The Gladys Society: A Personal American Journey

In the autumn of 1971, having been thrown out of a rather fancy private school, Sandi Toksvig was sent to the only remaining option - Mamaroneck High School, New York. Sandi was chosen for the lead role in a production of "The Skin of Our Teeth" by Thornton Wilder. Three girls were cast in the part of Gladys Antrobus, playing her at different ages of her life, and Sandi was the youngest. This was the beginning of a friendship with a group of females that still influences her to this day. Soon all the girls in the cast and crew were becoming members of The Gladys Society. In the end there were 12 of them. "The Gladys Society" records Sandi's travels in America catching up with her 11 fellows. Written at a time when Sandi is questioning the little things in life - like career choices and her national identity - she has some big decisions to make. En route, however, she also has time to explore dog training in New Jersey, the truth of the American Revolution and to attend a belly dancing wedding in a shopping mall in Georgia.