“The whole thing, from start to finish, from first talk to walk off the plane, took about ten weeks total. That was it. Ten weeks and I went from a small village on a small island to the middle of New York City.”

So begins Minding Ben, and Grace Caton’s story of leaving her small village in Trinidad to immigrate to New York in search of a better life. However, as with so many things in life, things to do not work out quite as planned: Instead of limitless opportunity and an easy path to an education, through a series of mishaps Grace finds herself working as a nanny for a wealthy family, The Bruckners. While Ben, their young son, is delightful, the demanding and humiliating work that his parents subject Grace to, for meager wages, little thanks, and promises of future aid and assistance, are nearly too much to bear. That, coupled with the complicated playground politics among the small West Indian babysitting community and complicated relationships amongst her extended family and friends in Brooklyn make the reality of Grace’s young life seem like a waking nightmare. Minding Ben invites readers into the private world of the anonymous West Indian babysitters who have peopled the lives of so many young urban families for decades, while offering a rarely seen account of the immigrant experience in this strong, compassionate, and insightful narrative.

VICTORIA BROWN was born in Trinidad and at just 16 years old came along to New York, where she worked as a full-time nanny for several years. She majored in English at Vassar College before attending the University of Warwick in the UK. Eventually, she returned to New York, where she taught English at LaGuardia Community College. She now lives in Brooklyn with her husband two young children. She has a part-time babysitter in her employ.