Ootlin: The must-read memoir about growing up in the UK care system
Aug 2024 · Random House
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336
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About this ebook
WINNER OF THE GORDON BURN PRIZE 2025
Longlisted for the Women's Prize for Non Fiction 2025
'An astonishing story of survival' GUARDIAN
'Extraordinary and uplifting' OBSERVER
'A triumphant tale of survival' FINANCIAL TIMES
'An extraordinary book' LITERARY REVIEW
'To read this book is to be reminded of the importance of kindness, of beauty and of storytelling' iPAPER
'A phenomenal memoir. I am in awe' AMY LIPTROT
'Beautiful, deep, transfixing . . . it will burn a home in your heart' LEMN SISSAY
'Essential reading, life-changing ... Beautiful, earth-shattering and unforgettable' SAMANTHA MORTON
'Mesmerising, heart-breaking. I'll never forget it' ANNIE MAC
'Should be required reading' CLAIRE FULLER
The government told a story about me before I was born.
Jenni Fagan was property of the state before birth. She drew her first breath in care and by the age of seven, she had lived in fourteen different homes and had her name changed multiple times.
Twenty years after her first attempt to write this powerful memoir, Jenni is finally ready to share her account.
Ootlin is a journey through the broken UK care system – it is one of displacement and exclusion, but also of the power of storytelling. It is about the very human act of making meaning from adversity.
Longlisted for the Women's Prize for Non Fiction 2025
'An astonishing story of survival' GUARDIAN
'Extraordinary and uplifting' OBSERVER
'A triumphant tale of survival' FINANCIAL TIMES
'An extraordinary book' LITERARY REVIEW
'To read this book is to be reminded of the importance of kindness, of beauty and of storytelling' iPAPER
'A phenomenal memoir. I am in awe' AMY LIPTROT
'Beautiful, deep, transfixing . . . it will burn a home in your heart' LEMN SISSAY
'Essential reading, life-changing ... Beautiful, earth-shattering and unforgettable' SAMANTHA MORTON
'Mesmerising, heart-breaking. I'll never forget it' ANNIE MAC
'Should be required reading' CLAIRE FULLER
The government told a story about me before I was born.
Jenni Fagan was property of the state before birth. She drew her first breath in care and by the age of seven, she had lived in fourteen different homes and had her name changed multiple times.
Twenty years after her first attempt to write this powerful memoir, Jenni is finally ready to share her account.
Ootlin is a journey through the broken UK care system – it is one of displacement and exclusion, but also of the power of storytelling. It is about the very human act of making meaning from adversity.
About the author
Jenni Fagan was born in Scotland. She won the Gordon Burn Prize for her memoir, Ootlin, which was also longlisted for the Women's Prize for Non-Fiction. Her debut novel, The Panopticon, saw her selected as a Granta Best Young British Novelist, and her second novel, The Sunlight Pilgrims, gained her Scottish Author of the Year. Jenni has been listed for the Encore Award, the James Tait Black Memorial Prizes, the Desmond Elliott Prize, the Sunday Times Short Story Award, and the Pushcart Prize. She is a Doctor of Philosophy, a member of Liberty, and a Royal Society of Literature Fellow. She lives in Edinburgh with her son.
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