The Tale of Miss Berta London

Title: The Tale of Miss Berta London
Author: Jihan Latimer
Publisher: CreateSpace
ISBN: 9781453719657
Pages: 124, Paperback
Genre: Fiction/Inspirational/Young Adult

Reviewed by: Beth Adams, Pacific Book Review

Book Review

Miss Berta is a fashion editor for a magazine called E-Fashion Magazine. She is a hard working, obsessive-compulsive perfectionist. She is self-absorbed and doesn’t have any friends or family. Miss Berta London’s only real life is based on her work performance which was soon to be in complete disarray when she put on a fashion show in New York. All of the top fashion designers were there in anticipation, however, the show was a complete failure; leaving her top designers such as Chanel, Dior and Calvin Klein dropping their endorsements from E-Fashion Magazine. This would create a complete upheaval in Miss Berta’s life, forcing her to officially close the business and find a suitable job; which was an uphill battle. Finally, after six months of tedious work trying to find employment, Miss Berta noticed an ad in the newspaper for a nanny job paying $1,500 a week taking care of three children. Miss Berta didn’t like kids, however she needed the money, and couldn’t pass up the opportunity.

The new job began her transition of having to take care of someone other than herself. Fundamentally, the children were good kids; just spoiled and constantly crying out for attention. Miss Berta was able to provide the discipline and proper guidance to these children in order for them to grow and mature into thriving young adults. In fact, even the parents were able to learn from Miss Berta. This was a transformation process that didn’t happen overnight, but it changed Miss Berta into a better person. It made her a vessel for helping other people, not just herself. In doing such, she started a new magazine titled, “Miss Berta and the Family,” which gave her the opportunity to help other children who also may have been facing challenging problems.

“The Tale of Miss Berta London,” is an inspirational, fun story with a lesson to be learned; that is to ask yourself many fundamental questions about our sense of purpose in this increasingly complex world. The gentle messages of love, compassion and giving are found throughout this book. It reads as a heartwarming story that addresses the most basic elements of humanity– with all of its strengths and vulnerabilities.

When you read this book, you find yourself pausing to remember holy pieces of yourself and a human relationship with divinity. I found the book delightfully rich which encourages us to seek the deeper meaning that makes up a human life. It is a powerful book that radiates compassion and a willingness to take the risk out of uncovering one’s humanness.