Poor cover art

Poor

Preview

£0.00 for first 30 days

Try for £0.00
Pick 1 audiobook a month from our unmatched collection - including bestsellers and new releases.
Listen all you want to thousands of included audiobooks, Originals, celeb exclusives, and podcasts.
Access exclusive sales and deals.
£7.99/month after 30 days. Renews automatically. See here for eligibility.

Poor

By: Katriona O'Sullivan
Narrated by: Katriona O'Sullivan
Try for £0.00

£7.99/month after 30 days. Renews automatically. See here for eligibility.

Buy Now for £12.99

Buy Now for £12.99

Confirm Purchase
Pay using card ending in
By completing your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions of Use and authorise Audible to charge your designated card or any other card on file. Please see our Privacy Notice, Cookies Notice and Interest-based Ads Notice.
Cancel

About this listen

Brought to you by Penguin.

'We love a rags-to-riches story, and we love to see someone triumph through sheer determination. But the story is rarely that simple. My story isn't, anyway.'

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 revived those seeds in adulthood.

Now an award-winning lecturer whose work challenges barriers to education, Poor stands as a stirring argument for the importance of looking out for our kids' futures. Of giving them hope, practical support and meaningful opportunities.

©2023 Katriona O'Sullivan (P)2023 Penguin Audio
Educators Personal Success Poverty & Homelessness Inspiring Funny Heartfelt Thought-Provoking
activate_Holiday_promo_in_buybox_DT_T2

Listeners also enjoyed...

Madhouse cover art
Pedagogy of the Oppressed: 50th Anniversary Edition cover art
Home Is Where the Start Is cover art
Grand cover art
Small Bones in a Fist cover art
The Third Policeman cover art
Rough Beast cover art
Don’t Ask Me About My Dad cover art
Disobedient Bodies cover art
The Butcher Boy cover art
Dirty Linen cover art
This Is Not About You cover art
Homesick cover art
His Secret Wife cover art
The Girl Who Survived cover art
Boys Don't Cry cover art

Critic reviews

'A book of empowerment and hope.' (Patricia Scanlan)

'[A] story for the unheard and unseen that is fearless, funny and searingly honest.' (Adil Ray OBE)

'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 society, and we must all level up to change it with her.' (Lynn Ruane)

What listeners say about Poor

Average customer ratings
Overall
  • 5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    828
  • 4 Stars
    39
  • 3 Stars
    9
  • 2 Stars
    2
  • 1 Stars
    0
Performance
  • 5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    806
  • 4 Stars
    36
  • 3 Stars
    9
  • 2 Stars
    1
  • 1 Stars
    0
Story
  • 5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    803
  • 4 Stars
    43
  • 3 Stars
    6
  • 2 Stars
    1
  • 1 Stars
    1

Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.

Sort by:
Filter by:
  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Amazing woman

This is a really sad story with a mostly happy ending. Inspirational doesn't cover it really. What an amazing woman. Really enjoyed it and loved the fact that the parts when Katriona got emotional were left it. It's very raw and I shed a few tears myself. Anyone who goes through the childhood this lady has and comes out the other side of it with a PHD is a superhero in my eyes. Well done Katriona, you're some woman!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Fabulous

Fabulous , raw, devastating. A must for all especially those working in children’s services. Thank you Jane and Fee I would have never have listened to this without hearing your interview with Katriona .

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Really good book

Well read, such a sad life story which ends with some very poignant words around the deficits in our education system. As a mental health professional it makes me squirm that I work in a system where children are left in such difficult states.
My upbringing wasn’t so far from this but was saved by a straight and sober parent but I still didn’t come through unaffected so massive kudos to katriona, trauma creates such brave and courageous people.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Amazing

So courageous! Really explains what some children’s lives are like -and how everything is such a struggle and shows how unequal the playing field is. Katriona -you are an inspiration-thank you for sharing.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

inspiring

loved it. I cried a lot. It's a tough listen at times, but overall it's spectacular.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

heartbreaking and thought provoking

brilliantly written and narrated. Will you make you look at poverty and its effects in a whole new way

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Heartfelt and must read for anyone sold the myth of meritocracy

This book is so heartfelt and honest. I would especially recommend it to anybody who has been afforded buoyancy by educationally grants and scholarships, but has never forgotten the places they have come from.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

More than just a poor story

Absolutely brilliant. Not only conveys her upbringing with massive insight and self awareness, but also places her experience within the context of class and gender. A brilliant social commentary.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

I've got a feeling that this book is going to change my life x

I don't have the words to express how much I needed this book. It's so powerful and I can relate it to so much, thank you Katriona x

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Fantastic

Totally inspirational! I could listen to Katrina all day long , what an amazing lady x

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!