Poor
Grit, courage, and the life-changing value of self-belief
Published on 25. May 2023
Book
Paperback/Softback
304 pages
978-1-84488-621-0 (ISBN)
Description
The No. 1 Bestseller
'One of the best [books] I have read about the complexities of poverty . . . one of the most remarkable people you will ever meet' Guardian
**WINNER Biography of the Year, Irish Book Awards 2023**
**WINNER The Last Word Listeners' Choice Award, Irish Book Awards 2023**
As the middle of five kids growing up in dire poverty, the odds were low on Katriona O'Sullivan making anything of her life. When she became a mother at 15 and ended up homeless, what followed were five years of barely coping.
This is the extraordinary story - moving, funny, brave, and sometimes startling - of how Katriona turned her life around. How the seeds of self-belief planted by teachers in childhood stayed with her. How she found mentors whose encouragement revitalised those seeds in adulthood, leading her to become an award-winning academic whose work challenges barriers to education.
Poor is not only Katriona's story, but is also her impassioned argument for the importance of looking out for our kids' futures. Of giving them hope, practical support and meaningful opportunities.
* * *
'Powerful - Katriona is a legend' Barry Keoghan
'Raw, passionate and resolutely honest - I'll never forget it' Annie Mac
'Full of insight into a live lived right up against the boundaries placed on it by poverty ... so important ... we'd highly recommend' - Fi Glover, Times Radio
'I read poor in one sitting ... I found it so complelling. An amazing story ... moving, uplifting, brave, heroic' - Nuala McGovern, Woman's Hour, BBC
'Moving, funny, brave and original - just like the author ... absolutely incredible' - Roisin Ingle, Irish Times Women's Podcast
'One of the most important books I have ever read ... a beautiful telling of determination despite the odds' - Lynn Ruane, Irish Times
'Fearless, funny and searingly honest' - Adil Ray OBE
'Raw and remarkable' - Irish Independent
'A book of empowerment and hope' - Patricia Scanlan
'An important contribution to our understanding of poverty and its impact' - Sinead Gibney, Business Post
'An incredible read' - Business Post
'Phenomenal' - Louise O'Neill
'One of the best [books] I have read about the complexities of poverty . . . one of the most remarkable people you will ever meet' Guardian
**WINNER Biography of the Year, Irish Book Awards 2023**
**WINNER The Last Word Listeners' Choice Award, Irish Book Awards 2023**
As the middle of five kids growing up in dire poverty, the odds were low on Katriona O'Sullivan making anything of her life. When she became a mother at 15 and ended up homeless, what followed were five years of barely coping.
This is the extraordinary story - moving, funny, brave, and sometimes startling - of how Katriona turned her life around. How the seeds of self-belief planted by teachers in childhood stayed with her. How she found mentors whose encouragement revitalised those seeds in adulthood, leading her to become an award-winning academic whose work challenges barriers to education.
Poor is not only Katriona's story, but is also her impassioned argument for the importance of looking out for our kids' futures. Of giving them hope, practical support and meaningful opportunities.
* * *
'Powerful - Katriona is a legend' Barry Keoghan
'Raw, passionate and resolutely honest - I'll never forget it' Annie Mac
'Full of insight into a live lived right up against the boundaries placed on it by poverty ... so important ... we'd highly recommend' - Fi Glover, Times Radio
'I read poor in one sitting ... I found it so complelling. An amazing story ... moving, uplifting, brave, heroic' - Nuala McGovern, Woman's Hour, BBC
'Moving, funny, brave and original - just like the author ... absolutely incredible' - Roisin Ingle, Irish Times Women's Podcast
'One of the most important books I have ever read ... a beautiful telling of determination despite the odds' - Lynn Ruane, Irish Times
'Fearless, funny and searingly honest' - Adil Ray OBE
'Raw and remarkable' - Irish Independent
'A book of empowerment and hope' - Patricia Scanlan
'An important contribution to our understanding of poverty and its impact' - Sinead Gibney, Business Post
'An incredible read' - Business Post
'Phenomenal' - Louise O'Neill
Reviews / Votes
Full of insight into a life lived right up against the boundaries placed on it by poverty . . . so important . . . we'd highly recommend -- Fi Glover * Off Air with Jane and Fi, Times Radio * I read [Poor] in one sitting I found it so compelling. An amazing story . . . moving, uplifting, brave, heroic -- Nuala McGovern * Woman's Hour, BBC * Moving, funny, brave and original - just like the author . . . absolutely incredible -- Roisin Ingle * Irish Times Women's Podcast * One of the best books I have ever read about the complexities of poverty . . . one of the most remarkable people you will ever meet * Guardian * One of the most important books I have ever read . . . a beautiful telling of determination despite the odds -- Lynn Ruane * Irish Times * [A] story for the unheard and unseen that is fearless, funny and searingly honest -- Adil Ray OBE Raw and remarkable * Irish Independent * A book of empowerment and hope -- Patricia Scanlan An important contribution to our understanding of poverty and its impact * Business Post * An incredible read * Business Post * Phenomenal -- Louise O'Neill Katriona has taken her life and turned it into a call for action. She has given us all of her in her radically honest memoir and all who read it must meet that honesty with action. Poor is a book that can change society, and we must all level up to change it with her. -- Lynn Ruane They should put it on the leaving cert . . . an extraordinary book -- Brendan O'Connor * RTE Radio One * Absolutely brilliant. I cannot recommend it highly enough. It is, as far as I'm concerned, the book of the year! -- Pat Kenny * Newstalk * A fascinating story of overcoming great adversity, so well told -- Matt Cooper * Today FM * If I was a student who could be lectured by her, I would feel beyond privileged ... I really do recommend the book. -- Jane Garvey * Off Air with Jane and Fi, Times Radio * The remarkable story of her ascent from the trenches [of poverty] and her determination to inspire others . . . a vivid retelling of Katriona flourishing, despite her beginnings * BBC News West Midlands * Just finished this brilliant book ... it strikes at the heart of the damage we as a society are doing to children living in poverty. -- June Shannon * Twitter *More details
Language
English
Place of publication
Ireland
Publishing group
Penguin Books Ltd
Target group
Professional and scholarly
College/higher education
Product notice
Paperback (UK-trade)
Dimensions
Height: 212 mm
Width: 132 mm
Thickness: 22 mm
Weight
300 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-84488-621-0 (9781844886210)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Person
Dr Katriona O'Sullivan was born in Coventry to Irish parents. In 1998, at 20, she moved from Birmingham to Dublin and subsequently enrolled in the Trinity College access programme. She went on to gain a PhD in psychology from Trinity and joined its staff. She now works as a senior lecturer in Digital Skills in Maynooth University's Department of Psychology. She has worked with policy-makers to develop strategies around education and inclusion, and has been an invited speaker at the UN, the World Education Forum, the European Gender Action Workshop on Women and Digitalization. Most recently, the programme she leads to improve working class girls' access to education in STEM subjects won the Most Impactful Initiative award at the Women in Tech Europe Awards in Amsterdam. She is married with three children and lives in Dublin. Poor is her first book.