Strawberry Fields

I just finished an amazing book: Strawberry Fields by British-Ukrainian author, Marina Lewycka. I read her first novel 'A Short History of Tractors in the Ukraine', which received much critical praise as well as awards, but I think I enjoyed this one even more.

Strawberry Fields explores the immigrant's labour (both legal and illegal) experience in the U.K . (See http://www.mostlyfiction.com/world/lewycka.htm for a better description of the novel.) A few days after finishing the novel, two of its protagonists, Irina and Andriy, were with me as I explored the Glace Bay Miner's Museum in N.S. Like them, these miners were literally owned by British barons into the middle of the 20th century and were outrageously exploited. Forced to perform very hazardous work, families were routinely blackmailed into sending their children (as young as eight) into the mines when fathers were incapacitated. In 1925 $708 was the average miner's salary and out of this was deducted $461 for accommodations, the gear they needed to do their jobs, oil for their lanterns etc. During this particular year there was a labour riot against BESCO, which brought to mind the scene in Lewycka's book of a riot at a poultry farm (the descriptions of how poultry are produced and treated in this factory farm are true-to-life -- and may make you think twice about eating your next chicken wing). It amazes me that these practices continue into the 21C. AND that many of the products we purchase without so much as a thought come out of these organizations.

When I wrote to Marina to express to her my thoughts about her book, this is what she said inspired it:

"You know, not long after I finished the Tractors book, someone thrust a leaflet into my hand saying, "Here, you're Ukrainian -this'll interest you." It was Called 'Gone West: Ukrainians at work in Britain today' - and the more I read, the more horrified I was. And I started to think, there's a story in this. And then I thought, this is my story to tell - if I don't tell it no one else will. So that's how it started. It's so sad that once one group of people finds the courage and resources to stand up to this kind of exploitation, they simply bring in another lot from somewhere else. I know Canada is a country of immigrants - there are plenty of us Ukrainians over there - and maybe you have stricter employment laws over there. Though we have fairly tough employment laws over here, which are simply not enforced."

Strawberry Fields is an amazing book. Unlike all the light fluff out there, it not only entertains but opens our eyes to the profound destructiveness and immense human costs of runaway capitalism and rampant globalization.