Innocent: Confessions of a Welfare Mother

by B. Morrison

Growing up in a prosperous neighborhood, B. Morrison was taught that poverty was a product of laziness and public assistance programs only rewarded irresponsibility. However, when her marriage soured, she abruptly found herself an impoverished single mother. Disowned by her parents and facing destitution for herself and her two small sons, she was forced to accept the handout so disdained by her parents and their world: welfare. This dramatic memoir tells how one woman finds and grasps the lifeline that ultimately enables her to become independent.
 

Genres: Memoir, Audiobook, Nonfiction, Sociology

342 pages, Paperback

First published July 1, 2011

About the author

Barbara Morrison, who writes under the name B. Morrison, is a poet and writer, a publisher, teacher, and dancer. In her new poetry collection, Terrarium, she explores the influence of place: where you live, where you grew up, where you travel, where you go in dreams. Her previous collection, Here at Least, chronicles a journey undertaken in response to Rilke's directive: "You must change your life."
A few years after graduating from college, her marriage collapsed and she found herself forced to go on welfare. It is this experience of a world very different from the one in which she grew up that she describes in her memoir, Innocent: Confessions of a Welfare Mother. She attributes part of her success in escaping poverty to her involvement in the world of traditional dance and music. She performed as a morris dancer for thirty years and continues to be active in the Country Dance and Song Society and several of its affiliates.
Barbara's award-winning work has been published in anthologies and magazines. She conducts writing workshops and speaks on women’s and poverty-related issues. She is also the owner of a small press and provides editing services. She has maintained her Monday Morning Books blog since 2006 and tweets regularly about poetry @bmorrison9. For more information, visit her website and blog at www.bmorrison.com.

Reviews

[emily *:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ · Rating 5 out of 5]

this was such a beautiful and inspiring memoir. growing up in a wealthy family b morrison had always looked down on people on welfare. after a failed marriage that left her a single mother and then disowned by her family she found herself in a very tough place. after accepting the help from welfare we are taken through her struggles as she tries to better herself for her family and get off of welfare. this was a truly powerful story of how women and the community can come together to help each other when they have little to give themselves.

thank you to the publishers and netgalley for the ARC!

[Margo Christie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Although my politics are liberal and my attitude toward the disenfranchised is generally sympathetic, this memoir by Baltimore writer B. Morrison was a real eye-opener. I doubt I'm alone in my perception of a certain "type" of single Welfare mother - uneducated, unskilled and unsophisticated. Morrison's touching tale blew that perception to smithereens with details such as community vegetable gardens as a way of putting healthy food on the table, bananas as occasional "treats," and learning how to work on one's own car so as to maintain a mode of transportation. The characters and their motivations were compelling and sympathetic. Since I have no children, it's sometimes hard for me to relate to motherhood tales, especially when those tales are commonplace or cliche. Morrison's tale is so unique that I couldn't help be moved by her struggle to be the best mother she could be under such adverse circumstances.

[Morgan Kowalski · Rating 5 out of 5]

I listened to Innocent: Confessions of a Welfare Mother read by the author, B. Morrison, and was deeply moved by her vulnerability and strength in telling her story. She recalls the stigma she felt around receiving welfare, not just from society, but from her own family who disowns her. B. Morrison's path to independence despite being a single mom of two is an eye-opening commentary on the gaps and failings in American public support services. Thank you NetGalley for the ARC!

[Selah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you to Cottey House Press and NetGalley for providing me an audio copy of this book for review. Growing up with a single mother that used some benefits of welfare, this book really resonated with me. It was always a somewhat shameful topic to discuss and bringing issues to light in this beautiful narrative will benefit a lot of people. I felt incredibly seen while listening. From food stamps, to subsidized housing, to not being able to afford to repair a vehicle, you root for Morrison to find her way and figure out how to survive. This book really brought up some memories as well as discussion about other social issues such as mental health and the subject of race and how every person experiences struggles in a completely different light. At times this felt hopeless, as well as hopeful in the smallest of ways, such as creating the community garden and learning to make bread. The discussion of having small children and it being more beneficial to stay home instead of trying to find work, despite wanting to contribute to society and feel fulfilled, it felt completely hopeless to even try with childcare being near impossible to find or afford. This memoir was incredibly well written and it will stick with me. Solid four stars.

[Carolann De Matos · Rating 4 out of 5]

‘Some changes are deliberate, only made after much weighing of pros and cons, while some are decided in an instant. Still others are the merest accident …’

As you can guess from the title of this memoir, this book is about a mother on welfare. The book’s author, Barbara Morrison was raised in a family that abhorred the idea of welfare, and looked down in disgust upon those whom collected it. Additionally, Morrison is not the stereotypical ideal of a welfare mom being college-educated, raised in an affluent neighborhood, and having lived through a generally pleasant childhood. She was a women who fell in love, got married, got pregnant, and then got smacked in the face with reality. Her happily ever after came crashing down around her s Morrison’s husband left her with a newborn son, pregnant with a second child, unable to work, unable to find child care, and unwelcome by her affluent parents.

In ‘Innocent’, Morrison writes an open and candid account of her time as a welfare mother. Her account is blunt, and realistic, and without flowery language or excuses – she simply tells her truth as she lived it. READ MORE

[Paula · Rating 5 out of 5]

As a highly educated woman who had to go on Welfare, when my second son was a baby and his dad left us, I identified strongly with the desperate and loving woman/mother narrating this memoir. Every difficulty, every self-doubt, every struggle with the petty and crucial hardships, the demeaning bureaucratic barriers, the middleclass onlookers' disgusting and would-be debilitating insults, and yet also those moments of sharing and winning some small step forward in real sisterhood with other struggling mothers, and especially the moments of joy with one's beloved child--all these aspects of "Welfare" motherhood so solidly recounted by Morrison on these pages--rings true. I have been in these places; I recognize a sister in single motherhood in a hard time and place. If you want to know what it's like---or rather, what it was like, before most of this nation's already shockingly limited AFDC benefits were "reformed" away, so that the struggles involved must be even harder now--read this book. It is very, very good.

[Rachel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Most importantly, a huge thank you to NetGalley, B. Morrison and Cottey House Press for providing me with a copy of this publication in exchange for an honest review.

"No matter how isolated I was, sitting there in the artificial chill, I could not believe that I had even for a moment thought that the only problem with the people who lived on this street was laziness. It wasn't very long ago that I too sat on the front stoop, no job to go to, no money in my pocket, staring at the sidewalk." -B. Morrison, 'Innocent: Confessions of a Welfare Mother'

I grew up in a very upper middle class family and never wanted/needed for anything. But my parents instilled in me from an early age "The Golden Rule" or "treat others as you'd like to be treated". And I've done my very best to live that for the past 37 years. I've had friends from every walk of life. But one in particular stuck out in my mind while I was listening to Ms. Morrison narrate her own story. This friend of mine had a very young daughter and I was rarely separated from either of them. So I witnessed firsthand how women and children on welfare are treated and talked to so very differently than those of the "more acceptable" middle class. All too regularly was she gawked at, scoffed at, written off as being "lazy". It even made my own face burn at these times when experienced in a very public setting.

Ms. Morrison does a phenomenal job of narrating her entire experience, good and bad, beautiful and ugly while developing such empathy in her audience. 4 stars for this story of triumph over the odds, all due to her own resourcefulness, hunger for knowledge and unparalleled resilience.

[Andi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you NetGalley for an advance copy of this memoir. I listened to the authors story about her life coming from a Baltimore family that judged and looked down on welfare or any system that supported needy people. Unfortunately she ended up as a single mom, pregnant with another child, needing the welfare system herded due to many unforeseen circumstances. The point is to break the stereotypes of the kind of people that can end up on welfare and how many people can be a couple of unfortunate decisions away from it. This memoir was straightforward and honest and didn’t sugarcoat anything. It was very eye opening for me.

[Anne Jisca · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed listening to this memoir. Life doesn't always go how we expect it to go. What do we do then? How do we survive? We make choices, and sometimes those force us to face prejudices we once held. But we survive, we adapt, we find our way.

The author's resilience, and ability to adapt, adjust, and survive, was a good reminder for myself, as a newly single mother, that there's always a way. Others have been through this. Solidarity.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC.

[Raven Preisinger · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was an eye-opening insight into the struggles people, particularly mothers with young children, face in the US. Welfare is a vital tool to help when absolutely needed but this book really showed how it starts a cycle and can be very hard if not impossible to get off of. It really made me look at the things I have and take for granted, like the simple luxury of being able to afford such basic things as trash bags and hand lotion. Well-written first-hand account!

[Barbara · Rating 4 out of 5]

Barbara Morrison, who writes under the name B. Morrison, is an engineer, poet, writer, publisher, freelance editor, teacher, and dancer. Morrison was once a welfare mother, and she shares that difficult experience in this book.


Author Barbara Morrison

*****

Growing up in the upper-class enclave of Roland Park, Maryland in the 1950s and 1960s, Barbara Morrison frequently heard her conservative parents talk about 'worthless' people on welfare.




Residential Street in Roland Park, Maryland


Poor neighborhood in Baltimore, Maryland

Barbara's father was a doctor; her mother was a stay-at-home-mom; and Barbara was the second of six children. The family was well-off, but Barbara was a sad and lonely child; she felt disliked by her parents and distant from her siblings.



According to Barbara, her mother - who'd been a nurse - was an unhappy housewife and mother who often sported bruises inflicted by her husband. And Barbara's father, well-respected professionally, was cold at home, especially to Barbara. Later on, Barbara's father was glad to pay for his sons' expensive university educations, but was much less generous to Barbara, who was 'only a woman.' In any case, Barbara attended college in Maryland and Massachusetts, and graduated with a degree in English from Clark University in Worster.


Clark University in Worster, Massachusetts

Growing up in a dysfunctional household, it's perhaps not surprising that Barbara rebelled. Barbara married a hippie named Lewis, who lived in a flowered school bus and had custody of his 4-year-old son Kevin.


Hippie School Bus/Home

Lewis was the exact antithesis of an 'acceptable spouse' to Barbara's parents, who became increasingly estranged from their daughter. In fact, Barbara wasn't even welcome to visit Roland Park, because she might 'infect' her younger siblings.

Meanwhile, Barbara and Lewis lived hand-to-mouth In Worster, Massachusetts, and were thrown into dire straits when their son Jeremy was born. Constant arguments ensued, and when Barbara got pregnant again, Lewis left her. Barbara was almost penniless, and Lewis threatened to sue for custody if Barbara tried to get child support. Though the idea of public assistance was anathema to Barbara, she HAD to apply for welfare.


A welfare office

In Barbara's words, "I may not look like what you would expect when you think of a welfare mother, but indeed I was on welfare. When I was 24, I was a very scared young woman. I had been abandoned by my husband and disowned by my parents. I had a baby, and I was pregnant again. I had no money and I had no job. So I had a lot of very serious decisions to make."

Barbara's mantra was "The kids come first. The kids come first. Every decision had to be based on what was right for my children, Jeremy and this new baby."



Luckily, Barbara had an artist friend named Jill, a mother with two children who was also on welfare. Jill had experience navigating the labyrinthine - and somewhat obstructionist - welfare system, and provided valuable advice to other women.

Barbara was VERY anxious about getting public assistance. She observes, "I had seen what it was like for my friend Jill. In return for food stamps and barely enough cash to pay rent on the cheapest apartment with the most minimal utilities, she was subject to surprise inspections from social workers who were entitled to criticize every aspect of her life. When she handed over food stamps at the 'Stop and Shop', the other shoppers inspected the contents of her cart, ready to condemn anything 'frivolous.' She often had to fight to keep her meager allotment from being cut at some administrator's whims, dependent on an office where social workers were told to act as if money were coming out of their own pockets." Barbara emphasizes that both she and Jill wanted to work, but it was impossible with children, because childcare would eat up their salaries.


Food Stamps

Barbara meticulously describes her welfare experience, depicting her day to day activities in great detail (too much detail at times). In any event, Barbara's tale would be instructive to people on public assistance. Barbara, Jill and several other women formed a kind of commune. The women got apartments close together, traded childcare services, worked at the local food bank, planted a vegetable garden in an empty lot, brought their children together to play, and generally assisted each other in every possible way. Still, life was VERY HARD.



It's sad to read about Barbara's travails. She had to ration her food stamps, and her family often lived on rice and beans, with potatoes thrown in once a week; fresh fruits, like bananas, were a luxury she couldn't afford; she often ran out of money between welfare checks; she couldn't afford lotion for her chapped hands; she could hardly afford to purchase her children clothes at Goodwill; she had to live in apartments that were fire hazards; she was required to use allotment vouchers for some household goods, which she wasn't permitted to choose for herself; she had trouble with both landlords and welfare administrators, and so on.



Both Barbara and Jill eventually managed to get small grants through the 'Comprehensive Education and Training Act' (which no longer exists) to help them prepare for jobs. Barbara taught creative writing in prisons and elsewhere, and took education classes when she could.

Barbara even managed to put some joy into her life by joining a Morris Dance group, and she writes a lot about this, as well as her love of writing, and the happiness engendered by her children, Jeremy and Justin.


Women's Morris Dance Group



Barbara eventually pulled herself up by her bootstraps and reconciled with her parents. In Barbara's words, "I did rejoin the work force after a few years as we all did because the average time on welfare has always been less than two years. And so after a few years when I was working again, I didn't tell anyone I had been on welfare. I felt the stigma too strongly, so I listened to my coworkers as they complained about greedy welfare moms ripping off the system, and I didn't want to say, as I could have, that welfare worked for me and the people I knew exactly the way it was supposed to. It kept us and the children alive during this little bit of time when we could not work."


Barbara Morrison

Barbara believes the current welfare system is even less supportive than the program in the 1970s, when she participated. Barbara notes that the 'Welfare Reform Act' reduced the amount of time you could be, by law, on welfare. Additionally, a lot of the training programs that helped Barbara train for a job and get the experience she needed for a job, are not around anymore, though there are some other job acts. Barbara observes, "People who are poor are increasingly being criminalized, and that's why I called the book 'Innocent', because not only was I very naive, I was very young, but I was made to feel like a criminal."

This book was published in two waves. A written edition came out in 2011, and an audiobook - with additional material - was issued in 2022.


Barbara Morrison with her book

I sympathize with mothers who are struggling financially, but I don't agree with their refusal to go after deadbeat fathers. Barbara gives various justifications for letting her shirker husband Lewis get away Scot-free, but (in my view) Lewis should have been taken to court, to prod him into providing some support Jeremy and Justin.

It's clear that impoverished people need welfare, and it's also clear that welfare recipients are often seen as slackers by other folks. Barbara's book doesn't address 'welfare fathers' but it might be interesting to hear some of their stories as well.

I found Barbara Morrison's narrative to be extremely enlightening, and I'd encourage welfare naysayers to read the book.

I listened to the audiobook, narrated by the author, who speaks very slowly and clearly.


Barbara Morrison

Thanks to Netgalley, B. Morrison, and Cottey House Press for a copy of the audiobook.

You can follow my reviews at https://reviewsbybarbsaffer.blogspot.com

[Guillaume Marceau · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a charming book. What a auspicious find.

Barbara speaks of her life in Worcester, where she got involved in the dancing troupe. She speak of the same street Linnea and I walked, the same parks where we spent our time while in Worcester. She even went to Pinewoods, this dear dancing community I had to chance to visit, where Linnea worked as a cook. It was this community which supported her so much during hard times. What a treat to find it appear in a book.

Her reflection on welfare put faces and personality to the daily toll of being on welfare. We get to know the counterproductive cruelty brought about by unsteered regulation and bureaucratic apathy.

A large part of the book is simply domestic. We spend some time among Barbara's family and her friends. At first it seemed offtopic, but as a progresses through the pages, I enjoyed my time spent in her company.

[KDub · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's always hard to rate memoirs, since it feels like you're judging someone's life. I really enjoy audiobook memoirs narrated by the author, which Innocent was. 


This was rather eye-opening. The amount of hate people get for needing help is absolutely appalling. It seems like an important story to tell, since I think a lot of people make negative assumptions about people on welfare, food stamps, etc. that are mostly made out of ignorance. 


I just thought the story was a little drawn out. Over 13 hours for only a 342 page book seems pretty long. I ended up having to speed it up a lot (2.5x by the end) to not lose interest. 


Thank you NetGalley for the ALC.

[LC Curtis · Rating 4 out of 5]

A story by a local author with a mission to rectify the erroneous myth that parents who accept welfare are all ne're do-wells. Barbara Morrison writes thoughtfully exhibiting humor and self control as she remembers what her days were once like. I was so pleased to hear her speak and read from her memoir and books of poetry at the Roland Park Branch of Enoch Pratt. Take note: She is available to speak at local book clubs!

[Jo · Rating 4 out of 5]

'Innocent' is well written and a sincere account of both it's time and the realities of being a 'welfare mother'.

I was struck by the honesty of Barbara Morrison, who grew up in a family who were not lacking for money or standing. She owns her own preconceptions of the traits a 'welfare mother' possesses, before she found herself in the position of having to apply for welfare support herself. This book holds a key importance for us all, in holding ourselves accountable and being open minded, hearing lived experience and having curiosity, rather than sustaining the perceptions that our upbringing or society may instill within us. It is ok to have these, but also vital that we are aware of what bias we may hold.

This feels a real snapshot of its time and in places I had to remind myself this was a memoir, rather than a novel. What lingered with me was the real sense of community amongst the women whose stories are told here- those who protested for reform and looked to educate others, but also to simply support their fellow humans. We hear the ways Barbara was able to sustain herself, as a young mother of first one, then two young children. Having a friend who would take her children for one day a week, and vice versa, allowed Barbara and said friend to do those things that allowed them to retain their own identity and to care for themselves. A community pooling the small amount of cash they each had at the end of the week, to allow them to buy a joint treat to share as friends. It is a story of resilience and feels hopeful, even in the darkest moments.

I found it interesting to hear the small, but massive, experiences that occur everyday to those living on the breadline. Of a woman begging in the welfare office for money to replace shoes which no longer had a sole- and being told to wait until her next check (when in reality, the money received went straight out every time to cover bills, with no leftover). 'Innocent' is a frank account which represents a section of society who it feels have more of a voice through this work. Barbara doesn't hold back, writing her story with a genuineness- from how she felt within the family dynamic she was born into, to the highs and lows that came with falling in love for the first time and the position this left her in, to how she faced the future beyond this.

Well written, thought provoking and woven through with the power of human spirit when faced with adversity, I really enjoyed hearing Morrison's experience.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the audiobook ARC.

[Gayle Pace · Rating 5 out of 5]

"POVERTY IS NO SIN."
by George Herbert


BLURB:
Growing up in a prosperous neighborhood, B. Morrison was taught that poverty was a product of laziness and public assistance programs only rewarded irresponsibility. However, when her marriage soured, she abruptly found herself an impoverished single mother. Disowned by her parents and facing destitution for herself and her two small sons, she was forced to accept the handout so disdained by her parents and their world: welfare. This dramatic memoir tells how one woman finds and grasps the lifeline that ultimately enables her to become independent.

EXCERPT:
Why don't they pick up that trash? The thought skittered across my mind, almost as though someone else were speaking. Then I heard myself and - appalled- braked the car and pulled over even before my mind caught up with my hands and feet.

Trash littered the sidewalk on both sides of Monroe St: soda bottles, chicken boxes and newspapers caught between the front stoop. On the sunny side of the street, the harsh lines of the brick houses and store steps shimmered in the Baltimore heat. The flat face of the houses boasted no ornamentation, merely crumbling mortar and discolored brick. Four were boarded up, one stained by smoke.

On the shaded side of the street, several people sat on the stoops, not moving, not even talking, sittting as though hypnotized by the heat.

They just sat there, the didn't read, didn't look at the passing cars, Just sat.

Locked in my car, protected from the smells and sounds of the street, by sealed windows. I closed my eyes briefly and then looked around. On the house nearest me, the diry white paint on the door was cracked and chipped. A drooping bed sheet hung inside the front window, while the upper two were covered by shades that were curled and brown at the edges.

A few cars went by. The street light changed and changed again. In my Honda, visor angled against the sun, the air conditioning still blowing at my fingers as they gripped the wheel....

No matter how isolated I was, sitting there in the arificial chill, I could not believe that I had even for a moment thought that the only problem with the people who lived on this street was laziness. It wasn't very long ago that I too sat on the front stoop, no job to go to, no money in my pocket, staring at the sidewalk.

Those years on welfare should have taught me once and forever to look beyond the stereotypes of poverty, but here I was, like any tourist who got lost, with my windows shut and doors locked, safe in my middle-class-world, looking out and seeing only trash and the stoop-sitting.

"Why don't they pick that trash up?"

It was the sort of comment anyone might make, the sort of comment I heard all the time from people around me, But I knew better. I knew about the inertia that kept people like the man and two women sitting there on Monroe Street from getting up off the stoop and cleaning up the trash, cleaning up their lives, working their way to something better.

REVIEW:
This book was about poverty and choices, or maybe no choices. What do you do when you have nothing? Where do you go for solace and help? This was such a very well- written memoir. People who out of the blue, find themselves with no choice other than welfare. The author, B. Morrison, showed such perfect descriptions of the surroundings and the people who were facing and on, welfare. Once you start reading this book, you won't be able to put it down. It shows another side of our world. A side we always seem to think that it's nothing more than laziness that keeps these people from moving up, finding a better life and better way. Single mothers, faced with loneliness, poverty, fear, abandonment and worry. Being disowned by your family, deserted by your husband and left with children to care for would so overwhelming and lonely. It puts you in a lost position. You feel like no one cares; that you are ALONE. And you are. Even with the welfare system, that penalizes you for being poor and needing help. Welfare has nothing to do with white and black. It has to do with people needing a little help to get through. They don't understand the system and the poverty; how do they expect the recipients to understand. So many obstacles to face, with little tiny children, who needed, not only love but food, shelter and security. The author tells of how a single mother could break free from the welfare system and become a well rounded, productive citizen. Not easy, by far, but with the determination and the struggle it can and does happen. There are some very heart breaking and heart warming parts to this story. As B. Morrison tells this story, she tells of trying to hide the fact that she is on welfare from her friends. She felt, as much of society feels, that welfare was a disgrace, and a sin. This book will break your heart in ways and then it uplifts you, the reader, as it did the welfare mother. Sometimes all that is needed to keep you going on the right path is a simple, kind word, or deed.

You have to look on the other side of this. There are people who use and abuse the system. They take and take all they can without trying to pull themselves out of the poverty. I believe this is why the system is so messed up. There are people who are getting welfare who have no right to be receiving that help. They can help themselves. They don't need the help. They have. People who genuinely need help to pull themselves out should get that help. But the users and abusers should be dropped and dropped today. I feel that there are those that DO choose to live on welfare; they want nothing else. It's so much easier to do nothing than to struggle and do something.

Ms. Morrison tells not only her story but those of the women she meets during her poverty years. There was Jill, who knew the welfare system.; Sherry who had so many interests; Amy, who was so stunted in every way, would never be able to hold a job; Gloria, whose pride keeps her from seeking help, and then there was Fay.....

Ms Morrison wrote an outstanding story of the life of poverty and the steps she took to get out. This book should be read by everyone. It might open some people's eyes on the meaning of WELFARE.

This book was Finalist for ForeWord Review's Book of the Year in the Autobiography/Memoir category.

This book was a solid 5 star book. Please read it and take it to heart.

I received this book from the author, Ms. Barbara Morrison, for this unbiased review.

I would like to thank Ms. Morrison for writing this book and placing an awareness in the reader.


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[Paula · Rating 4 out of 5]

This audiobook written and narrated by B.Morrison shares how the welfare system was brought into place in the 70s in the USA. A beautifully adapted extract of her life, friends, and family included.

Her battle with acceptance of the situation she found herself in is one I'm sure many people can relate to. These days there is still a stigma attached to people who are on welfare / benefits that some feel restricted as if they are not an equal part of society and for most this is not a choice but often a means to an end. Sadly, we do have some who may take advantage of such ways, which makes this read for anyone who has never had personal experience in this area rather informative from a first-hand experience. This is a mother doing her best to survive and raise her children.

This was well narrated and very easy to listen to, not overly long, nor was it extremely political, but it explained the dynamics of family life, the struggles, and also triumphs experienced. Just as stated, being on welfare doesn't mean you should have to live in poverty, nor does it mean this is forever it is simply a for now that this is the situation. It really is something to be greatful for in times of need for those who have to go down this path but never loose hope that this is your forever because like B.Morrison you can face various issues and still come back from the bottom and rise again!

With thanks to Netgalley & Cottey House Press for this ARC.

[Ana Ćupurdija · Rating 5 out of 5]

I listened to this as an audiobook.
I must admit that I highly doubt I would ever find this gem of a book if I hadn't received it through NetGalley for a review, and I am so glad that I did.

This book is about the topic implied—a young mother going on welfare and the struggles she encounters. I won't give up the details - you just have to read this one.

First of all, I really like the writing style, and the author narrates the audiobook beautifully. I often struggle with audiobooks, but that was not the case here.

There are so many things woven into this one that I feel at a loss for words to describe how powerful of an impression this book left me with.

It describes a fight about a prejudiced system, not only welfare, but also the system that is prejudiced against women, people of color, and poor people. It opened my eyes to see people more humanely. I consider myself very open-minded but the author made me check my preconceptions entirely. Thank you for that wonderful gift, Miss Morrison.

There are a lot of strong women in this book and I am in great awe of them.
I am so glad I got to read this brilliant book.

Thanks to NetGalley, the author, and the publisher for a free copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

[Sally · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love to read/listen to memoirs but I don't like to review them. This is an older book but it is just coming out in audio. It reminded me of Stephanie Land's memoir, Maid. I'm glad that I read this book. I think reading memoirs helps to understand why people are the way they are. The author does a good job of describing her life on welfare.

It was heartbreaking to hear her talk about how people would comment when they would see she was using food stamps. She also talked about employers who would not hire her because she was on welfare. Lots of government programs are messed up but I think this author is an example of how the welfare system is meant to work.

One thing that bothered me about this book is that it was never really said why her parents didn't like her as much as their other children. Maybe I just missed it. I know that she mentioned that she looked different than the rest of them and eluded to her not being her father's child but I did not here that confirmed.

Thank you to NetGalley for the audio arc in exchange for my honest review.

[Claudiaslibrarycard · Rating 4 out of 5]

Innocent is a memoir about one woman's experience as a mother on welfare in the 1960s through 1980s. Read by the author, this audiobook comes across a bit flat in affect. However, I still found her story powerful and listened attentively to the end.

Morrison came from a wealthy family in Baltimore, Maryland. Desperate to escape the privilege and racism of her upbringing, she became pregnant young and moved away. When she had children with a less than ideal partner, Morrison chose to be a single mother and thus turned to social welfare programs as a means to survive.

Morrison had many layers of privilege which are somewhat acknowledged in this memoir. I think she does a good job of sticking to what is her story to tell and staying general about what is not her lived experience. I think this book runs a bit too long, but it did open my eyes to how much social welfare has declined in the last few generations and how critical it is for the good of children, families, and communities.

3.5 rounded up

[Josephine Sorrell · Rating 4 out of 5]

Innocent is the memoir of Barbara Morrison’s life as a single mother relying on welfare.This is her story of poverty and survival as well as bearing the weight of judgement, and the bureaucracy that traps these folks in a difficult and vicious cycle. The voice in this audio version bears the exhaustion and frustration of someone trying to get ahead but facing obstacles at every turn. She explains the discouragement of how society treats those, who for whatever reason find themselves in poverty, are viewed as a personal failure,
This is not a happy or feel good story, rather it is the harsh reality of Morrison’s struggles which I found to be an intense listen.
She points out the flaws in a system that should help but often hinders.

Innocent is well written, thought provoking and shows the power of the human spirit when faced with adversity, I was drawn into her tough struggle as I listened to Morrison's experiences.

This book may cause one to rethink ideas about effort, opportunity, and inequality.

[Erica · Rating 3 out of 5]

"Innocent" by B. Morrison is a memoir that was released over a decade ago in print but is just being released on audio and is read by the author. I love reading memoirs and especially love listening to them on audio when they are read by the author and this is no exception! Her voice is SO soothing! One thing I don't like is rating someone's life's work, but nevertheless, here we are.

For me, this read (or flowed) more like a piece of women's fiction with an arc of politics since the theme was about the system of welfare. If you like to really get to know characters and invest in them no matter how slow the story goes, this is an excellent read (listen) because it's beautifully written/told! For me, this did drag in the middle but otherwise this would have been a 4-star read for me. *I received a complimentary audio copy from the author/publishing company via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts & opinions are my own.

[Laura Fleming (WhatLauraReads) · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thank you to Netgalley, B Morris and Cottey House Press for this ARC.
In Innocent, we follow B, A middle class born Mother who has to rely on the Welfare system in the US.
First, as Brit, I had absolutely no idea about the welfare system in America, and so this was incredibly eye opening and shocking to me. Especially people’s very public disdain towards people on welfare and how many times B faced discrimination because of this. B is a true inspiration and hearing about the incredible community she was a part of and created was beautiful and the contrast between her loved experience and what people thought of her and her friends was heartbreaking but so enlightening.
That being said, I did find some of the chapters and stories to be a wordy and long winded and of often felt the story was going in multiple directions that were hard to keep track of,
Over all though, I really did enjoy this audiobook, and thought the narration was great.

[Jamie Fortier · Rating 4 out of 5]

While remarkably well written and very poignant, at times I found myself confused as to the lack of drive and the slow meanderings of the book. I had to remind myself often that this is back when the welfare system was unregulated and they can be given certain things for example, the shoes or clothes for kids. Before this, I had never heard of giving additional money for those things. Hearing about the fight to regulate and make everything equal Was very interesting, but also so sad. It’s sad that the rights had to be fought, and the system wasn’t regulated from the beginning. I’m not sure if the author just automatically took it all in a stride or that is her take on it now, but she seemed to be very good with the flow. Well written, it offers a new perspective on so many things that we just take right now, not realizing how hard it took to get them originally and what it was like during that time period.

[Cheyenne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you, NetGalley and Cottey House Press | Independent Book Publishers Association (IBPA), Members' Audiobooks for this audiobook for review. This is a powerful memoir about growing up with wealth and having your circumstances and views change. Morrison grew up with the view that poverty and welfare were laziness and a choice, but when she got pregnant and her marriage didn’t work out and her parents refused to help her out as they did not approve of her choices, she was forced to change her views on life when she became one of those people who needed assistance. People don’t choose poverty and this memoir shows that single parenting in the 1970’s was hard and it’s even harder now. No one is immune to poverty.

[Lee-Ann27.reads · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thank you to NetGalley and Cottey House Press for providing me with an ARC in exchange for my honest review. This is a memoir by Barbara Morrison who was of the view that someone being on Welfare was frowned upon and looked down on. So when Barb found herself disowned by her family, as a mother of 2 boys and her husband leaving her, she didn't know what to do. It was at this time when she had no other choice but to apply for welfare in order to help her boys and herself survive. This memoir was beautifully written and it brought back memories of when my parents divorced and my mother was left to raise 3 teenage girls on her own with no help at all and she too had to go on welfare until she got a little bit ahead with her new job. Enjoy!!!!

[Kendra Brown · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was the first non-celebrity memoir I've read, and it was very eye opening. I've never thought too much about welfare as a person privileged enough to never need it. Barabara's story was more than inspiring with everything she endured and overcome. It's too easy to focus on the bad and she had more than enough bad. Through it all she knew her priorities and what she wanted for her life. Not only that, but she also managed to make changes for the good amongst her friends and community. It's actually quite amazing.

There was a quote in the book that I'm going to try and keep close to my heart going forward. "It wasn't that I wasn't too strong or confident to cry over spilled plaster, it was just that crying wouldn't clean up the mess."

[Erin Martins · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found Innocent to be a compelling and eye-opening memoir. Listening to the audiobook made the story feel even more personal, and I really appreciated hearing B. Morrison’s perspective on life as a single mother on welfare. The book does a great job of illustrating how difficult it is to break free from the cycle of poverty while also dealing with the stigmas and systemic barriers that come with being on welfare. It’s an important, thought-provoking read that challenges assumptions about those who rely on public assistance. While it wasn’t always a page-turner, the honesty and resilience in Morrison’s story made it well worth the listen. Thank you to Cottey House Press and Netgalley for the opportunity to listen to this audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

[Julia Riley · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was such an insightful and important look into the experiences of poverty. I was blown away by the chosen family that Barbara found and created and the beautiful ways they loved and supported each other. The narration was really well-done - I felt like I was with Barbara in her apartment or at dance practice or in the welfare office. This is a must-read for everyone, but especially those of us who have never experienced poverty or single parenthood.

Huge thank you to NetGalley and Cottey House Press for an advanced reader copy in exchange for honest feedback.

[Madz · Rating 4 out of 5]

NETGALLEY thank you so much for the AAV for listening.


I loved this book! It was so crazy to have downloaded this book on a whim and discover it is about Baltimore in the mid 1900’s. I feel like it gave me an opportunity to learn about a place near to my heart in a way I have never been able to before. I also did not know that Baltimore had such a deep history with segregation as the book spoke about. It makes me sad to know that there was so much hate and division between communities and also shed light on things I didn’t learn in school!