East End Dreams: One Woman's Life in Cockney London and Rural South Africa

Gertie Schragger was born in the East End of London at a time when poverty and hardships were a standard part of normal, everyday life. While most people were intent on finding small pleasures and enjoying their youth, she could not bear it. She hated the crowded streets, dirt and crime--always dreaming of a better life. East End Dreams begins with Gertie's early life in the East End of London in 1910, followed by her interest in the Communist Party, then life in rural South Africa beginning in the mid-1930s. When she meets Nehemiah at a Communist gathering, she falls in love and eagerly embraces the opportunity to move with him to South Africa. She welcomes the change in climate and casual lifestyle in Bloemfontein, but this becomes trivial when the harsh realities of racist politics and cultural divide isolate her from her roots. She becomes privy to the black man's struggle against the white man's implacable social forces, mainly through the voice of her maid, Sarah. Sarah's strength and boldness, albeit mixed with superstitious beliefs and a clear disadvantage in life, make for an engaging presence in Gertrude's life. After painful loss and tragedy, Gertrude is ready to leave South Africa and begin the second phase of her life in the city of her childhood. This time she welcomes the bad weather and congestion that she had once longed to escape. She rekindles old friendships and begins a journey of self-discovery by embarking on an academic path that earns her a Bachelor of Arts degree at the age of 70. She falls in love once again; however, this time her relationship is different. John is not her intellectual equivalent, and his secretive life upsets her peace and quiet. Many years go by before she finds out the devastating truth about him, and she is able to regain a sense of tranquility and an understanding of her life's journey.