Kerry Hudson Books

"Chav, Lowlife, Ned. When every day of your life you have been told you are worth nothing to society, can you ever escape that sense of being 'lowborn'? Kerry Hudson grew up in grinding poverty with her sister and single mother. Always on the move, her childhood was spent in a series of BetBs and council flats - a new school every year or so and nowhere to truly call home. Twenty years later, Kerry's life is unrecognisable but she often finds herself looking over her shoulder, caught somehow between two worlds. In Lowborn she journeys into her past, revisiting the towns she grew up in to try to understand what made her who she is, as well as what being poor really means in Britain today." Klappentext.

When Janie Ryan is born, she's just the latest in a long line of Ryan women, Aberdeen fishwives to the marrow, always ready to fight. Her violet-eyed Grandma had predicted she'd be sly, while blowing Benson and Hedges smoke rings over her Ma's swollen belly. In the hospital, her family eyed her suspiciously, so close she could smell whether they'd had booze or food for breakfast. It was mostly booze. Tony Hogan tells the story of a Scottish childhood of sordid council flats and B & Bs, screeching women, feckless men, fags and booze and drugs, the dole queue and bread and marge sandwiches. It is also the story of an irresistible, irrepressible heroine, a dysfunctional family you can't help but adore, the absurdities of the eighties and the fierce bonds that tie people together no matter what. Told in an arrestingly original -- and cry-out-loud funny -- voice, it launches itself headlong into the middle of one of life's great fights, between the pull of the past and the freedom of the future. And Janie Ryan, born and bred for combat, is ready to win.

From the prize-winning author of Tony Hogan Bought Me An Ice-Cream Float Before He Stole My Ma Winner of the Prix Femina EtrangerLondon, in the frayed heat of summer. Heart-wrenching' Independent on SundayShortlisted for the Prix Femina Prize

Exploring the challenges of building a nurturing family, Kerry Hudson shares her journey from a difficult childhood to motherhood. The memoir delves into her struggles with fertility, a crisis in her marriage, and the complexities of starting a family without a clear guide. Despite facing numerous obstacles, Hudson's resilience, love, and determination shine through as she seeks to create a better life for her son. This empowering narrative not only highlights her personal growth but also continues the themes from her previous work, Lowborn.