Poverty Polemic
- Downloads：9226
- Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
- Create Date：2022-06-14 00:51:42
- Update Date：2025-09-06
- Status：finish
- Author：Darren McGarvey
- ISBN：1529103886
- Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
- Download
Summary
People from deprived communities all around Britain feel misunderstood and unheard。 Darren McGarvey， aka 'Loki' gives voice to their feelings and concerns， and the anger that is spilling over。 Anger he says we will have to get used to， unless things change。
He invites you to come on a Safari of sorts。 A Poverty Safari。 But not the sort where the indigenous species is surveyed from a safe distance for a time， before the window on the community closes and everyone gradually forgets about it。
He invites you to come on a Safari of sorts。 A Poverty Safari。 But not the sort where the indigenous species is surveyed from a safe distance for a time， before the window on the community closes and everyone gradually forgets about it。
Reviews
Kate
，
Read this in 2 days。 An honest， unflinching， important， intelligent book。 Highly recommend。
David
，
Prose of innocence and experience， where the author puts a firm， evidenced argument for unending critical self-analysis of beliefs， creeds， and bêtes-noir， framed in his own personal such analysis， and an admission that opponents often DO have worthwhile views。
Alicia B
，
McGarvey habla sobre la pobreza， cómo está afecta a la clase trabajadora y lo hace a partir de su propia experiencia， con mucha， mucha asertividad。 Invita a la reflexión de distintos temas y lo mejor es que cada punto está bien explicado， dando pie a que el libro llegue a mucha más gente; de hecho al principio pensaba que me iba a resultar pesado y ha ocurrido todo lo contrario。 No considero que sea una biblia pero McGarvey abre la puerta a un abanico de experiencias y reflexiones que me parecen McGarvey habla sobre la pobreza， cómo está afecta a la clase trabajadora y lo hace a partir de su propia experiencia， con mucha， mucha asertividad。 Invita a la reflexión de distintos temas y lo mejor es que cada punto está bien explicado， dando pie a que el libro llegue a mucha más gente; de hecho al principio pensaba que me iba a resultar pesado y ha ocurrido todo lo contrario。 No considero que sea una biblia pero McGarvey abre la puerta a un abanico de experiencias y reflexiones que me parecen una verdadera joya。 。。。more
DustyPages
，
This is a well crafted， beautifully articulate， intelligent piece of work。 It opened my eyes to a completely different world and way of looking at it。 Having said that， some aspects of British life resonated strongly with me but some were so alien， and I am grateful to have had my perspective widened。 I felt both humbled and inspired。 The author is incredibly open minded and self analytical， he's not afraid to make mistakes and learn from them。 I feel the reader gets an honest opinion from him， This is a well crafted， beautifully articulate， intelligent piece of work。 It opened my eyes to a completely different world and way of looking at it。 Having said that， some aspects of British life resonated strongly with me but some were so alien， and I am grateful to have had my perspective widened。 I felt both humbled and inspired。 The author is incredibly open minded and self analytical， he's not afraid to make mistakes and learn from them。 I feel the reader gets an honest opinion from him， in striving for social change， that is full of integrity。 He steers away from victimhood and towards personal responsibility。 He does not however， believe that personal responsibility need be devoid of help and support。 I do hope this incredibly insightful and important book will continue to be widely read。 。。。more
Ian Howells
，
Scattergun and a bit repetitive in parts but full of justified anger and frustration at how poverty is dealt with and viewed by both the left and right。 Reads like a series of interlinked essays。 There's ranting but maybe we need more ranting and less acquiescence。 Scattergun and a bit repetitive in parts but full of justified anger and frustration at how poverty is dealt with and viewed by both the left and right。 Reads like a series of interlinked essays。 There's ranting but maybe we need more ranting and less acquiescence。 。。。more
Jacob Stelling
，
Part memoir， part clarion cry， this book serves as a powerful call to action for British class politics。 Drawing on his own experiences of poverty， addiction and abuse， the author highlights the growing gulf between the social classes of the UK and demonstrates unequivocally the destructive impact of austerity policies on the life chances of an entire generation。
Clare O
，
Powerful。 This is an excellent portrayal of poverty and class issues， with self reflection and critique of politics and the poverty industry
Doon
，
As others have pointed out， the author rails against the middle classes who make their livelihoods from the poverty management system， but gives no mention to the government， and capitalist architecture that keeps the system in place。 The author’s analysis is insightful， but the focus of the book is too narrow。
Naomi Wilson
，
1/2 for interesting， 1/2 for made me think。
Christine Best
，
A challenging book about the author’s life growing up in Glasgow。 He has quite a lot to say about what he calls the ‘poverty industry’ aka the middle class response to deprivation and the structures they develop to deal with it。 He also is a great believer in taking personal responsibility for one’s life。 This book will make you question your response to current social issues。
Philip William
，
Becca， would I recommend this book？ I have given it 5 stars so what more do you want？ For myself， I would want a lot more。 Five stars may be necessary but it is certainly not sufficient for me to read a book。 I want to know what it is about。Darren McGarvey takes us through a brutal honest view of his personal journey through poverty growing up in the worst of circumstances （drug addict mum who dies at 36， broken family， abused as a child etc）， in the poorest part of the poorest city in the UK （P Becca， would I recommend this book？ I have given it 5 stars so what more do you want？ For myself， I would want a lot more。 Five stars may be necessary but it is certainly not sufficient for me to read a book。 I want to know what it is about。Darren McGarvey takes us through a brutal honest view of his personal journey through poverty growing up in the worst of circumstances （drug addict mum who dies at 36， broken family， abused as a child etc）， in the poorest part of the poorest city in the UK （Pollock and the Gorbals in Glasgow）。In an absolute sense that makes him stinking rich; how else could he write a book that deserves to win The Orwell Prize 2018。 In a relative UK sense that makes him poor and able to comment on poverty in a way that almost all commentators in the UK cannot （because they have no personal experience of what it is like）。Having explained his own life he turns his attention to the Poverty Industry which feeds off the back of the poor。 The Poverty Industry has good and bad points。 You as a teacher are part of that industry as you try to help the next generation not become poor （as well as the other good things teachers hopefully do） but Darren is also critical of many of the actions of that Industry and points out how it often makes things worse。Darren does not come up with easy answers to the question of poverty in the UK but if you are serious about reducing poverty in the UK then this is an important book in understanding the way forward。Should you read it？ Your choice。 。。。more
Marley Rollins
，
I took a day to process what I thought of this one， but I’m still very much undecided。 There were some great elements， and some things that were definitely more patchy than others， hence the middling star review。From the outset， I found this book confusing because the title seems to position it as something it’s not。 When I began reading， I expected something along the lines of Owen Jones’ ‘Chavs’- a class criticism backed up with cultural theory， relevant data， and the voices of experts in the I took a day to process what I thought of this one， but I’m still very much undecided。 There were some great elements， and some things that were definitely more patchy than others， hence the middling star review。From the outset， I found this book confusing because the title seems to position it as something it’s not。 When I began reading， I expected something along the lines of Owen Jones’ ‘Chavs’- a class criticism backed up with cultural theory， relevant data， and the voices of experts in the field。 And while we get a tiiiny bit of that， that’s not what this book is at all。 In reality， this is a very personal account that reads more like a memoir with just a sprinkling of cultural criticism， although this is rarely backed up with any scientific data or expert opinion。 This isn’t a problem， per say， the memoir is moving and Garvey obviously has a very powerful story to tell， however， I do feel like the reader might be going into reading the book without fully understanding what they’re getting into。 Also， as much as I ended up enjoying the style of the book， I would have loved to see it be a tiny bit more academic， with more research to back up some of the larger points。 I know they were just from Garvey’s opinion and therefore he wasn’t setting the book up to be a theory text， but some of his points could have been so much stronger with more evidence behind them， especially when he’s grouping up lots of people and saying they all feel/act a certain way/have experienced certain things with no data to show this， leading it to seem like somewhat biased conjecture。 Once I’d gotten into the swing of the story， I did find it really engrossing however， and having came from an underclass background myself， a lot of the chapters really resonated with me， having had similar experiences myself。 Garvey has a talent of capturing the emotion and anger he is feeling in a way that feels really relatable and universal， and he doesn’t shy from the often brutal， blistering reality of his life and the life of others like him。 There were so many chapters I was devouring thinking that he had absolutely perfectly captured my feelings in a way I’ve never been able to articulate。 And of course， Garvey’s story is incredibly inspirational， having struggled with poverty， alcoholism， addiction， grief and so much more， and came through it in the way he has。 While the text does sometimes veer into what he brilliantly terms a ‘misery memoir’ heaping on pain for pain’s sake， every upsetting experience he details seems to serve the narrative and the point he is ultimately trying to make。 Now， onto the more questionable elements of the book。 First up， this is stating the obvious as Garvey actually lets the reader know very early on that the book will be somewhat disjointed， but the chapters are all over the place。 Some are really strong， some not so much， and some feel very very out of place。 There’s definitely a bit of flow missing， and it needed a stronger through line in areas to tie it all together。 Next， there are some themes and ideas touched on in this novel that are slightly…problematic， and some that are ignored which is equally so。 For example， there’s a very strange chapter in which Garvey is in McDonald’s and is feeling shame for choosing to eat fast food， when he makes the statement that he believes everyone who eats McDonald’s is ashamed， and everyone in the restaurant is alone。 In the chapter， he could speak just about his own experiences， but instead he creates a fatphobic assumption that everyone who eats fast food also is lonely and hates themselves and partakes in disordered eating behaviours。 Not cool。 Similarly， when Garvey talks about his struggles with alcoholism， drug addiction and mental health， some of the language he uses is problematic。 Again， I’m aware it’s a personal memoir and so he is talking about his own experiences， but the book as a whole attempts to talk about why the underclasses in general are angry， so it’s hard not to assume he’s speaking for all people in his position suffering with addiction issues and mental health concerns。 He often makes comments that he was a selfish drug addict， and that his mental health concerns weren’t really real， they were just something he hid behind because he couldn’t accept the reality that he wasn’t being accountable for his own behaviour。 And while this might be true in his situation， it does feel a little bit stigmatising to suggest that all drug addicts are selfish people who won’t take accountability for their actions， or that you’re not really mentally ill， you’re just selfish。 This is actually something that occurs quite regularly in the book that didn’t sit well with me。 Although often Garvey is just telling his own very personal story， he also tends to make quite pejorative sweeping statements about other people in poverty， often with no evidence or data to back up his theories。 There’s something quite questionable about the book as a whole- Garvey often tries to speak for the working class as a whole and transposes his experiences and feelings onto them exactly， which ignores the wealth of difference across the working classes。 Nowhere is this more noticeable than in the fact that， in a book that details the neglect， stereotyping， and misery the underclasses suffer， hardly ever does Garvey mention the experiences of immigrants， POCs， disabled people， or any other minority group which through a combination of factors， tend to make up those bottom classes。 Barring one chapter touching briefly on racism， Garvey never really acknowledges that he can’t possibly speak for the experiences of those with less privilege than himself， and that they face not only the horrendous rigours of poverty， but the added suffering of discrimination， bigotry， and violence。 On the one hand， it is a good thing that as a white man， Garvey doesn’t try to speak for these groups， but to not even offhand acknowledge them or give them even the chance to speak is a little bit disappointing， especially as we see Garvey visiting prisons， youth clubs and other services， and so he could have tried to carry out some research by talking to those people。 Overall， I’m very divided on this book。 On the one hand， I think Garvey speaks very eloquently on the subject of poverty， and he narrates his experiences in such a way that it is engaging， enlightening， and for anyone who hasn’t dealt with what he has， I imagine it will be educational too。 I loved following his journey through his early childhood trauma， to his addiction issues， to his beginning of healing， to the man he is today， and reading about it from a really candid and honest voice。 Considering he never reads books， he has a beautiful narrative voice。 But conversely， there were some issues with quality and problematic aspects to this book that I found hard to ignore， which is why I’ve marked it down。 I think a book like this is always going to have to walk a really fine line that’s hard to get right， so I appreciate the challenge Garvey must have had。 On the one hand， if he’d written a pure memoir， he wouldn’t have had the chance to make the class commentary he’s clearly passionate about。 But doing this will always risk being accused of attempting to speak for an entire group of people。 But on the other hand， if he’d written a straight piece of social commentary and not shared his own experiences， it wouldn’t have hit anywhere as hard。 You can’t really win， so I accept that Garvey did a pretty good job with this book， there were just a few things that could have been better。 。。。more
James Hylands
，
This was one of the most insightful books of the year。 The author goes through his experience of poverty。 The audiobook is read by it's author which meant I couldn't listen to it quite as sped up as I had other books on this list。 The most shocking realisation from it was how little money is mentioned in the book。 For a condition which is defined by money and is often thought starts and ends with a lack of money， this book highlights why throwing money at the problem will do nothing to help thos This was one of the most insightful books of the year。 The author goes through his experience of poverty。 The audiobook is read by it's author which meant I couldn't listen to it quite as sped up as I had other books on this list。 The most shocking realisation from it was how little money is mentioned in the book。 For a condition which is defined by money and is often thought starts and ends with a lack of money， this book highlights why throwing money at the problem will do nothing to help those in this dreadful situation。Poverty Safari 。。。more
Zoe Todd
，
Almost a four。 Highly readable and offered an engaging insight into someone brought up in a very challenging household situation in Glasgow。 I know those parts of glasgow geographically but my loving experience in the city was far from the authors。 His understanding， anger， anxiety and early/almost to mid life story is engaging and yea insightful。 Also a don’t judge what you don’t know thought thrown out there…。。
Lauren Cook
，
A really interesting and well balanced look at not only poverty， but the UK political climate。Though a little repetitive at times， there were some really good essays and it was nice to read an account from someone with actual lived experience of poverty， as well as to read critiques of the left from someone who considers themself left wing。
Michael Creamer
，
If you have ever noticed your own need to explain to people why they are wrong thenyou need to read this book
R。S Green
，
I think this book was well intentioned but it it’s a confusing muddle of not knowing who it’s aimed at…。it is part memoir （possibly a full memoir might have been better？） and part analysis of socio economic factors influencing deprived areas of Glasgow。I’d like to have seen analysis of other areas （maybe one in each of England， Wales and N。I or different parts of Scotland） I also don’t know who the book is aimed at - I really cannae see local residents picking the book up as it’s not really writ I think this book was well intentioned but it it’s a confusing muddle of not knowing who it’s aimed at…。it is part memoir （possibly a full memoir might have been better？） and part analysis of socio economic factors influencing deprived areas of Glasgow。I’d like to have seen analysis of other areas （maybe one in each of England， Wales and N。I or different parts of Scotland） I also don’t know who the book is aimed at - I really cannae see local residents picking the book up as it’s not really written in an accessible style or gives much in terms of helpful info beyond the obvious’be responsible’ for yourself。I enjoyed the book but it lacks focus and there’s almost 3 potential books here （a memoir， ideas to challenge or create community change， analysis of impoverished areas） It was interesting， cliches of blaming the tories are avoided and there’s some interesting points made about liberal lefties who try and be benevolent。Recommend as an interesting read but this could have been so much better。 。。。more
Dawn
，
shouldn't have bothered with my masters degree in Community Education - should just have read this。 shouldn't have bothered with my masters degree in Community Education - should just have read this。 。。。more
CCSI MSt in Social Innovation
，
Recommended by Professor Paul TraceyIt’s a great book， not only because it’s beautifully written and in places quite funny， but also because it highlights how poverty blights large parts of apparently ‘rich’ societies， and why the top-down interventions of the ‘poverty industry’ are so often ineffective。
Damon JONES
，
Good not great， repeats a lot of themes but overall worth a read， maybe I just get turned off by political stuff？ It’s not really that political tbh but a good insight into modern day poverty， 6/10。
Andrew Lin
，
Eloquent， thought provoking， and powerful。 A book that really makes you reflect on your own beliefs and experiences and confront your own hypocrisies and prejudices。 Above all else， Darren’s humbleness and willingness to admit his own faults and missteps， while situating them within broader issues in modern social discourse， is refreshing and inspiring。
Melissa Cashmore
，
I haven’t finished reading this book but to be honest it may take me a year to read， re read and assimilate some understanding and opinion of this book。。。before I could write a proper review。 I’ve re-read chapters to try and understand 。 So I’ll give a review now。 Or rather I’ll tell you this book exists。 It’s a worth while read- for anyone- whether you’re born working class， middle class， had social mobility， downward drift or don’t think there’s a class structure in the UK。 It’s not a party po I haven’t finished reading this book but to be honest it may take me a year to read， re read and assimilate some understanding and opinion of this book。。。before I could write a proper review。 I’ve re-read chapters to try and understand 。 So I’ll give a review now。 Or rather I’ll tell you this book exists。 It’s a worth while read- for anyone- whether you’re born working class， middle class， had social mobility， downward drift or don’t think there’s a class structure in the UK。 It’s not a party political book， but an autobiographical safari of poverty written by Darren McGarvey- an emotional book， that articulates the deprivation he experienced from 9 months pre birth and the resulting impact on his life， family， community ， thinking and education through a lottery of birth。 We know the first 1001 days until the age of 2 largely influence life chances ， morbidity and mortality and this book tries to explain why。 But it isn’t all about blame。 The last chapter surprised me 。。。。you need to read his conclusions and thoughts。 I wish this book had been around when I was a Health Visitor。 Whether you agree with Darren’s observations， analysis and conclusions or not this book should be a must read for all those working with people。 I guess everyone who reads this will have a different take on it dependant on where they sit on being networked， having opportunity at birth。 It’s an account of working class life from the inside。 There isn’t a middle class solution to working class problems （ ie why people living in Grenfell were so angry about being blamed ）。 And I guess even more important now since the pandemic where the gulf between inequalities has widened。I’ll read again in a few months 。。。more
Lotta Selanniemi
，
Tidvis lite martyrig och motsäger sig själv ibland， men ger nya inblickar o tankar om fattigdom o hur de påverkar folk i dagens läge
Snickety
，
Strong start but runs out of material and decides to rant about every subject under the sun instead。 No sources for any of his claims， instead just a 'common sense' approach to everything from nutrition to immigration。 Spoiler alert: every problem can be solved with a bit of 'personal responsibility'。 Calls himself a leftie constantly but I'm not confident he could explain what that means。 Strong start but runs out of material and decides to rant about every subject under the sun instead。 No sources for any of his claims， instead just a 'common sense' approach to everything from nutrition to immigration。 Spoiler alert: every problem can be solved with a bit of 'personal responsibility'。 Calls himself a leftie constantly but I'm not confident he could explain what that means。 。。。more
Mayo
，
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 Misleading title。 More a memoir/extended opinion piece rather than a researched investigation into poverty in modern Britain。
Mark
，
Exceptional。 Almost as though Shuggie Bain aged a couple of decades and was now fighting both his demons and to bridge the gap between classes。McGarvey is not somebody I was overly familiar with， perhaps as my knowledge of rap is pathetic， but he has a gift of appealing to all through an aggressive use of articulate language。
Patrick Taggart
，
There's ery good progression throughout this book。 McGarvey treads the line between making statements and writing a memoir （and the line between the memoir sounding whiney vs is not being genuine） very well。It's also really good in that it reads as though written by someone who's not a career author/avid reader， which brings a cool new feel to the experience。 There's ery good progression throughout this book。 McGarvey treads the line between making statements and writing a memoir （and the line between the memoir sounding whiney vs is not being genuine） very well。It's also really good in that it reads as though written by someone who's not a career author/avid reader， which brings a cool new feel to the experience。 。。。more
Jenny Cardenas
，
It's a great book。 I understand more about the Scottish's and maybe Britain's working-class life。 It was interesting to see how Darren McGarvey evolved through all his experiences。 It's a great book。 I understand more about the Scottish's and maybe Britain's working-class life。 It was interesting to see how Darren McGarvey evolved through all his experiences。 。。。more
Shannon
，
Depicts the life of a working class man from Glasgow who struggled with addiction and mental health while examining the causes of poverty。 Also highlights the problems within left-wing groups from a member of the left。 Vital read for leftists， community workers， NGOs workers， etc
Matthew
，
Good
Reference
google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=Poverty Polemic
hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=Poverty Polemic&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft
The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,Poverty Polemic&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0