite turned to teaching.
Braithwaite was perhaps best known as an author for his autobiographical novel To Sir With Love set in an east London secondary school, later directed, produced and adapted for the screen by james clavell starring Sidney Poitier as a schoolteacher from British Guiana.
Braithwaite gave up teaching and continued writing, during this time he became a social worker with the London County Council working to provide foster care for black children.
He would later describe these challenging experiences in Paid Servant.
Braithwaite's long and exemplary career took him to UNESCO in Paris as an educational consultant and lecturer (1963-1966). Then he served as a Guyanese ambassador in the late sixties. First as Guyanese Ambassador to the United Nations (1967-68), then as Guyanese Ambassador to Venezuela (1968-69). He was World Veterans' Foundation Human Rights Officer, Paris (1960-63).
Braithwaite returned to teaching as a professor of English, at New York University and later in 2002 held the position of Writer in Residence at Howard University in Washington DC.
Braithwaite was a visiting professor at Manchester Community College, Connecticut, during the 2005-2006 school year, also serving as commencement speaker and receiving an honorary degree.
In August 2007 Braithwaite received the Guyana Cultural Association of New York's Exemplary Award for his work as an educator, a diplomat and an author.
An alumnus of Queens College, Braithwaite excelled at City University of New York, after which he served in the RAF during WWII as a fighter pilot (1941-45) and then went on to receive an advanced degree in Physics from Cambridge University (1949). Braithwaite also attended the University of London.
Unable to establish a career in physics, his chosen field, which he attributed to his status as an ethnic minority, Braithwaite turned to teaching.
Braithwaite was perhaps best known as an author for his autobiographical novel To Sir With Love set in an east London secondary school, later directed, produced and adapted for the screen by james clavell starring Sidney Poitier as a schoolteacher from British Guiana.
Braithwaite gave up teaching and continued writing, during this time he became a social worker with the London County Council working to provide foster care for black children.
He would later describe these challenging experiences in Paid Servant.
Braithwaite's long and exemplary career took him to UNESCO in Paris as an educational consultant and lecturer (1963-1966). Then he served as a Guyanese ambassador in the late sixties. First as Guyanese Ambassador to the United Nations (1967-68), then as Guyanese Ambassador to Venezuela (1968-69). He was World Veterans' Foundation Human Rights Officer, Paris (1960-63).
Braithwaite returned to teaching as a professor of English, at New York University and later in 2002 held the position of Writer in Residence at Howard University in Washington DC.
Braithwaite was a visiting professor at Manchester Community College, Connecticut, during the 2005-2006 school year, also serving as commencement speaker and receiving an honorary degree.
In August 2007 Braithwaite received the Guyana Cultural Association of New York's Exemplary Award for his work as an educator, a diplomat and an author.
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Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
February 23, 2020
This book was a page turner. It is the sequel to To Sir With Love.
I found out from this story that in the UK, in the '60s, Black and biracial children were not placed in white foster homes, nor allowed to be adopted by white folk because they felt the income and education levels of qualifying white households were wasted on Black and biracial children. I wonder if this rule of thumb still stands? I hope not. Families who pushed back were told that the child might be innocent now, but the older they became the more aggressive they would become. They were also told that more than likely the Black and biracial children would not be very smart and would eventually be resentful of their adoptive family's intelligence. Did the social services agencies believe this? No. They just used these falsehoods to scare the prospective adoptive families. Their mission was to save the best families for white orphans.
There was a good side to the UK fostering system, though. Foster families were not paid much, so this lessened the incidence of people fostering just to make money and not out of compassion. Children not finding private foster homes were most times raised in foster villages, where there were a cluster of homes each having a mother and families of children could grow up together with one mother, like a regular family. I had heard of this before in India where they buy homes for widows in exchange for being a foster mom.
Again, this book, like To Sir With Love, shines a light on race relations, and even the racism, and classicism, which sometimes occurs between POC.
This book was part of both my annual Black History Month reading, and my 2020 A Year of Classics Challenge.
I found out from this story that in the UK, in the '60s, Black and biracial children were not placed in white foster homes, nor allowed to be adopted by white folk because they felt the income and education levels of qualifying white households were wasted on Black and biracial children. I wonder if this rule of thumb still stands? I hope not. Families who pushed back were told that the child might be innocent now, but the older they became the more aggressive they would become. They were also told that more than likely the Black and biracial children would not be very smart and would eventually be resentful of their adoptive family's intelligence. Did the social services agencies believe this? No. They just used these falsehoods to scare the prospective adoptive families. Their mission was to save the best families for white orphans.
There was a good side to the UK fostering system, though. Foster families were not paid much, so this lessened the incidence of people fostering just to make money and not out of compassion. Children not finding private foster homes were most times raised in foster villages, where there were a cluster of homes each having a mother and families of children could grow up together with one mother, like a regular family. I had heard of this before in India where they buy homes for widows in exchange for being a foster mom.
Again, this book, like To Sir With Love, shines a light on race relations, and even the racism, and classicism, which sometimes occurs between POC.
This book was part of both my annual Black History Month reading, and my 2020 A Year of Classics Challenge.
August 9, 2015
I read this book several times back in the 1960-70's and always enjoyed it.
January 11, 2021
----------------English Review----------------
"Paid Servant" is, in fact, a masterpiece. It is a continuation of the author's previous work " To Sir, With Love "
The unique and personal perspective of E.R. Braithwaite about the situations he experienced during his time as "Wellfare Agent"makes the whole experience extremely interesting. The environment of social helplessness, as well as the structural and institutional racism that permeates the story, makes Mr. Braithwaite the best spokesman for this type of situation, which therefore leads to the grandeur of his work.
Mr. Braithwaite is an extremely wise, calm and friendly man. He declared that he had a feeling similar to what he calls "anti-white hate" in the past and it is admirable how he managed to overcome his hatred, despite still being a victim of incessant racism in the exercise of his profession. Braithwaite suffered racial injuries and blatant forms of discrimination, normalized and structurally accepted in the English society of the 1960s, and still maintained his composition as a person of integrity and respect (but, it should be noted: without lowering his head!). Indeed, his resilience and altruism in the face of so much animosity, injustice and racism is admirable.
It is, thus, from this work that I begin to have enormous admiration for the person that Mr. Braithwaite was. His greatness shall be exalted, and his figure will always be honored for me.
Another noteworthy aspect, in addition to the author's admirable figure, was the racial debate introduced by Mr. Braithwaite's current experience during the office. The story not only brings to light the conflict between people with white and light skin, but also tolerance (and intolerance) between people of different religions and different skin tones (west indians, black, white and "mixed race", as referred to in the work, for example).
It is possible to witness moments of gross discrimination and prejudice, but it is also possible to extract lessons on tolerance: there are situations of prejudice, but there are also situations of overcoming and contesting prejudice, which reveal human compassion and tolerance for the different, as well as the discard of unmeaningful differences. It is from these key moments that the reader will be able to extract the necessary lessons for a better understanding of the debate, which is essential not only for personal development, but also for a better understanding about human responsibility for building a better world, in what refers to the anti-racist struggle.
Still on the racial debate, it is an excellent work for a better understanding of structural and institutional racism. In the first case, the English society, by normalizing socio-spatial segregation based on racial criteria, allows the structural aspect of racism to be identified. In relation to institutional racism, the effort made to try to keep families "on the same color" shocks the reader. By witnessing efforts for families that were willing to adopt a particular child to be obstructed or prevented from adopting children of different skin colors, an immense discomfort is generated, which leads to question the role of institutions in the perpetuation of racism.
The narrative is very well constructed, without major difficulties in understanding. The only "flaw" worth mentioning in relation to reading would be the large number of people Mr. Braithwaite dealt with during the story, which makes it a little difficult to remember who is who - but in no way would that be a defect! It is, in fact, a literary reflection on the real conditions that inspired the elaboration of the work, being, therefore, a welcome feature.
Given the above, it is a book worth reading, which deserves to be praised and studied in all its aspects, not only for the relevance of the story told, but also for the greatness of the author as a person, as a professional and as a writer!
Recommended reading! And I hope that those who find this review to be useful will be able to enjoy this work as much as I did.
-------------Avaliação em Português-------------
"Paid Servant" é, de fato, uma obra-prima. É a continuação da obra prévia do autor "To Sir, With Love"
O olhar único e personalíssimo de E.R. Braithwaite sobre as situações que vivenciou durante seu tempo como "Wellfare Agent" (Assistente Social - tradução livre) torna toda a experiência extremamente interessante. O ambiente de desamparo social, bem como o racismo estrutural e institucional que permeiam a história, tornam o Sr. Braithwaite o melhor porta-voz para esse tipo de situação, o que leva, portanto, à grandiosidade de sua obra.
Sr. Braithwaite é um homem extremamente sábio, calmo e amigável. Declarou ter tido no passado um sentimento similar ao que ele chama de "anti-white hate" (ódio contra os brancos - tradução livre) e é admirável como conseguiu superar o ódio ora construído, apesar de ainda ser vítima de racismo incessante no exercício de sua profissão. Braithwaite sofreu injúrias raciais e gritantes formas de discriminação, normalizadas e estruturalmente aceitas na sociedade inglesa da década de 1960, e ainda assim manteve sua composição como pessoa íntegra e respeitosa (mas, ressalta-se: sem abaixar a cabeça!). É, de fato, admirável sua resiliência e altruísmo diante de tanta animosidade, injustiça e racismo.
É, por isso, a partir dessa obra que começo a ter enorme admiração pela pessoa que Sr. Braithwaite foi. Sua grandiosidade há de ser exaltada, e sua figura será sempre honrada para mim.
Outro aspecto digno de nota, além da admirável figura do autor, foi o debate racial introduzido pela vivência hodierna de Sr. Braithwaite durante o ofício. A história não só traz à luz o conflito entre pessoas de peles brancas e claras, mas também a tolerância (e intolerância) entre pessoas de religiões distintas e de diferentes tonalidades de pele (Indo-orientais, negros, brancos e "mestiços", como referidos na obra, por exemplo).
É possível testemunhar momentos de crassa discriminação e preconceito, mas é também possível extrair lições sobre tolerância: há situações de preconceito, mas há também situações de superação e contestação do preconceito, que deixam transparecer a compaixão humana e a tolerância pelo diferente, bem como o descarte de diferenças irrisórias. São desses momentos-chave que o leitor será capaz de extrair as lições necessárias para melhor compreensão do debate, o que é essencial não só para o desenvolvimento pessoal, mas também para melhor compreensão acerca da responsabilidade humana para construção de um mundo melhor, no que se refere à luta antirracista.
Ainda sobre o debate racial, é uma excelente obra para melhor compreensão acerca do racismo estrutural e institucional. No que se refere ao primeiro, a sociedade inglesa, ao normalizar a segregação socioespacial baseada em critérios raciais, permite identificar o aspecto estrutural do racismo praticado. Em relação ao racismo institucional, o esforço empreendido ao buscar manter as famílias "de uma mesma cor" choca, e muito, o leitor. Ao testemunhar esforços para que famílias que se dispuseram a adotar determinada criança sejam obstruídas ou impedidas de adotar crianças de diferente cor de pele, um imenso incômodo é gerado, o que leva a questionar o papel das instituições na perpetuação do racismo.
A narrativa é muito bem construída, sem maiores dificuldades de compreensão. A única ressalva que vale ser mencionada em relação à leitura seria quanto ao grande número de pessoas com quem Sr. Braithwaite lidou durante a história, o que torna um pouco difícil de lembrar quem é quem - mas de forma alguma isso seria um defeito! É, na verdade, um reflexo literário sobre as condições reais que inspiraram a elaboração da obra, sendo, portanto, uma característica bem-vinda.
Dado o exposto, é um livro digníssimo de leitura, que merece ser exaltado e estudado em todos os seus aspectos, não só pela relevância da história contada, mas também pela grandiosidade do autor como pessoa, como profissional e como escritor!
Leitura recomendadíssima! E espero que aqueles que considerem esta avaliação útil possam aproveitar tanto quanto eu esta obra.
"Paid Servant" is, in fact, a masterpiece. It is a continuation of the author's previous work " To Sir, With Love "
The unique and personal perspective of E.R. Braithwaite about the situations he experienced during his time as "Wellfare Agent"makes the whole experience extremely interesting. The environment of social helplessness, as well as the structural and institutional racism that permeates the story, makes Mr. Braithwaite the best spokesman for this type of situation, which therefore leads to the grandeur of his work.
Mr. Braithwaite is an extremely wise, calm and friendly man. He declared that he had a feeling similar to what he calls "anti-white hate" in the past and it is admirable how he managed to overcome his hatred, despite still being a victim of incessant racism in the exercise of his profession. Braithwaite suffered racial injuries and blatant forms of discrimination, normalized and structurally accepted in the English society of the 1960s, and still maintained his composition as a person of integrity and respect (but, it should be noted: without lowering his head!). Indeed, his resilience and altruism in the face of so much animosity, injustice and racism is admirable.
It is, thus, from this work that I begin to have enormous admiration for the person that Mr. Braithwaite was. His greatness shall be exalted, and his figure will always be honored for me.
Another noteworthy aspect, in addition to the author's admirable figure, was the racial debate introduced by Mr. Braithwaite's current experience during the office. The story not only brings to light the conflict between people with white and light skin, but also tolerance (and intolerance) between people of different religions and different skin tones (west indians, black, white and "mixed race", as referred to in the work, for example).
It is possible to witness moments of gross discrimination and prejudice, but it is also possible to extract lessons on tolerance: there are situations of prejudice, but there are also situations of overcoming and contesting prejudice, which reveal human compassion and tolerance for the different, as well as the discard of unmeaningful differences. It is from these key moments that the reader will be able to extract the necessary lessons for a better understanding of the debate, which is essential not only for personal development, but also for a better understanding about human responsibility for building a better world, in what refers to the anti-racist struggle.
Still on the racial debate, it is an excellent work for a better understanding of structural and institutional racism. In the first case, the English society, by normalizing socio-spatial segregation based on racial criteria, allows the structural aspect of racism to be identified. In relation to institutional racism, the effort made to try to keep families "on the same color" shocks the reader. By witnessing efforts for families that were willing to adopt a particular child to be obstructed or prevented from adopting children of different skin colors, an immense discomfort is generated, which leads to question the role of institutions in the perpetuation of racism.
The narrative is very well constructed, without major difficulties in understanding. The only "flaw" worth mentioning in relation to reading would be the large number of people Mr. Braithwaite dealt with during the story, which makes it a little difficult to remember who is who - but in no way would that be a defect! It is, in fact, a literary reflection on the real conditions that inspired the elaboration of the work, being, therefore, a welcome feature.
Given the above, it is a book worth reading, which deserves to be praised and studied in all its aspects, not only for the relevance of the story told, but also for the greatness of the author as a person, as a professional and as a writer!
Recommended reading! And I hope that those who find this review to be useful will be able to enjoy this work as much as I did.
-------------Avaliação em Português-------------
"Paid Servant" é, de fato, uma obra-prima. É a continuação da obra prévia do autor "To Sir, With Love"
O olhar único e personalíssimo de E.R. Braithwaite sobre as situações que vivenciou durante seu tempo como "Wellfare Agent" (Assistente Social - tradução livre) torna toda a experiência extremamente interessante. O ambiente de desamparo social, bem como o racismo estrutural e institucional que permeiam a história, tornam o Sr. Braithwaite o melhor porta-voz para esse tipo de situação, o que leva, portanto, à grandiosidade de sua obra.
Sr. Braithwaite é um homem extremamente sábio, calmo e amigável. Declarou ter tido no passado um sentimento similar ao que ele chama de "anti-white hate" (ódio contra os brancos - tradução livre) e é admirável como conseguiu superar o ódio ora construído, apesar de ainda ser vítima de racismo incessante no exercício de sua profissão. Braithwaite sofreu injúrias raciais e gritantes formas de discriminação, normalizadas e estruturalmente aceitas na sociedade inglesa da década de 1960, e ainda assim manteve sua composição como pessoa íntegra e respeitosa (mas, ressalta-se: sem abaixar a cabeça!). É, de fato, admirável sua resiliência e altruísmo diante de tanta animosidade, injustiça e racismo.
É, por isso, a partir dessa obra que começo a ter enorme admiração pela pessoa que Sr. Braithwaite foi. Sua grandiosidade há de ser exaltada, e sua figura será sempre honrada para mim.
Outro aspecto digno de nota, além da admirável figura do autor, foi o debate racial introduzido pela vivência hodierna de Sr. Braithwaite durante o ofício. A história não só traz à luz o conflito entre pessoas de peles brancas e claras, mas também a tolerância (e intolerância) entre pessoas de religiões distintas e de diferentes tonalidades de pele (Indo-orientais, negros, brancos e "mestiços", como referidos na obra, por exemplo).
É possível testemunhar momentos de crassa discriminação e preconceito, mas é também possível extrair lições sobre tolerância: há situações de preconceito, mas há também situações de superação e contestação do preconceito, que deixam transparecer a compaixão humana e a tolerância pelo diferente, bem como o descarte de diferenças irrisórias. São desses momentos-chave que o leitor será capaz de extrair as lições necessárias para melhor compreensão do debate, o que é essencial não só para o desenvolvimento pessoal, mas também para melhor compreensão acerca da responsabilidade humana para construção de um mundo melhor, no que se refere à luta antirracista.
Ainda sobre o debate racial, é uma excelente obra para melhor compreensão acerca do racismo estrutural e institucional. No que se refere ao primeiro, a sociedade inglesa, ao normalizar a segregação socioespacial baseada em critérios raciais, permite identificar o aspecto estrutural do racismo praticado. Em relação ao racismo institucional, o esforço empreendido ao buscar manter as famílias "de uma mesma cor" choca, e muito, o leitor. Ao testemunhar esforços para que famílias que se dispuseram a adotar determinada criança sejam obstruídas ou impedidas de adotar crianças de diferente cor de pele, um imenso incômodo é gerado, o que leva a questionar o papel das instituições na perpetuação do racismo.
A narrativa é muito bem construída, sem maiores dificuldades de compreensão. A única ressalva que vale ser mencionada em relação à leitura seria quanto ao grande número de pessoas com quem Sr. Braithwaite lidou durante a história, o que torna um pouco difícil de lembrar quem é quem - mas de forma alguma isso seria um defeito! É, na verdade, um reflexo literário sobre as condições reais que inspiraram a elaboração da obra, sendo, portanto, uma característica bem-vinda.
Dado o exposto, é um livro digníssimo de leitura, que merece ser exaltado e estudado em todos os seus aspectos, não só pela relevância da história contada, mas também pela grandiosidade do autor como pessoa, como profissional e como escritor!
Leitura recomendadíssima! E espero que aqueles que considerem esta avaliação útil possam aproveitar tanto quanto eu esta obra.
July 10, 2017
A sequel to "To Sir with Love" this novel follows the protagonist as he moves from the education system to the child welfare system in Britain in the early 1960's. It does not, however, continue the stories of any of the other characters in "To Sir with Love", so don't expect a follow up on Pamela Dare or any of the other students who were so prominent in the original. "Paid Servant" continues to explore themes of racial prejudice and class division. It seems terribly dated now - and the Britain it portrays seems so unfamiliar that a younger reader might find it artificial - but that being the case it provides quite a jolting historical and anthropological observation of the era. I must admit I enjoyed the nostalgia factor and most of the subplots revolving around the welfare cases Braithwaite deals with are sufficiently engaging in and of themselves also.
February 25, 2019
Very interesting carry on from E.R Braithwaite's autobiographical novel To Sir With Love. This time however, he has moved from being a schoolteacher in the East End of London to being a welfare Officer dealing with orphan children needing a home. Confronting prejudice and racial bigotry repeatedly, it is an inspiring tale of how he coped and indeed challenged many bureaucratic viewpoints whilst successfully finding families for these displaced children. A heartbreaking yet still encouraging look at his experiences make this a must-read. Recommended.
October 22, 2011
I listened to BBC audio verison of Paid servant and it was about black social worker in old England. In this short story we got good picture about hardship of true social work and how hard it is to find good families if you consider prejudice and selfishness of people.
March 6, 2014
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 12, 2024
I loved this book! It tells of Mr. Braithwaite’s work trying to find foster or adoptive homes for the “tough cases,” which were mainly mixed race children in the London area in the late 1940’s. Mr. Braithwaite was recruited from teaching into this social service job specifically for the tough cases. This book was a real page turner for me & I am very impressed with Mr. Braithwaite, both as a writer and a caring human being.
May 10, 2022
9I didn't know about this book and I am really pleased I have read it. The themes of 1950s institutional and societal racism in London are quite shocking - but echo what is stillbhapkrning today, albeit more covertly. Such an easy read (not heavy at all) and loads to make me think and reflect. Really interesting narratives and characters. Totally recommend.
January 31, 2023
I loved this book. It's essentially part two of a professional memoir by the author of To Sir With Love. Earlier in his career, Braithwaite was a school teacher. He later joined child welfare services to primarily find foster and adoptive families for children living in government run orphanages. While the central story is around his efforts to place a four and a half year old Black boy, others come knocking at his door with their familial issues. Being Guyanese, Braithwaite deals mainly with Caribbean immigrants who feel he can uniquely understand their circumstances. But there are other issues: Whites against transracial adoption. Blacks who want their adoptive child to be the same shade as they are. Regional tensions. On the one hand, it's encouraging to see how things have changed over the past 65 years. Yet sadly, many of the obstacles Braithwaite faced in 1958 remain in place today. Braithwaite is such a good, well-meaning guy; he actually sees his role not as a figure of governmental authority but as servant to those he serves. Imagine that. It's a fascinating read.
August 14, 2017
Some parts of this were interesting but a lot of navel gazing and very outdated attitudes which he can't be blamed for given the times he wrote in.
December 24, 2019
Not an engaging book like To Sir With Love. This "sequel" talks of the life of the author as a welfare officer by describing a few cases he handled.
December 29, 2025
I did not enjoy this as much as To Sir, With Love. Oh well.
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews