Poor by Kationa O’Sullivan
‘Poor’ by Katriona O’Sullivan is about how she grew up in dire poverty, survived neglect and abuse, became pregnant and homeless at 15, and ultimately ended up with a Phd in Psychology from Trinity College. This is her incredible story, and how she did it.
Upbringing
Katriona O’Sullivan was born in Highfields in Coventry, the second youngest of five children. Her upbringing is a tough one - both her parents are heroin addicts, and we read about how she discovered her father overdosing at the age of six, with a syringe sticking out of his arm. The chaotic nature of her parents life mean she is also left at the mercy of dodgy characters, on one occasion with devastating consequences.
Education
School becomes a place of refuge, and two teachers in particular show kindness. In primary school Mrs Harrison provides her with clean underwear and shows her how to wash herself -it’s an important moment because it shows a young child that she is deserving of love. Later, secondary teacher Mr Pickering recognises her love of reading and encourages her, when she is pregnant at 15, to at least sit her GCSE English, resulting in a lifelong love of learning. During this time of austerity and budget cuts, it’s a potent reminder of the importance of our schools and how integral they are to children's wellbeing.
Ireland
With her parents already in Dublin, Katriona moves over, finding a flat in the north inner city. Struggling with addiction, she enters recovery, and works a number of menial jobs, including as a cleaner in Connolly station. An encounter with a friend on O’Connell street leads to a visit to Trinity College, and an access course that changes her life.
Parents
Her relationship with her parents Tony and Tilly is touching and real. Of course there is shocking neglect at times, especially in the early years. But there is a recognition from Katriona, as she gets older, of how her mother in particular never received help for her mental struggles and used drugs to self medicate. Nobody decides to become a drug addict. But there are many devestating momments, especially on one occasion when Katriona asks her mother -’Did you ever love me?’
There’s a lot of love in the relationship with her father Tony, who obviously has his faults but is also a bit of a charming rogue. Because of what happened at the start of the book, I hated the parents because of what Katriona went thorough. But because of the journey that she goes on and her own empathy towards her parents, as a reader I developed a better understanding of them.
Audiobook
I was glad I listened to the audiobook of ‘Poor’ - it’s such a personal story, and the way that Katriona’s voice cracks at times gives it even more of an emotional immediacy. So many times I was caught up in it whilst listening, some of the scenes hitting me really hard. And it’s one of those books where it’s impossible not to be inspired by the authors determination.
Poverty
One of the important things emphasised by the author is that the routes that were open to her that allowed her to escape poverty are now closed. Access programmes, youth centres, grants, childcare and counselling - mostly gone or underfunded to the point that they barely exist. I lived in Dublin myself during this same period, and there was so much money that the government was able to fund these programmes and offer the working class a way out of poverty. And like most societies, as soon as the hard times hit financially, these are the first to go. Door slammed shut again, and as the author makes the point, it’s society that loses out, because instead of people making a valuable contribution, the working class are condemned to being ‘poor’.
I see and hear about it everyday. Schools so badly underfunded that they can barely afford toilet rolls. Teachers purchasing stationery with their own money. Children going hungry because they can’t afford dinner. A generation are being sentenced to a life time of poverty and struggle, and the cycle continues.
Summary
This is a devastating story, and the courage and self belief that Katriona O’Sullivan shows to turn her life around is remarkable. But she acknowledges the help she received along the way, and the opportunities she took that aren’t available to many working class people these days. It’s raw and gritty, powerful, brutally honest and brave. An absolutely riveting memoir from an exceptional woman.
320 pages, Paperback Published May 25, 2023
6hrs 48 minutes