Golda Lee Bruce: Part-time author, full-time adventurer

AS a child, Golda Lee Bruce was a risk-taker and an adventurer – the type of person who could have been the main protagonist in a Disney film.

That fearlessness and refusal to let anything prevent her from achieving what she desires continued to her adult life.

This year she's published a book, Born on an Island: Stories from a Trinidadian Girlhood – as in true adventurer fashion, she has many stories to tell.

The 39-year-old, a news media and communications professional, was born and raised in Diego Martin.

After her father died at an early age, she was mainly raised by the women of her household, whom she credits for instilling core values in her that she continues to hold today. She told WMN her mother, grandmother, aunt and sister taught her humility and the importance of grounding oneself.

"They were intelligent, perceptive and discerning, but they were also down to earth and humble."

She said this is what made them unique and helped her conclude
that her family members were never afraid of being their true selves no matter where they go.

"I really admire them and I would like to think I am the same way."

Though admitting there were many hardships, she said her childhood allowed her to have "amazing experiences" ranging from preaching for her family at age seven, to forming an all-girl singing group – both of which are discussed in the book.

She told WMN she often recalls the young, carefree girl she once was. At times, she misses that version of herself.

"I was just a wild, messy, mischievous child," she recalled, laughing.

"People would meet me and go, 'You looking like you does give trouble!' And I did."

If she was not climbing trees, she was off on adventures with her friends, or saving a dog from being attacked by another, or even picking chadon beni to eat it with salt and pepper.

When Bruce describes herself as a storyteller, which she often does, she is not joking. In fact, many of her answers to Newsday's questions either began or ended with a different story.

She fell in love with writing – a form of therapy to her – at age 12 writing songs and eventually about her life in a personal journal.

She told WMN, "I didn't realise the journalling I was doing was writing."

She also wrote songs and tried her hand at poetry, which, she now admits, "sucked," so she stuck to what she felt she was good at.

Asked if writing remained therapeutic even when she was heavily involved in news media, she said yes.

She has worked at local media houses, including CNMG and Guardian Media Ltd, as a journalist, news anchor, producer and editor over the span of 12 years. She studied media and communication at UWI, Mona and did her master's in journalism at Columbia University, US.

"I 100 per cent enjoyed being a journalist. That is my comfort zone...I love the feeling of writing a feature on someone and they get to see that through my eyes..."

The synopsis of her book, published in June, says she always thought her place in the world was small because of the size of her island. She recalled wondering why no one, at the time, from the popular children's show Sesame Street looked or sounded like her.

"It was the first sign that her life was different from what she saw in mainstream media," it says. "(The book) is a series of stories that highlight the richness and uniqueness of life in the Caribbean while following the journey of a young girl to find her faith and her place in the world."

It includes stories about relatives who have died as well as those who are still alive. She ensured she let the latter hear the stories before publishing so they would be aware of how they were being portrayed.

"There were some difficult conversations in there," she said. "I am their child, I am their niece, their granddaughter, and I don't think that many of them knew how I was observing them...you have your experiences with people, but they did not know the depth of my observation and how they had an impact on me.

"It was eye-opening and it's a whole new era now in our relationships."

Many readers, she said, have been saying the book "took them back to their childhood.

"It's been really wonderful to hear people talk about my relatives who are long gone and who I think were absolutely amazing people, and now people know who they are so it's almost like they are living through this."She said through social media, she learnt many prefer short, simple stories, as they capture the attention of both readers and non-readers.

She added, "I'm very much of a storyteller in every sense, and I think a lot of Trinis are. We just naturally share stories, and the way we share them is very humorous, very involved, very theatrical."

In recent years, she has been open about her struggles with anxiety and depression on social media. It is through this, she said, that most people who saw the strong, confident news anchor were able to conclude: "She goes through these things (hardships) too."

Asked if she was ever worried or afraid of messing up in the public eye before that, she said yes. But she realised it stemmed from a fear of people not liking her, which she has now overcome.

In 2019, she made a big move to the US to advance her career, where she now lives with her husband Micheal – a professional photographer – and children Isa and Nalo. She is a senior communications officer at the International Monetary Fund, in Washington, DC.

The physical move, as well as the new career field, involved something she detested – travel by air. In an effort to distract herself, she began journalling during flights and the idea for the book was born.

But wanting to write a book and the actual journey to getting it published are vastly different.

"I could write a book on publishing a book," she joked.

She said when she finished writing it in 2020, she thought it would be easy to get it published. But the first publisher she worked with ignored her for six months, until their contract ended, while the other asked not to continue after the first three months.

It was a case of "Third time's the charm," as Charran's Book Services Ltd agreed to be her publisher.

"The doses of disappointment I've had to swallow on this journey? I'm not the same person.

"I understand life and people a lot better. If somebody wants to do something, they will do it. You can't convince people to see what you see. You can't convince them to see a vision or a process. It's either they see it or they don't."

There were times she wanted to cancel the publishing of the book and days when she'd just lie in bed under a blanket to escape the frustration.

But she said having good people around her is what kept her going, especially her husband.

"Micheal is the don. I would not be able to do anything that I do if not for his support," she said.

Pointing to the dedication page, which only has two words – For Micheal – she said, "I think that sums it up."

When the book had just been published, she had said she did not yet see it as a major accomplishment. Asked if her answer to this has changed, she said yes as she now sees it as "a major personal accomplishment.

"Apart from the writing and apart from the actual product, I have changed and I have changed for the better. I have loads of endurance, patience, courage that I did not know that I had to be reminded of..."

Perhaps she is still the fearless girl she thought she thought she no longer was.

"Maybe the courage is manifesting in a different way," she said, smiling.

The book features illustrations by Leizelle Guinness. On the cover is a drawing of a young Golda next to the old family car, a Mitsubishi Lancer.

Her main hope is that the book find its way to a local school booklist.

She also says there "will be other books."

The book is available at select local bookstores, as well as bookstores in Barbados and Jamaica, and online at Amazon.com or charrans.com.

She has been in TT for the past week to promote the book, and held a launch and signing ceremony on Friday at the Cipriani College of Labour and Co-operative Studies, in Valsayn.