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Poor

Grit, courage, and the life-changing value of self-belief

Katriona O'Sullivan

$45

Paperback

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English
Sandycove
15 June 2023
An inspiring story about the lasting effects of growing up poor, even for those who 'escape'

As the middle of five kids growing up in dire poverty, the odds were low on Katriona O'Sullivan making anything of her life. She became a mother at 15 and ended up homeless. Five rackety years followed - barely coping, drinking to escape - until Katriona, now living in her father's native Dublin, hit rock bottom.

Poor is the extraordinary story - moving, funny, brave, and sometimes startling - of how Katriona turned her life around. During her schooldays there had been teachers who looked out for her - beacons of stability in a chaotic childhood. They planted seeds of self-belief. In Dublin when she sought help, she found mentors whose encouragement revived that self-belief. She got her act together, got a flat and a job as a cleaner, and got into Trinity College. Today Dr Katriona O'Sullivan is an award-winning lecturer whose work explores barriers to education.

Despite her professional success, and happiness in her marriage and as a loving mother, Katriona lives with the indelible legacy of her early years. Her book is a stirring argument for the importance of looking out for our kids, of giving them hope, practical support and meaningful opportunities.

By:  
Imprint:   Sandycove
Country of Publication:   Ireland
Dimensions:   Height: 212mm,  Width: 132mm,  Spine: 22mm
Weight:   300g
ISBN:   9781844886210
ISBN 10:   1844886212
Pages:   304
Publication Date:  
Audience:   General/trade ,  Professional and scholarly ,  College/higher education ,  ELT Advanced ,  Undergraduate
Format:   Paperback
Publisher's Status:   Active

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.

Reviews for Poor: Grit, courage, and the life-changing value of self-belief

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 -- Róisín 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 * RTÉ 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 *


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