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Learning to Think
Set in 1980s Birmingham, England, a piercing memoir about the liberating power of a scientific view of the world. Tracy King was raised in a house of contradictions. Her home was happy and creative but also shadowed by debt and her father’s alcoholism. When her father was killed by teenagers on the streets of their public housing project, her family developed a deep and dysfunctional reliance on the born-again Christian church to which they belonged, and Tracy stopped attending school. Over the years, in a bid to balm her grief and poverty, she journeyed through multiple belief systems, from extreme religion to the occult and paranormal, and eventually conspiracy theories. Amid this chaos, on the shelves of a Birmingham bookshop, she discovered an old copy of Carl Sagan’s The Demon-Haunted World , the book that taught her how to, finally, think critically―and for herself. Eloquently written and brimming with surprisingly sharp humor, Learning to Think is a battle cry for imaginative freedom and taking charge of one’s own education.
336 pages, Hardcover
First published March 7, 2024
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2607 people want to read
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October 24, 2023Briefly - A remarkable tale of an intensely personal life
In full
This is an intensely personal memoir about Tracy's life mostly relating to when she was younger, mostly in her teens. It is remarkable for its openness and, under the circumstances its balance. There is a "born again" Christian part of this and aspects of her childhood and early on her teen years to a degree were quite happy. However under the surface things were not always that good. The book opens with her being exorcised of her demons by to men from her church. Her father had difficulties with work in part due to his alcoholism. Her mother had mental health issues and Tracy was often acting a support for her. Her older sister had issues with school attendance and was placed into care. Add in the fact that her father was murdered and I find it remarkable that Tracy can writes such an account of her life.
The more I look back on reading this the less I like the idea of passing judging on this in terms of ratings. On platforms that allow no rating that is what I will do. In no way is this intended as a judgement on this book, simply the fact that I fail to see what right I have to "review" in that way the life that Tracy had. The contrasts in Tracy life are wide and varied. The fact that she managed to get through to where she is now speaks volumes for her as a person. However it also says a lot to me about the positives from her early life often provided by her parents.
I really liked the fact that there is some humour here too. While Tracy found that conventional education didn't work for her (any more than it had for her sister) she didn't let little things like that stop her - I loved her description of the German exam she took having only done one class on the subject in the whole year. For me it said quite a lot about her and in a positive way.
I found this very readable however the book changed for me around 75% through to something that went up a level. Having maybe got on top of the real issues in her life Tracy decides she wants to look further at her father's murder. I was frankly amazed at the way she dealt with this aspect - again it says a great deal about her as a person. Worth bearing in mind that Tracy says
"…trauma like mine is not rare. What is rare is that someone like me has an opportunity to tell her story". Sadly I think that is very true and for that alone this book is important.
I'd like to return to the title of this book - Learning to Think. To me it's a very good title and maybe is key to Tracy's life and ability to recover in the broadest sense from the events in her early life. It fascinated me (and I was slightly envious) that her father used to give them "logic" problems to solve. I guess as an engineer of sorts this was something quite basic to him. I do feel that set a wonderful foundation for her ability to think. After that came people she met and engaged with (rarely school based). After that she started reading quite deep and profound books. I can't judge what worked for Tracy but these feel like significant factors on her life journey to me.
This really is a unusual and remarkable read. There are plenty of parts of this book that I made notes on and might comment on however it is far better to discover her story for yourself. It won't be for everyone however I'm guessing that quite a few people will finds aspects of this resonate with them. It made me smile, it made me angry, it made me sad and sincerely I thanks Tracy for sharing her story.
Note - I received an advance digital copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for a fair review
In full
This is an intensely personal memoir about Tracy's life mostly relating to when she was younger, mostly in her teens. It is remarkable for its openness and, under the circumstances its balance. There is a "born again" Christian part of this and aspects of her childhood and early on her teen years to a degree were quite happy. However under the surface things were not always that good. The book opens with her being exorcised of her demons by to men from her church. Her father had difficulties with work in part due to his alcoholism. Her mother had mental health issues and Tracy was often acting a support for her. Her older sister had issues with school attendance and was placed into care. Add in the fact that her father was murdered and I find it remarkable that Tracy can writes such an account of her life.
The more I look back on reading this the less I like the idea of passing judging on this in terms of ratings. On platforms that allow no rating that is what I will do. In no way is this intended as a judgement on this book, simply the fact that I fail to see what right I have to "review" in that way the life that Tracy had. The contrasts in Tracy life are wide and varied. The fact that she managed to get through to where she is now speaks volumes for her as a person. However it also says a lot to me about the positives from her early life often provided by her parents.
I really liked the fact that there is some humour here too. While Tracy found that conventional education didn't work for her (any more than it had for her sister) she didn't let little things like that stop her - I loved her description of the German exam she took having only done one class on the subject in the whole year. For me it said quite a lot about her and in a positive way.
I found this very readable however the book changed for me around 75% through to something that went up a level. Having maybe got on top of the real issues in her life Tracy decides she wants to look further at her father's murder. I was frankly amazed at the way she dealt with this aspect - again it says a great deal about her as a person. Worth bearing in mind that Tracy says
"…trauma like mine is not rare. What is rare is that someone like me has an opportunity to tell her story". Sadly I think that is very true and for that alone this book is important.
I'd like to return to the title of this book - Learning to Think. To me it's a very good title and maybe is key to Tracy's life and ability to recover in the broadest sense from the events in her early life. It fascinated me (and I was slightly envious) that her father used to give them "logic" problems to solve. I guess as an engineer of sorts this was something quite basic to him. I do feel that set a wonderful foundation for her ability to think. After that came people she met and engaged with (rarely school based). After that she started reading quite deep and profound books. I can't judge what worked for Tracy but these feel like significant factors on her life journey to me.
This really is a unusual and remarkable read. There are plenty of parts of this book that I made notes on and might comment on however it is far better to discover her story for yourself. It won't be for everyone however I'm guessing that quite a few people will finds aspects of this resonate with them. It made me smile, it made me angry, it made me sad and sincerely I thanks Tracy for sharing her story.
Note - I received an advance digital copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for a fair review
February 6, 2024
I'd seen a lot of hoopla about this book so thought I'd give it a go despite not having heard of Tracy King. So glad I did because what you get is an extraordinary story of an ordinary family whose lives were changed by several events they couldn't control.
The King family could have been any ordinary working class family living in England but due to Jackie (mother) having agoraphobia plus other phobias and Mike (father) having a drink problem their first traumatic event comes early on in the form of their eldest daughter, Emily, picking up on her mother's trauma and becoming a school refuser. This leads eventually to her being placed in a boarding school miles from home.
The second (and even more significant) trauma came with the death of Mike following an altercation with some local youths. This led to a trial in which the family seems to have been as much on trial as the young man accused.
So if I continue I'll just end up rewriting the book (only far less well). Suffice to say that these events had a profound effect on Tracy King who went on to lead a somewhat chaotic life for some years.
However using the skills her family gave her Tracy has become a success story and decided to go back to find out what really happened the night her father died.
The book is about so much more than that one pivotal event. The book is about love and understanding and learning to take apart long held beliefs and holding them up to scrutiny.
This is a great book and I loved reading it. Tracy clearly had exceptional parents and the love within the family leaps off the pages and really made me smile. What happened to them all was tragic but unlike others who have been, for whatever reason, unable to escape the chaos Tracy King has used her experience to learn and teach others and now to bring a wonderful, often heartbreaking, book to life.
Thankyou to Tracy King for this deeply personal look at her life. It must have taken courage to go looking for the truth.
Thankyou to Netgalley and Random House for the advance review copy.
The King family could have been any ordinary working class family living in England but due to Jackie (mother) having agoraphobia plus other phobias and Mike (father) having a drink problem their first traumatic event comes early on in the form of their eldest daughter, Emily, picking up on her mother's trauma and becoming a school refuser. This leads eventually to her being placed in a boarding school miles from home.
The second (and even more significant) trauma came with the death of Mike following an altercation with some local youths. This led to a trial in which the family seems to have been as much on trial as the young man accused.
So if I continue I'll just end up rewriting the book (only far less well). Suffice to say that these events had a profound effect on Tracy King who went on to lead a somewhat chaotic life for some years.
However using the skills her family gave her Tracy has become a success story and decided to go back to find out what really happened the night her father died.
The book is about so much more than that one pivotal event. The book is about love and understanding and learning to take apart long held beliefs and holding them up to scrutiny.
This is a great book and I loved reading it. Tracy clearly had exceptional parents and the love within the family leaps off the pages and really made me smile. What happened to them all was tragic but unlike others who have been, for whatever reason, unable to escape the chaos Tracy King has used her experience to learn and teach others and now to bring a wonderful, often heartbreaking, book to life.
Thankyou to Tracy King for this deeply personal look at her life. It must have taken courage to go looking for the truth.
Thankyou to Netgalley and Random House for the advance review copy.
October 3, 2023
What a powerful book. It will bruise your heart and sadden you. It's a book of it's time and hopefully circumstances will not be repeated in the 21st century.
Prejudice for where people live and personal circumstances are still prevalent today but dealing with mental illness and children have moved forward.
Credit to Tracy, Emily and mum Jackie for all the trauma they have overcome and triumphed.
All the issues are serious and profound with major impact.
It's trite and patronising to say the book is inspiring as it does not give credit to all the people in the book and their roles.
All I want to say is thank you for sharing your life with us readers
Prejudice for where people live and personal circumstances are still prevalent today but dealing with mental illness and children have moved forward.
Credit to Tracy, Emily and mum Jackie for all the trauma they have overcome and triumphed.
All the issues are serious and profound with major impact.
It's trite and patronising to say the book is inspiring as it does not give credit to all the people in the book and their roles.
All I want to say is thank you for sharing your life with us readers
June 1, 2024
I was trying to read this book and update through my app with notes and thoughts but due to burnout forgot too. So if you look it'll likely be scant.
First off I'd like to agree with the others here. How do you even rate a book about someone's life in good conscience? Our living experiences are ours, sacred even in the midst of vulnerability and trauma. All the good, the bad, the ugly, all deserving of reverence and respect. I'll definitely be re-reading this book.
I have to say as a disclaimer though if you have any sort of trauma centering around poverty, like me, you'll likely feel triggered. I'm still in poverty today. As I read this book not only could I relate to the children but I could also relate to the parental trauma too. The fear of losing everything, your family, home, etc...
I relate on the religious front as well. Except, I grew up in a cult. Depending on which side of my family tree you look upon that can mean anywhere from 7-9 generations of people. I understood the propaganda and the culture she laid before us. It's that need to know everything will be alright if only you are righteous enough.
I relate to this on so many levels. This memoir hits deep and has affected me. Tracy's story has helped me deconstruct part of my own trauma as well. As I got a glimpse into how she has deconstructed her own and her families. This is a valuable piece of non fiction and I feel like people should definitely read it. It gives you a glimpse into the past and how little some things have changed, how a lot has, but also how little we have progressed too.
Seeing how their family dealt with such awful things, despite all of the government pressure and religious pressure. They are a remarkable family. I just wish more people would see US. See the poor, and value us instead of seeing us as breeders, or leeches, or problematic. The things discussed in here on poverty trauma alone could teach people to have empathy for those literally in survival mode.
Thank you Tracy for sharing your story with the world. I hope that maybe I can someday, but I have a lot of fear centering around it as I still have members of my family stuck in our cult. The dynamics of guilt and shame, reputation, and the expectation to hide my abuse, the weaponizing of giving it to Jesus, praying it away, etc... I would have to find a way where my privacy could be maintained, as well as my families. Even though I have been hurt, mob culture justice is wrong, the potential of people harassing members of my family would cause a lot of grief and further trauma. You are a very brave woman to write hard truths and share them. I am sorry about your father and your loss. I can't even imagine or relate to that part but my heart hurts.
First off I'd like to agree with the others here. How do you even rate a book about someone's life in good conscience? Our living experiences are ours, sacred even in the midst of vulnerability and trauma. All the good, the bad, the ugly, all deserving of reverence and respect. I'll definitely be re-reading this book.
I have to say as a disclaimer though if you have any sort of trauma centering around poverty, like me, you'll likely feel triggered. I'm still in poverty today. As I read this book not only could I relate to the children but I could also relate to the parental trauma too. The fear of losing everything, your family, home, etc...
I relate on the religious front as well. Except, I grew up in a cult. Depending on which side of my family tree you look upon that can mean anywhere from 7-9 generations of people. I understood the propaganda and the culture she laid before us. It's that need to know everything will be alright if only you are righteous enough.
I relate to this on so many levels. This memoir hits deep and has affected me. Tracy's story has helped me deconstruct part of my own trauma as well. As I got a glimpse into how she has deconstructed her own and her families. This is a valuable piece of non fiction and I feel like people should definitely read it. It gives you a glimpse into the past and how little some things have changed, how a lot has, but also how little we have progressed too.
Seeing how their family dealt with such awful things, despite all of the government pressure and religious pressure. They are a remarkable family. I just wish more people would see US. See the poor, and value us instead of seeing us as breeders, or leeches, or problematic. The things discussed in here on poverty trauma alone could teach people to have empathy for those literally in survival mode.
Thank you Tracy for sharing your story with the world. I hope that maybe I can someday, but I have a lot of fear centering around it as I still have members of my family stuck in our cult. The dynamics of guilt and shame, reputation, and the expectation to hide my abuse, the weaponizing of giving it to Jesus, praying it away, etc... I would have to find a way where my privacy could be maintained, as well as my families. Even though I have been hurt, mob culture justice is wrong, the potential of people harassing members of my family would cause a lot of grief and further trauma. You are a very brave woman to write hard truths and share them. I am sorry about your father and your loss. I can't even imagine or relate to that part but my heart hurts.
August 17, 2024
This book is written by a woman who, as a child was already brave and intelligent, and cared more for supporting her adored father and her lovely agoraphobic mother and sister than about her own needs.
After a tragedy involving her father and local boys, she started a period of obsessive recall of the circumstances that led to her father's death; which was almost impossible as she had not been a witness herself. She needed to understand what had happened and make sense of it all. (Living in a poor and somewhat marginal family, psychological help was not available.).
She and her sister had a chaotic scholarship, missing school more than attending it but their intelligent and loving parents gave them strong moral, emotional, and practical support and encouraged them to read and write from a young age. However, something was not right. As she discovered later, her world was limited by phobias, superstitious thinking, religious dogma and pseudoscientific knowledge. Tracy recalls that discovering a book by Carl Sagan (The Demon-Haunted World) gave her the impulse to part from the ways of thinking she shared with her mother with whom she spent most of her time. Reading Sagan she learned that it is OK to doubt what you are told or even what is written in books, and that you should learn about what you don't understand. That is why her book is titled "Learning how to think". To learn how to think involved, for Tracy King, investigating her father's death, interrogating the boys who had been accused of it, to acknowledge the new facts they gave her. After a thorough detective-like work, she understood she had hung to wrong interpretations for so long.
If I give this book only four stars out of five it is because it seemed a bit like an obsessive quest for the truth of the awful event leading to the loss of her father and how to survive the already difficult life that was now shattered. I expected more about learning how to think, as a process, or even as a method, but I understand her point, having to come to terms with a life-changing tragedy while only 12 years old.
Tracy King is very good at describing even the most subtle feelings, and not only hers. It is written in a warm and personal style that is very endearing.
After a tragedy involving her father and local boys, she started a period of obsessive recall of the circumstances that led to her father's death; which was almost impossible as she had not been a witness herself. She needed to understand what had happened and make sense of it all. (Living in a poor and somewhat marginal family, psychological help was not available.).
She and her sister had a chaotic scholarship, missing school more than attending it but their intelligent and loving parents gave them strong moral, emotional, and practical support and encouraged them to read and write from a young age. However, something was not right. As she discovered later, her world was limited by phobias, superstitious thinking, religious dogma and pseudoscientific knowledge. Tracy recalls that discovering a book by Carl Sagan (The Demon-Haunted World) gave her the impulse to part from the ways of thinking she shared with her mother with whom she spent most of her time. Reading Sagan she learned that it is OK to doubt what you are told or even what is written in books, and that you should learn about what you don't understand. That is why her book is titled "Learning how to think". To learn how to think involved, for Tracy King, investigating her father's death, interrogating the boys who had been accused of it, to acknowledge the new facts they gave her. After a thorough detective-like work, she understood she had hung to wrong interpretations for so long.
If I give this book only four stars out of five it is because it seemed a bit like an obsessive quest for the truth of the awful event leading to the loss of her father and how to survive the already difficult life that was now shattered. I expected more about learning how to think, as a process, or even as a method, but I understand her point, having to come to terms with a life-changing tragedy while only 12 years old.
Tracy King is very good at describing even the most subtle feelings, and not only hers. It is written in a warm and personal style that is very endearing.
May 29, 2024
4.5!
January 25, 2024
This is very interesting memoir of Tracy’s childhood in the 70s and 80s living in council housing in the Birmingham area. Her writing really brings to life the challenges for families with little money and inadequate professional support when needed.
Her mother had mental health issues and wouldn’t venture out while her father was an alcoholic. Meanwhile, Emily, her elder sister by two years, develops a school phobia and becomes known as a ‘school refuser’ which is dealt with in some pretty brutal ways by the authorities. The family then get very involved in a local church and all become born again Christians but shortly after her father dies in an act of senseless violence on the council estate.
Later in life author, Tracy King, delves more into her father’s death and the last third becomes somewhat of a psychological analysis into critical thinking and less of a memoir.
I really was gripped by the first two thirds but found the end a little dull as I was enjoying this book as a memoir and was not so interested in appreciating the author’s newly gained intellect in the way she thought. I was also a little frustrated as at one point the memoir seemed to be heading into the family being sucked into a rather way out Christian church or even a cult but this storyline simply fizzled out.
I also wanted to know more about the current life of the author, her sister and mother but I wonder is omitted as the author is clearly trying keen to protect the anonymity of some mentioned in the book, especially those involved at the time of her father’s death.
One thing I did struggle with was that she started by saying that mothers are known as Mom in the area she grew up in but after the first few pages she referred to her parents mainly by their Christian names, Jackie and Mike. I found that very odd and distracting from the story as it was almost like it was a biography and not a memoir.
With thanks to NetGalley and Random House UK, Transworld Publishers for a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Her mother had mental health issues and wouldn’t venture out while her father was an alcoholic. Meanwhile, Emily, her elder sister by two years, develops a school phobia and becomes known as a ‘school refuser’ which is dealt with in some pretty brutal ways by the authorities. The family then get very involved in a local church and all become born again Christians but shortly after her father dies in an act of senseless violence on the council estate.
Later in life author, Tracy King, delves more into her father’s death and the last third becomes somewhat of a psychological analysis into critical thinking and less of a memoir.
I really was gripped by the first two thirds but found the end a little dull as I was enjoying this book as a memoir and was not so interested in appreciating the author’s newly gained intellect in the way she thought. I was also a little frustrated as at one point the memoir seemed to be heading into the family being sucked into a rather way out Christian church or even a cult but this storyline simply fizzled out.
I also wanted to know more about the current life of the author, her sister and mother but I wonder is omitted as the author is clearly trying keen to protect the anonymity of some mentioned in the book, especially those involved at the time of her father’s death.
One thing I did struggle with was that she started by saying that mothers are known as Mom in the area she grew up in but after the first few pages she referred to her parents mainly by their Christian names, Jackie and Mike. I found that very odd and distracting from the story as it was almost like it was a biography and not a memoir.
With thanks to NetGalley and Random House UK, Transworld Publishers for a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
December 19, 2023
You know those memoirs that can make you laugh out loud on one page and then completely shake you the next… Learning to Think does exactly that.
I really loved the honesty of this memoir, how we see Tracy’s life in complete transparency, as well as other members of her family. What really struck me with this one was how completely inept services are at recognising children in need. If they don’t go to school they are simply deemed “naughty” or “misbehaved” instead of looking into the reasons why a child may be behaving like this. And I know it’s definitely not fixed even in 2023. I’ve added some quotes from the book that really stuck out to me.
Another thing I loved was how much I could relate to some scenarios and characters within the book. Having grown up in a council flat there are so many points I can relate, the people (some you will remember for life), the gossip, and definitely a sense of seeing things that make you grow up quickly BUT this isn’t my memoir 😂
Whether you’re a lover of non-fiction or not, Learning to think is definitely worth a read! Thank you so much to @doubledayukbooks for this advanced copy x
I really loved the honesty of this memoir, how we see Tracy’s life in complete transparency, as well as other members of her family. What really struck me with this one was how completely inept services are at recognising children in need. If they don’t go to school they are simply deemed “naughty” or “misbehaved” instead of looking into the reasons why a child may be behaving like this. And I know it’s definitely not fixed even in 2023. I’ve added some quotes from the book that really stuck out to me.
Another thing I loved was how much I could relate to some scenarios and characters within the book. Having grown up in a council flat there are so many points I can relate, the people (some you will remember for life), the gossip, and definitely a sense of seeing things that make you grow up quickly BUT this isn’t my memoir 😂
Whether you’re a lover of non-fiction or not, Learning to think is definitely worth a read! Thank you so much to @doubledayukbooks for this advanced copy x
March 5, 2025
Tracy King dalinasi savo gyvenimo istorija. Moteris atvirauja apie savo šeimos likimą, apipintą psichozėmis, nelaimėmis, mirtimis ir gyvenimu socialiniame užribyje. Visa tai pasakodama, T. King kelia pagrindinį tikslą – paskatinti skaitytojus visose situacijose naudoti kritinį mąstymą.
Ką mes žinome apie kritinį mąstymą? Pastaraisiais metais, pasaulyje vykstant įvairaus tipo krizėms ir didėjant propagandos, sklindančios medijose, apimtims, nuolat kartojama, kad kiekvienas turime mąstyti kritiškai ir nepriimti visko, ką išgirstame ar pamatome, kaip vienos bei neginčijamos tiesos. Kritinis mąstymas egzistuoja kaip savotiška priemonė, padedanti įveikti dezinformaciją. Tačiau niekas negali paneigti, kad sunku yra atskirti, kur yra tiesa, kur – melas. Neretai, net mąstydamas kritiškai, asmuo negali apsispręsti, kurie teiginiai yra propagandiniai, o kurie yra realūs. Nereikia pamiršti ir to, kad visi esame žmonės – iš prigimties linkę tikėti tuo, kas mums asmeniškai atrodo teisinga, priimtina ir palanku. Pastarasis argumentas tampa įrodymu, kad kritinis mąstymas efektyviai gali veikti tik tuo atveju, kai atsiribojame nuo savo jausmų, vertybių, įsitikinimų, nuomonių, kai į konkretų atvejį imame žvelgti ne šališkai, o objektyviai.
Iš pradžių skaitydama nesupratau, kur šioje istorijoje slypi tas kritinis mąstymas. Atrodė, kad autorė tiesiog įtaigiai dalinasi savo gyvenimo istorija, norėdama parodyti, kiek daug mes dabar turime ir kaip to neįvertiname. Naiviai maniau, kad T. King tik nori papamokslauti nūdienos žmogui. Klydau. Kuo toliau skaičiau, kuo daugiau sužinojau, kas vyko T. King ir jos šeimos gyvenime, tuo geriau supratau, kad stereotipai, buvę gyvi anuomet, egzistuoja ir dabar. Tai stereotipai, apie kuriuos kalbame kaip apie socialinio gyvenimo tragediją, tačiau nepajėgiame jų įveikti. Kuo labiau bandžiau perprasti ir atrasti tas kritinio mąstymo detales, tuo aiškiau įsąmoninau, kad į kiekvieną detalę ir įvykį, kurį rašytoja papasakojo, reikėjo žvelgti kritiškai. Kodėl? Kiekvienas iš jų negali būti priimtas kaip savaime suprantamas. Už visų jų slypi kur kas daugiau, bet svarbiausia – jie visi įrodo, jog mes esame linkę priimti faktus tokius, kokie jie mums pateikiami - net nebandome išsiaiškinti, ar jie turi pagrįstumo, ar jie nėra tokie, kokie mes norėtume, kad jie būtų.
Daug sukrečiančių dalykų paliečiama knygoje, turbūt dėl to ir kyla abejonės, ar ši istorija išties galėjo nutikti vienai šeimai, kuri, regis, niekuo neišsiskyrė iš kitų, panašaus socialinio sluoksnio šeimų. Deja, bet nutiko. Užvertusi paskutinį puslapį jaučiau milžinišką dėkingumą T. King, kad ryžosi apie visa tai kalbėti viešai. Tokios istorijos yra reikalingos, iš jų galima pasimokyti ir įvairiai pritaikyti nūdienos kasdieniniuose sprendimuose. Dėkingumą pajaučiau ne tik knygos autorei, bet ir jos šeimai, kuri neprieštaravo, o priešingai – paskatino T. King tai padaryti.
Kokios konkrečiai temos yra paliečiamos? Socialinė atskirtis. Alkoholizmas. Nepriteklius ir nuolatinės skolos. Psichologinės problemos. Religinis fanatizmas. Biurokratija. Stereotipai. Visa tai šioje knygoje susipina, visa tai tampa neatskiriama King'ų šeimos realybe. Dalyje knygos aš, kad ir kaip bebūtų keista ar net nesuvokiama, jaučiau pasigėrėjimą dėl šios šeimos vienybės. Kita vertus, perskaičiusi iki galo ir sužinojusi daugiau faktų, ėmiau abejoti, ar nederėjo į tai žvelgti kritiškai ir vertinti kitaip. Rašytoja puikiai atskleidė, kaip dažnai esame apakinti savo jausmų ir nenorime matyti nieko kito - tik tą, kuo tikime. Tačiau tai, kaip knygos pabaigoje susidėliojo King'ų šeimos moterų likimai, mane ir, tikiu, kitus skaitytojus įkvėps niekada nepasiduoti bei atrasti stiprybės įveikti visas savo vidines baimes ir susikurti naują gyvenimą - geresnį, šviesesnį, produktyvesnį.
„Kritinis mąstymas“ – tikra rašytojos T. King gyvenimo istorija, kurią perskaičius apima dvejopos mintys ir iš pradžių norisi abejoti bei neigti tai, kas yra papasakota, teigiant, kad tai negali būti tiesa. Rašytoja nebijo atvirauti bei apnuoginti tokių asmeniškų savo šeimos dalykų ir problemų (priklausomybės, psichologinės bėdos, nepriteklius ir kita), apie kurias nūdienos visuomenėje yra vis dar vengiama kalbėti, siekiant sukurti iliuziją, kad jos dingo iš mūsų socialinio gyvenimo. Laikas pabusti iš šios utopijos: socialinė atskirtis yra įaugusi į individų mąstymą, žmonės vis dar vertimami „pagal rūbą“, priklausomybės tik stiprėja, įgaudamos naujas formas, o individai, turintys vienokių ar kitokių fobijų, baimių arba tų pačių psichologinių problemų - atsiduria paraštėse. „Kritinis mąstymas“ - kūrinys, itin įtraukiantis niūriomis vienos šeimos gyvenimo peripetijomis, kurios verčia susimąstyti apie egzistenciją, apie pasirinkimus ir filosofiją, su kuria žengiame per gyvenimą, apie tai, kaip svarbu kiekviename žingsnyje galvoti kritiškai, kad galėtume gyventi ramiai ir išdrįsti kurti savo gyvenimą iš naujo, nepaisant patirtų sunkumų.
Rekomenduoju dievinantiems tikras žmonių istorijas, kurios nėra lengvos, kuriose daug skausmo, daug neteisybės, bet kartu – nepaprastai daug atvirumo, drąsos ir gebėjimo ramiai kalbėti apie tai, kas šitiek metų slėgė širdį. Jeigu ieškote istorijos, priverčiančios susimąstyti ir savęs paklausti, kiek dažnai mes asmeniškai sau susikuriame įvykių versijas, kuriomis šventai įtikime, nors to ir nereikėtų daryti, siūlau, nes T. King pasakojimas tik iš pradžių yra vienareikšmis. Rekomenduoju, jeigu norite perskaityti XX a. pabaigos žmogaus gyvenimo išpažintį, kurioje atrasite ne vieną ir ne dvi aktualijas bei problemas, egzistuojančias nūdienoje – tas, kurių nepajėgia įveikti net XXI a. pasiekimai. Apskritai, šis kūrinys patiks ne tik visiems tikrų istorijų gerbėjams, bet ir tiems, kurie supranta, kad kritinis mąstymas yra tarsi ginklas. Taip, taip – ginklas. Kritinis mąstymas yra galingiausia priemonė nūdienos kare, kuris vyksta ne tik ant žemės, bet ir informacijos srautuose.
4/5⭐
Ką mes žinome apie kritinį mąstymą? Pastaraisiais metais, pasaulyje vykstant įvairaus tipo krizėms ir didėjant propagandos, sklindančios medijose, apimtims, nuolat kartojama, kad kiekvienas turime mąstyti kritiškai ir nepriimti visko, ką išgirstame ar pamatome, kaip vienos bei neginčijamos tiesos. Kritinis mąstymas egzistuoja kaip savotiška priemonė, padedanti įveikti dezinformaciją. Tačiau niekas negali paneigti, kad sunku yra atskirti, kur yra tiesa, kur – melas. Neretai, net mąstydamas kritiškai, asmuo negali apsispręsti, kurie teiginiai yra propagandiniai, o kurie yra realūs. Nereikia pamiršti ir to, kad visi esame žmonės – iš prigimties linkę tikėti tuo, kas mums asmeniškai atrodo teisinga, priimtina ir palanku. Pastarasis argumentas tampa įrodymu, kad kritinis mąstymas efektyviai gali veikti tik tuo atveju, kai atsiribojame nuo savo jausmų, vertybių, įsitikinimų, nuomonių, kai į konkretų atvejį imame žvelgti ne šališkai, o objektyviai.
Iš pradžių skaitydama nesupratau, kur šioje istorijoje slypi tas kritinis mąstymas. Atrodė, kad autorė tiesiog įtaigiai dalinasi savo gyvenimo istorija, norėdama parodyti, kiek daug mes dabar turime ir kaip to neįvertiname. Naiviai maniau, kad T. King tik nori papamokslauti nūdienos žmogui. Klydau. Kuo toliau skaičiau, kuo daugiau sužinojau, kas vyko T. King ir jos šeimos gyvenime, tuo geriau supratau, kad stereotipai, buvę gyvi anuomet, egzistuoja ir dabar. Tai stereotipai, apie kuriuos kalbame kaip apie socialinio gyvenimo tragediją, tačiau nepajėgiame jų įveikti. Kuo labiau bandžiau perprasti ir atrasti tas kritinio mąstymo detales, tuo aiškiau įsąmoninau, kad į kiekvieną detalę ir įvykį, kurį rašytoja papasakojo, reikėjo žvelgti kritiškai. Kodėl? Kiekvienas iš jų negali būti priimtas kaip savaime suprantamas. Už visų jų slypi kur kas daugiau, bet svarbiausia – jie visi įrodo, jog mes esame linkę priimti faktus tokius, kokie jie mums pateikiami - net nebandome išsiaiškinti, ar jie turi pagrįstumo, ar jie nėra tokie, kokie mes norėtume, kad jie būtų.
Daug sukrečiančių dalykų paliečiama knygoje, turbūt dėl to ir kyla abejonės, ar ši istorija išties galėjo nutikti vienai šeimai, kuri, regis, niekuo neišsiskyrė iš kitų, panašaus socialinio sluoksnio šeimų. Deja, bet nutiko. Užvertusi paskutinį puslapį jaučiau milžinišką dėkingumą T. King, kad ryžosi apie visa tai kalbėti viešai. Tokios istorijos yra reikalingos, iš jų galima pasimokyti ir įvairiai pritaikyti nūdienos kasdieniniuose sprendimuose. Dėkingumą pajaučiau ne tik knygos autorei, bet ir jos šeimai, kuri neprieštaravo, o priešingai – paskatino T. King tai padaryti.
Kokios konkrečiai temos yra paliečiamos? Socialinė atskirtis. Alkoholizmas. Nepriteklius ir nuolatinės skolos. Psichologinės problemos. Religinis fanatizmas. Biurokratija. Stereotipai. Visa tai šioje knygoje susipina, visa tai tampa neatskiriama King'ų šeimos realybe. Dalyje knygos aš, kad ir kaip bebūtų keista ar net nesuvokiama, jaučiau pasigėrėjimą dėl šios šeimos vienybės. Kita vertus, perskaičiusi iki galo ir sužinojusi daugiau faktų, ėmiau abejoti, ar nederėjo į tai žvelgti kritiškai ir vertinti kitaip. Rašytoja puikiai atskleidė, kaip dažnai esame apakinti savo jausmų ir nenorime matyti nieko kito - tik tą, kuo tikime. Tačiau tai, kaip knygos pabaigoje susidėliojo King'ų šeimos moterų likimai, mane ir, tikiu, kitus skaitytojus įkvėps niekada nepasiduoti bei atrasti stiprybės įveikti visas savo vidines baimes ir susikurti naują gyvenimą - geresnį, šviesesnį, produktyvesnį.
„Kritinis mąstymas“ – tikra rašytojos T. King gyvenimo istorija, kurią perskaičius apima dvejopos mintys ir iš pradžių norisi abejoti bei neigti tai, kas yra papasakota, teigiant, kad tai negali būti tiesa. Rašytoja nebijo atvirauti bei apnuoginti tokių asmeniškų savo šeimos dalykų ir problemų (priklausomybės, psichologinės bėdos, nepriteklius ir kita), apie kurias nūdienos visuomenėje yra vis dar vengiama kalbėti, siekiant sukurti iliuziją, kad jos dingo iš mūsų socialinio gyvenimo. Laikas pabusti iš šios utopijos: socialinė atskirtis yra įaugusi į individų mąstymą, žmonės vis dar vertimami „pagal rūbą“, priklausomybės tik stiprėja, įgaudamos naujas formas, o individai, turintys vienokių ar kitokių fobijų, baimių arba tų pačių psichologinių problemų - atsiduria paraštėse. „Kritinis mąstymas“ - kūrinys, itin įtraukiantis niūriomis vienos šeimos gyvenimo peripetijomis, kurios verčia susimąstyti apie egzistenciją, apie pasirinkimus ir filosofiją, su kuria žengiame per gyvenimą, apie tai, kaip svarbu kiekviename žingsnyje galvoti kritiškai, kad galėtume gyventi ramiai ir išdrįsti kurti savo gyvenimą iš naujo, nepaisant patirtų sunkumų.
Rekomenduoju dievinantiems tikras žmonių istorijas, kurios nėra lengvos, kuriose daug skausmo, daug neteisybės, bet kartu – nepaprastai daug atvirumo, drąsos ir gebėjimo ramiai kalbėti apie tai, kas šitiek metų slėgė širdį. Jeigu ieškote istorijos, priverčiančios susimąstyti ir savęs paklausti, kiek dažnai mes asmeniškai sau susikuriame įvykių versijas, kuriomis šventai įtikime, nors to ir nereikėtų daryti, siūlau, nes T. King pasakojimas tik iš pradžių yra vienareikšmis. Rekomenduoju, jeigu norite perskaityti XX a. pabaigos žmogaus gyvenimo išpažintį, kurioje atrasite ne vieną ir ne dvi aktualijas bei problemas, egzistuojančias nūdienoje – tas, kurių nepajėgia įveikti net XXI a. pasiekimai. Apskritai, šis kūrinys patiks ne tik visiems tikrų istorijų gerbėjams, bet ir tiems, kurie supranta, kad kritinis mąstymas yra tarsi ginklas. Taip, taip – ginklas. Kritinis mąstymas yra galingiausia priemonė nūdienos kare, kuris vyksta ne tik ant žemės, bet ir informacijos srautuose.
4/5⭐
October 22, 2023
4.5 stars
King writes an incredibly emotional, thoughtful and poignant story that tells her childhood growing up on a newly-built council estate in Birmingham, and the traumatic moments that defined her life. I found myself unable to put this book down, and saw mirrors of my own life, growing up not exactly working class, and the struggles that come with that. She is unafraid to hide from the truth and the complexities that come with a difficult childhood. I adored her writing style and her determination to become something and be someone. King’s story resembles my own, my friends, and so many people I know, and the willpower to break free.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for kindly providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review. #LearningToThink #NetGalley. All opinions are my own.
King writes an incredibly emotional, thoughtful and poignant story that tells her childhood growing up on a newly-built council estate in Birmingham, and the traumatic moments that defined her life. I found myself unable to put this book down, and saw mirrors of my own life, growing up not exactly working class, and the struggles that come with that. She is unafraid to hide from the truth and the complexities that come with a difficult childhood. I adored her writing style and her determination to become something and be someone. King’s story resembles my own, my friends, and so many people I know, and the willpower to break free.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for kindly providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review. #LearningToThink #NetGalley. All opinions are my own.
March 6, 2024
Thank you to NetGalley for the arc of this powerful and heartbreaking memoir. Tracey deeply explains her childhood, growing up in poverty on a council estate. They tried everything in their power to keep the family afloat whilst each going through trauma individually.
This memoir really showed how little help there was towards children in need and how punishing children for their mental health struggles is the last thing that should be done. Tracey beautifully described how her thoughts matured as she grew up, but also explained why she thought those things as a young child. The book touches on so much and is a powerful testament to Tracy and the King families life. A heartbreaking life story that is powerful for everyone to read and understand how families in poverty really lived and how the UK community came together, or didn't, in times of struggles.
This memoir really showed how little help there was towards children in need and how punishing children for their mental health struggles is the last thing that should be done. Tracey beautifully described how her thoughts matured as she grew up, but also explained why she thought those things as a young child. The book touches on so much and is a powerful testament to Tracy and the King families life. A heartbreaking life story that is powerful for everyone to read and understand how families in poverty really lived and how the UK community came together, or didn't, in times of struggles.
May 8, 2025
I read this for a book club, and whilst I think the insight into life growing up on a Birmingham council estate in the 80s is interesting, I didn't really come away from this book with a whole lot of new understanding, appreciation or insight. I think this will be a story which feels somewhat forgettable to me, which is kind of awful to say, but I think it's the way that this book is written it just felt pretty detached, as though the author is purely recounting events and not really invested in people around her. This could possibly have been related to the audiobook being the way I consumed this, but I still feel like I didn't really get to the core of who Tracy King is and why this story was truly necessary for her to tell. There are snippets at the end about the 'why' but it just didn't come through during the reading of the book...
We follow Tracy's family life as she goes through the hardships which seem normal or maybe even slightly better than normal for someone who grew up when and where she did. Her tale is a sad one at times as her mother suffers with anxiety disorders, she becomes a sort of carer for her, and her father is killed. Her sister is also forefully sent away to school, and they are all slightly taken over by gimmicks of the church and fantasies of others around them. At one point I thought this might become a cult story, but we never dived too deep into that side.
Overall, it does have interesting moments, but it's not a story which really fascinated me. I think the author needed to write this for herself, to explore her past and put it out there, and for that I am glad she's done so, but for me, a random individual in England, from a middle-class upbringing, it didn't resonate too much and I found it hard to really be invested beyond being sad about the things which she had to go through, mainly because of how it was told. Overall, 2.75*s as it was fine, but not a memorable read for me.
We follow Tracy's family life as she goes through the hardships which seem normal or maybe even slightly better than normal for someone who grew up when and where she did. Her tale is a sad one at times as her mother suffers with anxiety disorders, she becomes a sort of carer for her, and her father is killed. Her sister is also forefully sent away to school, and they are all slightly taken over by gimmicks of the church and fantasies of others around them. At one point I thought this might become a cult story, but we never dived too deep into that side.
Overall, it does have interesting moments, but it's not a story which really fascinated me. I think the author needed to write this for herself, to explore her past and put it out there, and for that I am glad she's done so, but for me, a random individual in England, from a middle-class upbringing, it didn't resonate too much and I found it hard to really be invested beyond being sad about the things which she had to go through, mainly because of how it was told. Overall, 2.75*s as it was fine, but not a memorable read for me.
October 10, 2024
Of limited interest. It’s the memoir of a child growing up in Birmingham in the 80’s. Her father had a drinking problem and he mother became a born again Christian. She was a school avoider.
March 25, 2024
Learning To Think is a memoir about grief, mental health and faith which is very moving.
Tracy tells you about her family and the many demons they all had to battle, from alcoholism, depression, agoraphobia and school refusal back in the 80’s when she was a child. The repercussions on the life of the King family is heartbreaking and you will feel rage at such a broken system. It is the impact of a failing economy and no professional support for families in council estates. Tracy’s mother ends up resorting to finding some answers and support through religion whilst Tracy’s older sister is forced to be sent away by social services to a boarding school.
The most significant trauma that occurs is when Tracy’s father is killed by some local youths. Tracy talks about the impact this had on them all. As Tracy gets older she starts to reflect on how her father died and is more of a psychological analysis towards the end of the book.
Learning To Think makes you consider the ways poverty impacts people and the prejudice others from these backgrounds face. A very powerful and poignant story that I found incredibly compelling.
Tracy tells you about her family and the many demons they all had to battle, from alcoholism, depression, agoraphobia and school refusal back in the 80’s when she was a child. The repercussions on the life of the King family is heartbreaking and you will feel rage at such a broken system. It is the impact of a failing economy and no professional support for families in council estates. Tracy’s mother ends up resorting to finding some answers and support through religion whilst Tracy’s older sister is forced to be sent away by social services to a boarding school.
The most significant trauma that occurs is when Tracy’s father is killed by some local youths. Tracy talks about the impact this had on them all. As Tracy gets older she starts to reflect on how her father died and is more of a psychological analysis towards the end of the book.
Learning To Think makes you consider the ways poverty impacts people and the prejudice others from these backgrounds face. A very powerful and poignant story that I found incredibly compelling.
November 7, 2023
Learning to Think is a raw and unflinching memoir of working-class childhood, trauma and survival.
King takes a raw and unflinching look at the most challenging days of her life, reckoning with her family's personal demons. At times it can make for difficult reading - there are moments of real pain and frustration - but there is also hope and resilience running underneath it all.
While the retelling of her formative years is evocative storytelling in itself, it is also an exploration of the stories we tell ourselves, and how our memories are not always reflective of the whole truth. I think that's what makes this memoir so engaging (and so relatable): at its heart, it is all about learning and the capacity for change even in the most challenging circumstances.
Powerful and poignant, Learning to Think is a thought-provoking read.
*Thank you to Netgalley for the arc in exchange for an honest review*
King takes a raw and unflinching look at the most challenging days of her life, reckoning with her family's personal demons. At times it can make for difficult reading - there are moments of real pain and frustration - but there is also hope and resilience running underneath it all.
While the retelling of her formative years is evocative storytelling in itself, it is also an exploration of the stories we tell ourselves, and how our memories are not always reflective of the whole truth. I think that's what makes this memoir so engaging (and so relatable): at its heart, it is all about learning and the capacity for change even in the most challenging circumstances.
Powerful and poignant, Learning to Think is a thought-provoking read.
*Thank you to Netgalley for the arc in exchange for an honest review*
February 22, 2024
This is a strange one to review as it’s a memoir. Tracy is from a council estate but has aspirations. Her family are outwardly poor but inwardly very rich. The parents Mick and Jackie protect the girls from the big bad world until one day it intrudes. Tracy has to deal with a trauma and its consequences on her sister and mother for many years. They become more religious, the girls don’t attend school - in general life becomes chaotic. Tracy tries to make sense of her world by questioning everything and this leads her in later life to question the truth behind her trauma. She discovered ‘ critical thinking’ and uses it to make more sense of her parents, her childhood and her upbringing. I don’t think there’s anything revelatory in the memoir, many of us have similar backgrounds. Her ability to write it all down, I hope, has been cathartic. Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for a prepublication ebook.
February 17, 2024
I feel guilty for not rating this book with a higher number of stars, because I respect the author’s willingness to critically analyse the events of her childhood and her beliefs. It’s a brave book and she’s clearly a courageous, empathetic and clear-sighted person.
Unfortunately, it just didn’t grip me. From the blurb I was expecting something more like Tara Westover’s Educated, but the first part of the book just read like a description of normal life to me, having spent part of my formative years on a council estate. I couldn’t help feeling that the author’s style was a tad hectoring. By the time I finished the book I was glad to put it down, as if an interesting but slightly over-long lecture had ended.
Unfortunately, it just didn’t grip me. From the blurb I was expecting something more like Tara Westover’s Educated, but the first part of the book just read like a description of normal life to me, having spent part of my formative years on a council estate. I couldn’t help feeling that the author’s style was a tad hectoring. By the time I finished the book I was glad to put it down, as if an interesting but slightly over-long lecture had ended.
February 25, 2024
This is a book with an unusual opening chapter in that the author Tracy King, aged 12, is being exorcised of demons by two male members of her church. It seems to work and then she introduces the reader is introduced to her family; the Kings. Mike and Jackie, her parents and her older sister Emily. They were a working class family based in the Midlands around Birmingham. Tracy remembers her childhood as being happy despite her parents experiencing money worries and debt. The house that they had worked so hard to buy was repossessed and they ended up living on a council estate. Jackie became agoraphobic although she did manage to break free of it in later life. Mike worked abroad in Saudi Arabia and became an alcoholic. But he did try and control it and attend Alcoholics Anonymous. They encouraged both of their daughters although they became school refusers after being bullied. There were books in the household, games and in 1979 they also had computers. Mike was an engineer and loved to set them logic puzzles. He was trying to set up his own business despite money being tight. Tracy paints a vivid picture of hiding from the ‘tally man’ when credit payments are due.
And then Jackie is approached on the street by a local born again Christian and the family become converted into a religious way of life, even Mike. They all undergo baptism and the church becomes central to their lives. And then came the cataclysmic event that changed everything – the death of Mike at 44 and its aftermath.
This was a fascinating story to read as the author writes so well about working class life and how poverty or even ‘just getting by’ can limit life chances by making ambitions almost inaccessible. Other people make decisions for you as when Social Services take Emily at almost twelve against her will into a psychiatric hospital for refusing school. She then goes into a boarding school and lives a different life from the rest of the family. The charity football match in aid of a fund for Mike that the family knows nothing about and no hope of rehousing after Mike’s death. They just have to go on living on the estate. It’s the lack of control in working class lives that can be difficult.
At 16, Tracy decides to have no more ‘school or the church’ and embarks on further education. She and her sister were obviously determined to rise above their limitations and the title of the book refers to her learning to think for herself. In a second hand bookshop she finds a copy of Carl Sagan, ‘The Demon Haunted world’ and she uses it to make sense of the world and what has happened. She had already tried religion, the supernatural and conspiracy theories. None of them had given her the answers that she was looking for .
Then she makes her boldest decision in Chapters 26-27 when she decides to find out what really happened to Mike on that fateful evening. Tracy soon finds out that the version of events that the family were given were not correct and that she didn’t know everything about her father. This was the most powerful part of the book for me as I thought that it was such a brave decision to make and I could understand her wish to at last know everything.
I would have liked a line or two about Jackie and Emily’s current lives but perhaps they did not want to be included. But this was a powerful, uplifting memoir as I come from the same background and as Nile Rogers once put it ‘I’ve been swimming upstream all my life.’
My thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for an ARC.
And then Jackie is approached on the street by a local born again Christian and the family become converted into a religious way of life, even Mike. They all undergo baptism and the church becomes central to their lives. And then came the cataclysmic event that changed everything – the death of Mike at 44 and its aftermath.
This was a fascinating story to read as the author writes so well about working class life and how poverty or even ‘just getting by’ can limit life chances by making ambitions almost inaccessible. Other people make decisions for you as when Social Services take Emily at almost twelve against her will into a psychiatric hospital for refusing school. She then goes into a boarding school and lives a different life from the rest of the family. The charity football match in aid of a fund for Mike that the family knows nothing about and no hope of rehousing after Mike’s death. They just have to go on living on the estate. It’s the lack of control in working class lives that can be difficult.
At 16, Tracy decides to have no more ‘school or the church’ and embarks on further education. She and her sister were obviously determined to rise above their limitations and the title of the book refers to her learning to think for herself. In a second hand bookshop she finds a copy of Carl Sagan, ‘The Demon Haunted world’ and she uses it to make sense of the world and what has happened. She had already tried religion, the supernatural and conspiracy theories. None of them had given her the answers that she was looking for .
Then she makes her boldest decision in Chapters 26-27 when she decides to find out what really happened to Mike on that fateful evening. Tracy soon finds out that the version of events that the family were given were not correct and that she didn’t know everything about her father. This was the most powerful part of the book for me as I thought that it was such a brave decision to make and I could understand her wish to at last know everything.
I would have liked a line or two about Jackie and Emily’s current lives but perhaps they did not want to be included. But this was a powerful, uplifting memoir as I come from the same background and as Nile Rogers once put it ‘I’ve been swimming upstream all my life.’
My thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for an ARC.
February 8, 2024
This is an extraordinary story, with a very clear message starting appropriately from the title 'Learning to think'. This beautifully written memoir, narrated by Tracy king. Based in Birmingham 1980's.
It's not an easy read and explores a multitude of topics; Prejudice, alcoholism, agoraphobia, depression, anxiety, school phobia, unemployment, religion and life limitations.
Tracy takes you on her journey through life. The peaks and the troughs. From her traumatic childhood, her contstant limbo of adolescence, to finding her feet in adulthood and finally seeking some truths.
This story explores and even highlights the truth behind class divisions. The unfairness of being an intellect but not having the money behind you to move forward in life. The struggles around having an alcoholic father, and an agoraphobic mother.
Tracy identifies how class divisions dont stop grief or normal life struggles, but how your able to manage them and cope differently. With no money, no support networks, continued criticism and discrimination from society.
Without any spoilers, chapter 26 through to the end of 27, pulled the story together in a heart-wrenching way. Tracey displayed incredible strength and suddenly learns that the chracters in her life story weren't always the demons that haunted her past. The whole story was absorbing, but these chapters were just explosive.
This memoir regards trauma as something that is 'stubborn and sometimes malicious' which is probably relateable to us all, the same in which greif grabs hold of you, and never seems to let go. I also found the exploration of memories interesting, for the fact that what maybe true and factual to ourselves doesn't mean it's always the truth. Although this is tracey's story, her writing leads you to contemplate your own life story.
This book is based on strength and courage, coming away I see how the king women fought through life obstacles, they did what they could to survive.
'But I could be wrong'
It's not an easy read and explores a multitude of topics; Prejudice, alcoholism, agoraphobia, depression, anxiety, school phobia, unemployment, religion and life limitations.
Tracy takes you on her journey through life. The peaks and the troughs. From her traumatic childhood, her contstant limbo of adolescence, to finding her feet in adulthood and finally seeking some truths.
This story explores and even highlights the truth behind class divisions. The unfairness of being an intellect but not having the money behind you to move forward in life. The struggles around having an alcoholic father, and an agoraphobic mother.
Tracy identifies how class divisions dont stop grief or normal life struggles, but how your able to manage them and cope differently. With no money, no support networks, continued criticism and discrimination from society.
Without any spoilers, chapter 26 through to the end of 27, pulled the story together in a heart-wrenching way. Tracey displayed incredible strength and suddenly learns that the chracters in her life story weren't always the demons that haunted her past. The whole story was absorbing, but these chapters were just explosive.
This memoir regards trauma as something that is 'stubborn and sometimes malicious' which is probably relateable to us all, the same in which greif grabs hold of you, and never seems to let go. I also found the exploration of memories interesting, for the fact that what maybe true and factual to ourselves doesn't mean it's always the truth. Although this is tracey's story, her writing leads you to contemplate your own life story.
This book is based on strength and courage, coming away I see how the king women fought through life obstacles, they did what they could to survive.
'But I could be wrong'
March 5, 2024
Science and communications journalist Tracy King has made a living by cutting through noise towards a signal, shining a light on lazy media treatment of complex issues, and by applying critical thought to unprocessed data and showing readers how they can do the same. She is, in short, a prism through which we can better understand complex information. So, how did this detailed attitude to thought processes begin. The answer will astonish you.
Around the turn of the century publishing experienced a boom in what became known as misery memoirs: tales of truly awful childhoods featuring poverty, parental neglect and various forms of abuse. King’s Learning to Think is not quite that story. Although, it surely features extreme privation and state abuse.
Born into a working class community, King grew up on council estate outside Birmingham, the youngest of an extremely close and loving family. They received only the barest state support while wrestling with their poverty and profound societally inflicted mental health issues. But still they remained a strong unit. Which made the state’s interference shocking and disturbing. Things become significantly worse when horrifying violence entered their lives from an external source.
Years later, a chance discovery in a bookshop gave King the tools to change her future. By self-education and critical thought she was able to treat her trauma by confronting it and exploring and unravelling the mythology she (and others) had spun around it.
Learning to Think is a powerful book that is so much more than a memoir about a difficult childhood. It’s also a road map to self care and improvement. Above all, it is a clarion call for critical thought to be taught and applied in all levels of life.
Note: it’s hard to get in the UK these days but Carl Sagan’s book The Demon-Haunted World (the book that changed King’s outlook) is worth tracking down if you can find it.
(Proof copy supplied. Opinions my own.)
Around the turn of the century publishing experienced a boom in what became known as misery memoirs: tales of truly awful childhoods featuring poverty, parental neglect and various forms of abuse. King’s Learning to Think is not quite that story. Although, it surely features extreme privation and state abuse.
Born into a working class community, King grew up on council estate outside Birmingham, the youngest of an extremely close and loving family. They received only the barest state support while wrestling with their poverty and profound societally inflicted mental health issues. But still they remained a strong unit. Which made the state’s interference shocking and disturbing. Things become significantly worse when horrifying violence entered their lives from an external source.
Years later, a chance discovery in a bookshop gave King the tools to change her future. By self-education and critical thought she was able to treat her trauma by confronting it and exploring and unravelling the mythology she (and others) had spun around it.
Learning to Think is a powerful book that is so much more than a memoir about a difficult childhood. It’s also a road map to self care and improvement. Above all, it is a clarion call for critical thought to be taught and applied in all levels of life.
Note: it’s hard to get in the UK these days but Carl Sagan’s book The Demon-Haunted World (the book that changed King’s outlook) is worth tracking down if you can find it.
(Proof copy supplied. Opinions my own.)
November 30, 2023
I didnt realise how hard it is to write reviews of non-fiction; apologies to Tracy and Doubleday for my clumsy words!
It felt like a real privilege to be able to read Tracy's story and watch how her life experiences brought her to where she is today.
Growing up in a working class household in the 1970s, it was expected that Tracy would leave school, get married and have children; there weren't many societal expectations for her or her family. Coupled with her dad's alcoholism, her sister going into care and her mum finding Jesus as a born again Christian, life wasn't easy for Tracy in her teenage years; in fact, the book opens with her being exorcised to rid her and her family from demons that are supposedly plaguing them.
A family takeaway night ends in tragedy as her father is killed by some teenagers from the same estate. The family reacts in different ways, with Tracy mainly skipping school and walking for hours; there's very little in the way of formal education.
As Tracy grows up and goes to college, she develops eclectic interests in all manner of things, using her past experiences to drive her forward. Through her wide interest she learns to see that one person's recall of events isnt necessarily the truth. This comes into its own when Tracy actively thinks about what happened on the night of her father's death; is the story she's always believed actually the truth?
Tracy's interests in critical thinking and challenging oneself to ask questions is such a wonderful attribute to have, and one that seems to have been lost in recent times. She talks about the power of education and questioning what we've been told; it has given me a lot to think about.
Thank you so much to Doubleday for letting me read this advance copy.
It felt like a real privilege to be able to read Tracy's story and watch how her life experiences brought her to where she is today.
Growing up in a working class household in the 1970s, it was expected that Tracy would leave school, get married and have children; there weren't many societal expectations for her or her family. Coupled with her dad's alcoholism, her sister going into care and her mum finding Jesus as a born again Christian, life wasn't easy for Tracy in her teenage years; in fact, the book opens with her being exorcised to rid her and her family from demons that are supposedly plaguing them.
A family takeaway night ends in tragedy as her father is killed by some teenagers from the same estate. The family reacts in different ways, with Tracy mainly skipping school and walking for hours; there's very little in the way of formal education.
As Tracy grows up and goes to college, she develops eclectic interests in all manner of things, using her past experiences to drive her forward. Through her wide interest she learns to see that one person's recall of events isnt necessarily the truth. This comes into its own when Tracy actively thinks about what happened on the night of her father's death; is the story she's always believed actually the truth?
Tracy's interests in critical thinking and challenging oneself to ask questions is such a wonderful attribute to have, and one that seems to have been lost in recent times. She talks about the power of education and questioning what we've been told; it has given me a lot to think about.
Thank you so much to Doubleday for letting me read this advance copy.
May 22, 2024
"I could be wrong." This insight - gleaned from the chance acquisition of Carl Sagan's Demon Haunted World in a used bookstore - literally transformed Tracy Kings life. In Learning to Think, Tracy reflects on her life - growing up in public housing, having difficulties in attending school, her mother's Agoraphobia, a period of devout faith followed by a period of interest in "New-Agey" pseudoscience, and the death of her father after an altercation with a group of youths. The maze Tracy takes us through is an interesting one and there is a reward at the end - an understanding about how important it is to ask questions and to seek answers supported by good evidence. Another important lesson she communicates is how emotion can short-circuit our desire to ask questions and find clear answers. I can relate to Tracy's story as I too credit Sagan as a transformative influence in my life as well - primarily through the book and TV series COSMOS. Tracy's journey through the maze brings her to a positive place - one in which she has worked as a writer, animator, and science communicator. Her memoir is a fascinating reflection on a journey through a myriad of challenges with a satisfying conclusion.
One interesting side note: On page 66 I was surprised to read the recollection of an interaction between Tracy and her mom Jackie in which they discuss how writing Xmas in Christmas cards was like erasing the name of Christ. This is essentially exactly the same incident as described by Alice Greczyn in her book Wayward!?
One interesting side note: On page 66 I was surprised to read the recollection of an interaction between Tracy and her mom Jackie in which they discuss how writing Xmas in Christmas cards was like erasing the name of Christ. This is essentially exactly the same incident as described by Alice Greczyn in her book Wayward!?
February 9, 2024
This is a remarkable and intense memoir written by Tracy King. I’m finding it very difficult to summarise as the book touches on so much. It is essentially about King’s life growing up on a council estate not far from Birmingham with her Mum, Dad and older sister. Each of them has their issues but it is a loving and creative atmosphere. However, when King is 12, her Dad is killed and part of the book is about her trying to find out the truth as a youngster, then trying to shield herself so that she can break free of her trauma but then ultimately learning how to look back and assess her experiences.
The art/skill of learning and questioning is a strong theme in the book as is alcoholism, agoraphobia and born-again Christianity. However, it is the memoir of someone who grew up in circumstances that many do not manage to break free of and who are crushed by a broken system. As the author says, there are likely to be many other similar stories out there but people from her background don’t get the chance to tell them. I hope this will encourage publishers and others to give opportunities for a multitude of stories from a variety of backgrounds to be told.
Overall, this book is incredibly well written. While it contains lots of difficult subjects, it wasn’t difficult to read and I would recommend it to others who enjoy reading non-fiction.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this book.
The art/skill of learning and questioning is a strong theme in the book as is alcoholism, agoraphobia and born-again Christianity. However, it is the memoir of someone who grew up in circumstances that many do not manage to break free of and who are crushed by a broken system. As the author says, there are likely to be many other similar stories out there but people from her background don’t get the chance to tell them. I hope this will encourage publishers and others to give opportunities for a multitude of stories from a variety of backgrounds to be told.
Overall, this book is incredibly well written. While it contains lots of difficult subjects, it wasn’t difficult to read and I would recommend it to others who enjoy reading non-fiction.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this book.
March 28, 2024
This was a very interesting read and as Tracy King herself states throughout the book, an essential one to understand better a huge part of the british society and life in the late 70s and 80s and the working class struggles in general. It's quite extraordinary how many things went wrong for Tracy, who eventually managed to overcome a lot of trauma and pain and forge her own path. The themes of poverty, school refusal, alcoholism, the sudden death of her father and all that came along and as a result of that, the role of religion when all else fails and the non-existent support from the government all created the perfect storm for her. She does an excellent job at travelling us back in time and bringing to life the estate life and the everyday struggles all those families faced and very much like Shuggie Bain, your hearts breaks at the injustice and the lack of opportunity for adults and children alike.
The element of the importance of critical thinking runs throughout the book and Tracy King invites us to explore the reasons she was forced to think the way she did as a child, shaping a reality and sense of the world he later forced herself to challenge and in more than one ways discredit. But equally, it encourages us to consider our own biases and predispositions when it comes to our own way of perceiving and understanding the world and judging what is happening to us and around us.
The element of the importance of critical thinking runs throughout the book and Tracy King invites us to explore the reasons she was forced to think the way she did as a child, shaping a reality and sense of the world he later forced herself to challenge and in more than one ways discredit. But equally, it encourages us to consider our own biases and predispositions when it comes to our own way of perceiving and understanding the world and judging what is happening to us and around us.
December 5, 2023
I don't read a lot of non-fiction, but I'm very selective about the non-fic I do read. I'm very glad I picked this one up!
I was lucky enough to meet Tracy King at the UK Book Party and receive an ARC of the book. I didn't know much about it going in, but I was immediately drawn into a story about family, love and grief. I was both intrigued and harrowed to hear about how a tragic event completely shaped the lives of King and her family when the author was so young. Nothing was held back here, it was an intensely honest portrayal of her and her family. While it didn't always paint people in a positive light, it explores how grief changes people and how you truly can't judge people's ways of life from the outside. I empathized completely with the author and her mother and I began to understand how faith can be both a savior and a burden in times of hardship.
This story came to me at a time in my life when I've been able to observe grief in my own life and in the people around me. I think I learned a lot from this - nobody grieves the same and it weighs heavy in every form it manifests itself.
I highly recommend this to anyone who is interested in non fiction and a deep dive into what makes people tick!
I was lucky enough to meet Tracy King at the UK Book Party and receive an ARC of the book. I didn't know much about it going in, but I was immediately drawn into a story about family, love and grief. I was both intrigued and harrowed to hear about how a tragic event completely shaped the lives of King and her family when the author was so young. Nothing was held back here, it was an intensely honest portrayal of her and her family. While it didn't always paint people in a positive light, it explores how grief changes people and how you truly can't judge people's ways of life from the outside. I empathized completely with the author and her mother and I began to understand how faith can be both a savior and a burden in times of hardship.
This story came to me at a time in my life when I've been able to observe grief in my own life and in the people around me. I think I learned a lot from this - nobody grieves the same and it weighs heavy in every form it manifests itself.
I highly recommend this to anyone who is interested in non fiction and a deep dive into what makes people tick!
March 20, 2024
This was an enjoyable memoir that I listened to on audio alongside reading a proof copy. The audio narration is very engaging and Tracy is a skilled author as she relates her life in clear language with a strong narrative structure (often hard to do in memoir since you’re having to edit your life into a coherent story).
Given the blurb and prologue, I expected the meat of the book to focus on Tracy’s experiences as a born-again Christian. However, the religious aspect was not touched upon in detail and I would’ve preferred more specific stories about the church. The focus is by far Tracy’s grief after her father’s death and trying to piece together evidence about what truly happened to him.
While not as sensational as the blurb suggests, I found Tracy’s story moving and it gave me a lot to think about in regards to the UK housing, care and justice systems.
This book was published on 7th March 2024. Thank you to @Doubleday for my #gifted copy in exchange for an honest review.
Read my full review on my blog
aminasbookshelf.com and check out IG/Tiktok @aminasbookshelf
for more book reviews and recommendations
Given the blurb and prologue, I expected the meat of the book to focus on Tracy’s experiences as a born-again Christian. However, the religious aspect was not touched upon in detail and I would’ve preferred more specific stories about the church. The focus is by far Tracy’s grief after her father’s death and trying to piece together evidence about what truly happened to him.
While not as sensational as the blurb suggests, I found Tracy’s story moving and it gave me a lot to think about in regards to the UK housing, care and justice systems.
This book was published on 7th March 2024. Thank you to @Doubleday for my #gifted copy in exchange for an honest review.
Read my full review on my blog
aminasbookshelf.com and check out IG/Tiktok @aminasbookshelf
for more book reviews and recommendations
March 5, 2024
This astonishing and brave memoir held me from the first page. Tracy King recounts her childhood experiences - her alcoholic father, unable to keep a job, her agoraphobic mother and a forced move to a council house in a new suburb away from close family. Money always tight yet a close family bond between her, her sister and their parents, even when her mother becomes increasing obsessed with religion and her sister is sent to a boarding school.
When her father dies suddenly in a seemingly violent attack by a local boy, her world shatters. Tracy and her mother become co-dependent and Tracy struggles to stay in school, cutting the one lifeline that might give her a better future.
This is a heartbreaking memoir, and also deeply shocking to find how a family can fall between the cracks in society so easily. When they do start to thrive it is more through luck; a determined therapist or a change in education.
As Tracy uses adult education to develop herself she also looks back on the events of her father’s death - shockingly it was not as she had been given to understand and she is forced to re-evaluate her family and her childhood once more.
When her father dies suddenly in a seemingly violent attack by a local boy, her world shatters. Tracy and her mother become co-dependent and Tracy struggles to stay in school, cutting the one lifeline that might give her a better future.
This is a heartbreaking memoir, and also deeply shocking to find how a family can fall between the cracks in society so easily. When they do start to thrive it is more through luck; a determined therapist or a change in education.
As Tracy uses adult education to develop herself she also looks back on the events of her father’s death - shockingly it was not as she had been given to understand and she is forced to re-evaluate her family and her childhood once more.
May 19, 2024
As many others have commented it is particularly challenging to review a personal story. I gave 3 stars as I too didn’t find a revelation that I thought was coming. Instead, I heard about success against the odds but so many promising pieces of family information weren’t shared. For me knowing maternal grandmothers story and indeed knowing more of the authors paternal parents background may have shed light on some of the psychological challenges we heard about with regard to the family of the 80s and 90s. The latter part of the book I felt was better, Chapter 29 in particular is good; its theme is around memory and about ‘knowing’. It encapsulates the idea that there is no one story; that we all see things and experience things differently according to the information we have and what is comfortable and proves a fit on a personal level. She say after reading Carl Sagan, the author found a clarity around ‘fact’ which had previously been truth. The idea that ‘I may be wrong’ strikes a strong chord for Ms King who reflects that such a short statement in reality can require more confidence, courage and reflective capacity than we sometimes possess.
June 20, 2025
Knyga klaidinančiu pavadinimu. Mąstymo čia kaip tik ir nėra, tik traumuoto žmogaus memuarai. ,,Neįtikėtina” istorija pasireiškia tuo, kad netyčia nužudomas autorės tėvas. Didžioji knygos dalis yra apie vaikystės buitį, kokie žaislai patiko, kur ėjo ir pnš. Paskutiniuose 50 psl. prasideda ,, kritinis mąstymas”. Autorė ima nagrinėti tėvo nužudymo protokolus, kas ką pasakė, kur ranką pakėlė, galėjo ar negalėjo, atranda, kad nėra ateivių, o tėvo ūgis iš mažamečio perspektyvos atrodo kitoks. Švietimo ir kitos temos šiek tiek nušvinta antrame plane ir tai labai primityviai, pažeriant kaltinimų aplinkai, valstybei. Visko per mažai ir nepakankamai, nors pats žmogus nevertina to kas yra ir nesivargina pasinaudoti tuo, kas jau suteikiama. Standartiškai aplinka kalčiausia.
Ant viršelio minima drąsa kelti klausimus irgi per tėvo mirties prizmę. Būdama vaikas išdrįso prieiti prie policininko ir paklausti kas vyksta, bei suaugus susikontaktavo su nužudymu kaltinamais asmenimis.
Be sielvarto dėl tėvo mirties daugiau šioje knygoje nieko nėra.
Ant viršelio minima drąsa kelti klausimus irgi per tėvo mirties prizmę. Būdama vaikas išdrįso prieiti prie policininko ir paklausti kas vyksta, bei suaugus susikontaktavo su nužudymu kaltinamais asmenimis.
Be sielvarto dėl tėvo mirties daugiau šioje knygoje nieko nėra.
February 25, 2024
“Memory can be a liar. Memory will swear blind that the curtains were blue, but years later you find a photograph and discover they were red.”
Thank you so much to the publisher for sending me a proof copy of this one.
I often feel strange giving star ratings to memoirs, especially those featuring tragedy and trauma, but this got 5⭐️ from me for many reasons. Mainly, for how brilliant of a writer Tracy King is (and a fellow brummie!)
Learning to Think is an incredibly powerful, emotional and poignant book. Set on a Birmingham council estate in the 1980s, King provides an honest and heartbreaking look into her experience with poverty, religion, superstition, trauma and mental health.
I did not know of Tracy or her story before picking this up, but I found myself very emotionally invested and engaged throughout the entire book. I really recommend giving this a go, even if non-fiction isn’t usually your thing.
Thank you so much to the publisher for sending me a proof copy of this one.
I often feel strange giving star ratings to memoirs, especially those featuring tragedy and trauma, but this got 5⭐️ from me for many reasons. Mainly, for how brilliant of a writer Tracy King is (and a fellow brummie!)
Learning to Think is an incredibly powerful, emotional and poignant book. Set on a Birmingham council estate in the 1980s, King provides an honest and heartbreaking look into her experience with poverty, religion, superstition, trauma and mental health.
I did not know of Tracy or her story before picking this up, but I found myself very emotionally invested and engaged throughout the entire book. I really recommend giving this a go, even if non-fiction isn’t usually your thing.
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