Zadie Smith's multicultural and postcolonial novel has been widely discussed in the literary world. At age 25, Zadie Smith captures the incredibly believable lives of an elderly Bangladeshi Muslim, an overly concerned middle-class white woman sticking her nose into bad deals, and a half-Jamaican teenager with self-esteem issues. Over the course of about 30 years, the book's three families traverse a loose web of separate but somehow connected circumstances, and Smith has become an award-winning author as a result of her writing. That's not to say Smith hasn't faced criticism. Here's what one review said about the (at the time) budding author: "This kind of precociousness in such a young writer makes half the audience stand and applaud and the other half wish, as happened with children artists of the past (Shirley Temple). , Bonnie Langford et al), would remain still and silent. White Teeth is the literary equivalent of a hyperactive, red-haired 10-year-old tap dancing (Moss) The review is biting and severe, yet you need to keep two things in mind when evaluating whether the review's argument is valid. One, White Teeth has received at least ten awards, not to mention it made the "100 Novels" list. of All Time" from Time Magazine, a list of the best English-language novels since 1923. And two, that word goes in the publishing industry. that Smith had written that review herself (Moss). In that case, we can ignore his self-depreciation; in fact, no one is a worse critic of his own work than himself. But there is merit to some of the sentiments expressed in the quote. Precociousness and hyperactivity are very accurate adjectives for ...... middle of paper ...... adieSmith." European Journal of English Studies. 173-188. Routledge, 2004. AcademicSearch Complete. EBSCO. Web. April 28, 2011 .Moss, Stephen. “Zadie Smith's White Teeth.” Guardian.co.uk, 26 January 2000. Web, 26 April 2011. “White Teeth: A Conversation with Author Zadie Smith.” Vol. 105-111. Web. 28 April 2011. Smith, Zadie White Teeth: A Reader's Guide. Continuum International Publishing Group, 2002. E-book. Williams, Joseph M. and Gregory G. Colomb Style: Lessons in Clarity and Grace 10th ed.Columbus: Pearson Eductation, Inc., 2010. Print. Wood, James. "Human, Too Inhuman.". 2011.