This book is an attempt to explain how, as a family unit, we came to terms with living in this society and my further experiences as a nurse, wife, and mother; how we adjusted to what was still a strange environment; and how society is changing. I would also like to leave a record of my life in England so that my children's children and their children will know what life was really like for a black West Indian woman living in England before the middle of the twentieth century and the early part of the twenty-first century. Some of my comments will be general reflections and opinions and extends from what I said in my first book, My Windward Side. After retiring, I threw myself into community work mainly to take my mind away from my back pain. I became a volunteer for many organizations, and as the saying goes, "I wore several hats." I will be writing about each "hat" in a separate chapter because each has played a large part in my life and afforded me many opportunities that I would never have had. I have call this book Defying the Odds, for although my life has been filled with many barriers both as a woman and being black, I have tried to break down most of them and grab the opportunities that came my way. I feel I have done all and more than I have wanted to achieve.