Things I want people to learn from my new ‘Titanic’ novel —Danielle Anyanwu, 12-year-old Nigerian-British writer

Danielle Anyanwu is a 12-year-old Nigerian-British writer and a year 7 student of St. Ursula’s Convent School, London. Her debut 120-page ‘Titanic’ novel titled ‘Adventures from the 1910s – Unsinkable’, would be published this June. In this interview by KINGSLEY ALUMONA, she speaks about her book, the lessons people can learn from it, her next idea for her next book, what she would like to be when she grows up, and the things she likes about Nigeria.

 

Tell us about yourself

My name is Danielle Anyanwu. I’m 12 years old, and the second child out of four children. I’m a year 7 student of St. Ursula’s Convent School in London. I love to read books that are set between the 19th and 20th centuries. I also enjoy reading descriptive books as well as writing stories and short random passages.

 

At what age did you recognise you can write? And how did you develop your writing skills?

I think around year three was when I realised I could write really well. My teachers were always impressed with my writing and my writing was usually up on display. The way I began to develop my skills was usually reading books and copying their styles. I write every day.

 

You recently published a book, titled: ‘Adventures from the 1910s – Unsinkable’. Tell us about the book, and why you wrote it.

The book is about a first-class family’s trip on the Titanic ship and how they made friends aboard. I wrote Unsinkable because I had a great interest in the Edwardian era. So, when I heard about the Titanic story, I was greatly fascinated. My year 4 teacher, Mr Moore, told us about the Titanic and his general enthusiasm about history inspired me.

 

The book has a similar narrative with the 1912 event of the RMS ‘Titanic’ ship, and also similar plot with the 1997 movie ‘Titanic’. Did you watch the ‘Titanic’ movie before writing the book?

No. Instead, I watched the movie after I wrote the manuscript. I watched the movie because I didn’t really see many books based on the Titanic, but I remembered that there was a famous movie based on the Titanic story. Since I wanted to see what the passengers and workers looked like, and how people got on the ship with all their belongings, it was really helpful to watch the movie so I could edit and add more detailed descriptions of the Titanic.

 

Judging from the book, you seem to understand things like autism; cloth accessories, and dining etiquette of the 1910s. How did you manage to know these things?

I’ve known a lot about autism both from reading and listening to news. There is a huge awareness about autism here in the UK. I find it very interesting how the brain of autistic people works. During the early 20th century, many people thought that people with autism were just stubborn and an excuse for their silly behaviour. But I wanted to show that Isabella’s family isn’t like that, and that they are educated enough to know that people are autistic and it isn’t an excuse for stubborn behaviours.

As for the clothing accessories and dining etiquettes, I did a lot of research on how upper-class citizens behaved and what they wore. Their clothing was always simple and they tended to have many clothing that were used for gatherings—such as tea party dresses and dining dresses. Dining etiquettes were really important for upper-class people. It usually showed that you were polite, mannered, and you were also brought up in a cultured place.

 

What lessons do you want children like you to know from the book?

One of the things I want children my age to know from the book is what life was like during the Edwardian era. It’s not very known because the era was for a very short time. It was one of the building blocks for a lot of technology and how much that era helped to change the world.

 

From your book, what aspect of life in the 1910s would you love people to emulate in today London?

One of the aspects of life in the 1910s that I would like to see more in today’s world is that people should be more respectful. These days, people shout all the time when someone has a different opinion. I also would like more people to have recreational activities, instead of doing stuff online.

 

How long did it take you to write the book?

The book was pretty quick, like six months, but it took quite a while to edit it because there were a lot of things that had to be changed.

 

In what ways did your parents, siblings and teachers assist you in writing the book?

My older sister often helped me with the comical relief in the story because a lot of upper-class people were quite witty. My teachers were especially helpful—my year 4 teacher taught us history. That was when I knew a lot about the Titanic story. Also, my year 3 and year 5 teachers helped me a lot to become confident in my writing. They all encouraged me a lot.

 

Are you writing another book anytime soon? If yes, what would it be about?

I’ve started writing the next story in the ‘Adventures from the 1910s’ series. I haven’t figured out a title yet, but it’s going to be on how the Norflooks slowly recovered from their loss and got their lives back to normal after arriving in America.

 

Apart from being a writer, what other thing(s) would you like to be when you grow up, and why?

I would like to be a journalist, because I would like to travel the world to broadcast news from different places in the world.

 

As a Nigerian-British, have you visited Nigeria before? And what three things do you love about Nigeria?

My latest trip to Nigeria was this February. One of the top three things that I love about my trip to Nigeria was how bustling the place was. Everyone was contributing to the table by selling their own products. I also like the hot weather and how big the homes were. A lot of houses are very small in England and the weather is so cold. So, it’s nice to get some sunlight. And finally, I like how in the villages, everyone knows everyone. It just shows how safe and welcoming everyone is.

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