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Skint Estate: A Memoir of Poverty, Motherhood and Survival
Cash Carraway is a single mum living in temporary accommodation. She’s been moved around the system since she left home at sixteen. She’s also been called a stain on society. And she’s caught in a poverty trap.
Skint Estate is the hard-hitting debut memoir about impoverishment, loneliness and violence – set against a grim landscape of sink estates, police cells, refuges and peepshows.
Skint Estate is the hard-hitting debut memoir about impoverishment, loneliness and violence – set against a grim landscape of sink estates, police cells, refuges and peepshows.
339 pages, Hardcover
First published July 18, 2019
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September 8, 2019
This memoir is available from 11th July 2019
Some people may think that living in Britain has a safety net for ones that find themselves at a disadvantage to others.
People who are able bodied or well enough to work. Those that work but get top ups from Universal credit.
If you fall out of work, there’s benefits in the UK. It’ll be alright.
Not the case.
What if you were 16. Moved around the system with no stability or a place to call home?
Then finding yourself pregnant
Checking into a women’s refuge.
Stealing for needs to survive.
Lots of hard hitting facts in this down to earth fact speaking messages.
A child disowned by its parents lead to a lot of psychological damage.
As this writer puts it “they lose their minds on Mother’s Day, Father’s Day and Christmas, all the days supposed to be spent with family”
It’s a real eye opener to how Britain is failing citizens of its own country.
It’s not all doom and gloom, oh no. This girls a fighter.
Her child is loved.
And although this woman is kicked both physically, literally and metaphorically she stands tall.
Living below the poverty line in Britain is a catch 22 position.
No one wants to give you a better job, you don’t fit in.
Most are given jobs on the minimum wage which offers no add on top ups, rent goes up, utility bills increase and the public spendature is cut.
This woman has a sense of humour and I laughed out loud.
But couldn’t get past the thought of, we laugh, we shield ourselves from the emotional pain.
We laugh, sometimes as a defence mechanism.
It’s a truly remarkable down to earth FACTUAL event.
It could one day be anyone’s story.
It could one day be yours.
I really hope not.
This is surviving.
We shouldn’t just need to be on the brink of something to just survive. We should be enjoying life.
Cash reminds herself of the important things; love for her daughter; community and friendship; and through this, Britain (government) need to change to protect those vulnerable in society and give them a “leg up”.
The majority of us are working class. But that takes effort or luck to get there.
The poverty line is real in Britain.
Cash can prove it!
I was sent this unsolicited book from Ebury Publishing today.
I only intended to skim it and maybe read it later but I was hooked.
I’ve got nothing done, been sat reading this.
Cash really knows how to “tell it like it is” it was like sitting next to her and her telling me her life (so far) story.
Some people may think that living in Britain has a safety net for ones that find themselves at a disadvantage to others.
People who are able bodied or well enough to work. Those that work but get top ups from Universal credit.
If you fall out of work, there’s benefits in the UK. It’ll be alright.
Not the case.
What if you were 16. Moved around the system with no stability or a place to call home?
Then finding yourself pregnant
Checking into a women’s refuge.
Stealing for needs to survive.
Lots of hard hitting facts in this down to earth fact speaking messages.
A child disowned by its parents lead to a lot of psychological damage.
As this writer puts it “they lose their minds on Mother’s Day, Father’s Day and Christmas, all the days supposed to be spent with family”
It’s a real eye opener to how Britain is failing citizens of its own country.
It’s not all doom and gloom, oh no. This girls a fighter.
Her child is loved.
And although this woman is kicked both physically, literally and metaphorically she stands tall.
Living below the poverty line in Britain is a catch 22 position.
No one wants to give you a better job, you don’t fit in.
Most are given jobs on the minimum wage which offers no add on top ups, rent goes up, utility bills increase and the public spendature is cut.
This woman has a sense of humour and I laughed out loud.
But couldn’t get past the thought of, we laugh, we shield ourselves from the emotional pain.
We laugh, sometimes as a defence mechanism.
It’s a truly remarkable down to earth FACTUAL event.
It could one day be anyone’s story.
It could one day be yours.
I really hope not.
This is surviving.
We shouldn’t just need to be on the brink of something to just survive. We should be enjoying life.
Cash reminds herself of the important things; love for her daughter; community and friendship; and through this, Britain (government) need to change to protect those vulnerable in society and give them a “leg up”.
The majority of us are working class. But that takes effort or luck to get there.
The poverty line is real in Britain.
Cash can prove it!
I was sent this unsolicited book from Ebury Publishing today.
I only intended to skim it and maybe read it later but I was hooked.
I’ve got nothing done, been sat reading this.
Cash really knows how to “tell it like it is” it was like sitting next to her and her telling me her life (so far) story.
July 31, 2019
This book is just something else. It is a book that should be read by everyone. Most importantly by the people who wouldn’t read it. It can not be described as enjoyable. It is a difficult subject matter that is told with gritty truth, anger and a splash of the narrator’s dry humour. But it is powerful. It is a call to arms.
Cash Carraway tells you her story. The story of a single mother doing everything she can to survive. To
Provide. To try to get out of the poverty trap.
Working class single mothers are vilified in the media. Benefit scum, lazy, Jeremy Kyle fodder. The women who really anger the Daily Mail types. The type of women that the white middle aged men on faceless social media platforms like to say things like ‘they shouldn’t have kids if they can’t afford them’ and ‘they should be sterilised for wasting my tax payers money’ you know exactly who I’m talking about. They are the people that should read this book.
I am a working class single mother myself - one of the reasons I was drawn to this book. But Cash’s life is not mine.
This takes you from women’s refuges and police cells to peep shows and strip clubs. Where bankruptcy, temporary accommodation, food banks and period poverty are regular occurrences. This book shows you how our current benefit system is not working. How the government is cleansing London if it’s working class and people are turning a blind eye.
Through this memoir there is love, a mothers love for her child, there is resilience, there is a voice to be heard. This is an exposing, raw, angry call for change.
Cash Carraway tells you her story. The story of a single mother doing everything she can to survive. To
Provide. To try to get out of the poverty trap.
Working class single mothers are vilified in the media. Benefit scum, lazy, Jeremy Kyle fodder. The women who really anger the Daily Mail types. The type of women that the white middle aged men on faceless social media platforms like to say things like ‘they shouldn’t have kids if they can’t afford them’ and ‘they should be sterilised for wasting my tax payers money’ you know exactly who I’m talking about. They are the people that should read this book.
I am a working class single mother myself - one of the reasons I was drawn to this book. But Cash’s life is not mine.
This takes you from women’s refuges and police cells to peep shows and strip clubs. Where bankruptcy, temporary accommodation, food banks and period poverty are regular occurrences. This book shows you how our current benefit system is not working. How the government is cleansing London if it’s working class and people are turning a blind eye.
Through this memoir there is love, a mothers love for her child, there is resilience, there is a voice to be heard. This is an exposing, raw, angry call for change.
February 28, 2021
This book basically just made me really cross. Yes, the Tory government truly sucks. Yes, their policies have pushed a lot of people (single mothers particularly) further into poverty and have made children poorer. Yes, raising a child below the poverty line is utterly horrific. But to blame everything on governmental policy and to take no responsibility for her own choice is a lazy, reductive stance that Cash seems to enjoy taking and even finds pride in.
I noticed that Cash never checks her privilege. Not for a moment. She doesn’t admit that saving £10k in nine months is an achievement, even if it’s achieved via letting men masturbate at her from behind glass. She speaks witheringly of the stupid companies that sent her valuable merch and swag when she was ironically faking it as a mum blogger; but she never acknowledges her own skill or the intellectual privilege that led to her blog standing out and finding a niche and getting swag-worthy traction. She receives so much kindness from different people at different times (free pushchairs and breast pumps when she’s pregnant, etc), but she glosses over that, or she speaks with grim disdain of whoever handed it out. No one lives up to the standard she sets in her head.
She doesn’t seem to ever even *like* anyone, anyone at all, other than her daughter Biddy. She admires, she envies, she befriends - but she doesn’t *like* people. What an exhausting stance to take, hating absolutely everyone. And how monochrome, which is particularly ironic given her endless struggle to remain in the melting-pot of London with its diverse population and perspectives. Worse, her inability to like others translates into an absolute inability to feel any empathy at all, or ever to see the other side of any story. A lack of empathy or nuance is what makes this book so soulless at its core.
She doesn’t even have empathy with her own daughter Biddy. Not until Cash is actually dying via carefully planned suicide does she suddenly realise Biddy will find her body. We’re expected to believe she left this bit out of her plan - even though she made sure that she and Biddy partied beforehand (in one of the chain restaurants she derides and yet, despite being a proud Londoner with a plethora of options, ALWAYS chooses). Interesting.
Cash is *determined* to tell her woeful story of poverty and deprivation even if the facts don’t seem to tally with it. Why let such boring details get in the way of a ripping yarn? And she’s determined to make it the government’s fault, and to blame All Men (except scruffy ones who don’t wear suits and make art, those men are allowed a small pass). Plus, she thinks no one can possibly have problems or sadness if they’re not on the breadline. How boring, how cliched, how...utterly infuriating.
It’s clear Cash isn’t stupid, and she writes really well, even if her weird - habit - of - separating - words - with - hyphens made me want to claw my eyes out after the seventy-eighth example. It’s precisely this talent that makes it extra depressing to realise she’s wasted her platform writing such an angry, hate-filled little dirge. It could’ve been great if she’d allowed even a second of proper introspection rather than the self indulgent tantrum type. But she didn’t, so it’s not.
I noticed that Cash never checks her privilege. Not for a moment. She doesn’t admit that saving £10k in nine months is an achievement, even if it’s achieved via letting men masturbate at her from behind glass. She speaks witheringly of the stupid companies that sent her valuable merch and swag when she was ironically faking it as a mum blogger; but she never acknowledges her own skill or the intellectual privilege that led to her blog standing out and finding a niche and getting swag-worthy traction. She receives so much kindness from different people at different times (free pushchairs and breast pumps when she’s pregnant, etc), but she glosses over that, or she speaks with grim disdain of whoever handed it out. No one lives up to the standard she sets in her head.
She doesn’t seem to ever even *like* anyone, anyone at all, other than her daughter Biddy. She admires, she envies, she befriends - but she doesn’t *like* people. What an exhausting stance to take, hating absolutely everyone. And how monochrome, which is particularly ironic given her endless struggle to remain in the melting-pot of London with its diverse population and perspectives. Worse, her inability to like others translates into an absolute inability to feel any empathy at all, or ever to see the other side of any story. A lack of empathy or nuance is what makes this book so soulless at its core.
She doesn’t even have empathy with her own daughter Biddy. Not until Cash is actually dying via carefully planned suicide does she suddenly realise Biddy will find her body. We’re expected to believe she left this bit out of her plan - even though she made sure that she and Biddy partied beforehand (in one of the chain restaurants she derides and yet, despite being a proud Londoner with a plethora of options, ALWAYS chooses). Interesting.
Cash is *determined* to tell her woeful story of poverty and deprivation even if the facts don’t seem to tally with it. Why let such boring details get in the way of a ripping yarn? And she’s determined to make it the government’s fault, and to blame All Men (except scruffy ones who don’t wear suits and make art, those men are allowed a small pass). Plus, she thinks no one can possibly have problems or sadness if they’re not on the breadline. How boring, how cliched, how...utterly infuriating.
It’s clear Cash isn’t stupid, and she writes really well, even if her weird - habit - of - separating - words - with - hyphens made me want to claw my eyes out after the seventy-eighth example. It’s precisely this talent that makes it extra depressing to realise she’s wasted her platform writing such an angry, hate-filled little dirge. It could’ve been great if she’d allowed even a second of proper introspection rather than the self indulgent tantrum type. But she didn’t, so it’s not.
January 11, 2020
ARC received in exchange for an honest review.
This is the memoir of a woman who is not a stain on society. She’s not a shameful secret, stealing money from the government. She’s not lazy, or greedy. She’s a single mother, raising a child in a city she loves, with no support network and a history of domestic abuse. Cash Carraway is just one voice in millions that we never hear. Forgotten and ignored. This is her story, her life - but unfortunately it’s far from unique.
I finished this in one day. Cash has a brash, sometimes aggressive writing style that is both compelling and jarring to read. She can certainly get her point across, and it’s an important one at that. She talks of a violent childhood, leading to a violent adulthood and pregnancy. Alone, scared - but excited to finally have somebody to love, and be loved in return. She talks about being ignored and stigmatised throughout her time as a single mother - people just don’t listen to women like her. I knew going in this would be dark at times, bleak and depressing, but I wasn’t expecting it to raise so much anger in me. Anger at these women being overlooked, abandoned when they are at their most vulnerable by a government that doesn’t care. The shame and despair, relying on zero hour jobs and food banks to survive. Living below the poverty line, stealing sanitary towels because you can’t afford them, and thinking of suicide as your only escape from this life. At times it was devastatingly heartbreaking.
The main positive I took is the absolute love Cash so clearly has for her daughter. Together they are a formidable team and have bonded in a way that only their shared life experiences could bring. Also, the chapter surrounding the dilapidated women’s refuge and subsequent (if brief) unification of the women, and their solidarity to bring about change showed a small glimmer of hope on an otherwise desolate landscape. These women need a voice, they need an opportunity to voice it, and I applaud Penguin for giving Cash the stage to do it on.
The reason I can’t rate this higher is really down to the structure of the writing, which gets a bit messy towards the end of the book. A few chapters seem to loose steam, or have a strange writing style to them, and the chronology goes a bit haywire. Sometimes I also found the writing a bit too ‘out there’. I didn’t mind the swearing (although after a while it felt a bit gratuitous) but I’d have preferred some context with the strange porn style scene I got near the end - which goes made me feel uncomfortable and felt entirely out of place. It lessened her important message.
Ultimately, this is an honest and harsh memoir from a voice that needs to be heard. They’re all voices that need to be heard. The women. The survivors. Those living but not thriving. Those slowly dying due to a government that wants to erase their existence. Given the way the UK voted recently, this should be required reading.
This is the memoir of a woman who is not a stain on society. She’s not a shameful secret, stealing money from the government. She’s not lazy, or greedy. She’s a single mother, raising a child in a city she loves, with no support network and a history of domestic abuse. Cash Carraway is just one voice in millions that we never hear. Forgotten and ignored. This is her story, her life - but unfortunately it’s far from unique.
I finished this in one day. Cash has a brash, sometimes aggressive writing style that is both compelling and jarring to read. She can certainly get her point across, and it’s an important one at that. She talks of a violent childhood, leading to a violent adulthood and pregnancy. Alone, scared - but excited to finally have somebody to love, and be loved in return. She talks about being ignored and stigmatised throughout her time as a single mother - people just don’t listen to women like her. I knew going in this would be dark at times, bleak and depressing, but I wasn’t expecting it to raise so much anger in me. Anger at these women being overlooked, abandoned when they are at their most vulnerable by a government that doesn’t care. The shame and despair, relying on zero hour jobs and food banks to survive. Living below the poverty line, stealing sanitary towels because you can’t afford them, and thinking of suicide as your only escape from this life. At times it was devastatingly heartbreaking.
The main positive I took is the absolute love Cash so clearly has for her daughter. Together they are a formidable team and have bonded in a way that only their shared life experiences could bring. Also, the chapter surrounding the dilapidated women’s refuge and subsequent (if brief) unification of the women, and their solidarity to bring about change showed a small glimmer of hope on an otherwise desolate landscape. These women need a voice, they need an opportunity to voice it, and I applaud Penguin for giving Cash the stage to do it on.
The reason I can’t rate this higher is really down to the structure of the writing, which gets a bit messy towards the end of the book. A few chapters seem to loose steam, or have a strange writing style to them, and the chronology goes a bit haywire. Sometimes I also found the writing a bit too ‘out there’. I didn’t mind the swearing (although after a while it felt a bit gratuitous) but I’d have preferred some context with the strange porn style scene I got near the end - which goes made me feel uncomfortable and felt entirely out of place. It lessened her important message.
Ultimately, this is an honest and harsh memoir from a voice that needs to be heard. They’re all voices that need to be heard. The women. The survivors. Those living but not thriving. Those slowly dying due to a government that wants to erase their existence. Given the way the UK voted recently, this should be required reading.
March 18, 2020
thanks to the publishers and netgalley for a free copy in return for an open and honest review
This book was very open and frank and details the authors memoir of austerity Britain bringing up a child alone through doing sex work and moving from place to place. the thing I liked the most was cash's frankness in describing things which made the book for me and didn't brush anything under the carpet
This book was very open and frank and details the authors memoir of austerity Britain bringing up a child alone through doing sex work and moving from place to place. the thing I liked the most was cash's frankness in describing things which made the book for me and didn't brush anything under the carpet
June 8, 2025
Mi è capitato più volte di accostare titoli riferibili alla letteratura working class a “Melanconia di classe. Manifesto per la working class”, della ricercatrice Cynthia Cruz, opera che scandaglia a fondo la relazione tra la classe di appartenenza, la working class, e ”il modo di vivere, di lavorare, di fare arte […] in una società borghese e neoliberista e come dovremmo fare i conti con la violenza con cui la società agisce su di noi”.
Non so se qualcuno abbia tracciato una sorta di canone della letteratura working class (sempre che ce ne sia bisogno, e a me pare di no), il più adatto a rispondere, forse, potrebbe essere Alberto Prunetti, ma il memoir di Cash Carraway può essere letto fruttuosamente alla luce del saggio di Cynthia Cruz.
Se fino agli inizi degli anni ’70 la classe lavoratrice era rappresentata soprattutto da lavoratori stabili che beneficiavano dello stato sociale, in parte dalla cosiddetta aristocrazia operaia, con l’avvento del neoliberismo, guidato politicamente da Ronald Reagan e Margaret Thatcher, la classe lavoratrice viene pesantemente sconfitta, frammentata, dispersa e lo stato sociale è progressivamente e irreversibilmente smantellato. La working class disintegrandosi si atomizza, si precarizza, il lavoro diventa povero e lo stato sociale si riduce a sussidi sempre più risicati; anche la solidarietà, quell’attitudine che distingue la classe dalla massa, tende ad annullarsi o, comunque, a trasformarsi pesantemente, tutto esemplarmente espresso nelle opere di Ken Loach.
Cash Carraway racconta sé stessa e la sua vita, ma non si rappresenta, e questo può spiazzare perché lascia emergere tutte le contraddizioni, come l’obbligato ricorso alla mensa dei poveri e il possesso di ben due iPhone X, il fascino esercitato dai beni materiali, dal loro accumulo e dalle rappresentazioni sociali borghesi che si alterna a un istintivo spirito anticapitalistico e solidaristico, tanto da affermare ”Sono stufa di essere una disgustosa outsider working class. Dove mi ha portato il fatto di essere una outsider? Dove mi ha portato il fatto di essere orgogliosamente working class? Diventi orgogliosa della working class solo dopo che ti sei lasciata quel mondo alle spalle. Voglio le cose come tutti quelli che possiedono le cose.”
In realtà questa aspirazione non ha sbocchi e le cadute sono sempre più pesanti delle momentanee risalite; Cash Carraway a fatica mette assieme il pranzo con la cena, normalmente affidandosi a lavoretti, spesso utilizzando il suo corpo e la sua sessualità. Madre single, senza casa, senza rete famigliare di supporto, occupata anche in molte attività contemporaneamente da cui non ricava nulla, si salva dalla depressione e dal suicidio solo per amore della figlia. Come scrive Cinthya Cruz, ”Per la working class, trovare del tempo libero è un’impresa impossibile: come possiamo ritagliarci dei tempi morti quando ogni ora della nostra vita è risucchiata da lavori senza prospettiva?”
Cash Carraway scrive fin dalle prime pagine che cosa aspettarsi da questo memoir dallo stile frammentato che può apparire a volte urlato, a volte scostante, a volta un “già sentito”, ma che può essere apprezzato a fondo calandosi nella realtà non finzionale che sta sotto e che possiamo comprendere anche guardandoci un po’ intorno.
”Questo è un libro sulla mia vita da donna working class nella gran Bretagna dei nostri giorni. È un libro che parla della ricerca della propria voce da parte di una cittadina posta ai margini che è stata gettata in un pozzo e sepolta lì dentro da uno stigma sociale. Prendete le mie storie personali e le mie esperienze sordide come un gonzo reportage scritto dal ventre. Un antidoto alla rappresentazione mediatica della destra e al poverty porn che Chanel 5 eiacula sui nostri schermi… Potrebbe non piacervi quel che state per leggere e potrebbe non piacervi il modo in cui lo scrivo; volte ho un modo disinvolto e caustico di dire le cose che mi rende incredibilmente spiacevole. Non so guardare le cose con distacco e non sono brava con le statistiche. Il mio non è giornalismo di qualità scritto per instillare un’effimera empatia nel lettore ottenendo gli allori dei premi editoriali. Questa è la mia realtà: Io-sono-arrabbiata.”
Non so se qualcuno abbia tracciato una sorta di canone della letteratura working class (sempre che ce ne sia bisogno, e a me pare di no), il più adatto a rispondere, forse, potrebbe essere Alberto Prunetti, ma il memoir di Cash Carraway può essere letto fruttuosamente alla luce del saggio di Cynthia Cruz.
Se fino agli inizi degli anni ’70 la classe lavoratrice era rappresentata soprattutto da lavoratori stabili che beneficiavano dello stato sociale, in parte dalla cosiddetta aristocrazia operaia, con l’avvento del neoliberismo, guidato politicamente da Ronald Reagan e Margaret Thatcher, la classe lavoratrice viene pesantemente sconfitta, frammentata, dispersa e lo stato sociale è progressivamente e irreversibilmente smantellato. La working class disintegrandosi si atomizza, si precarizza, il lavoro diventa povero e lo stato sociale si riduce a sussidi sempre più risicati; anche la solidarietà, quell’attitudine che distingue la classe dalla massa, tende ad annullarsi o, comunque, a trasformarsi pesantemente, tutto esemplarmente espresso nelle opere di Ken Loach.
Cash Carraway racconta sé stessa e la sua vita, ma non si rappresenta, e questo può spiazzare perché lascia emergere tutte le contraddizioni, come l’obbligato ricorso alla mensa dei poveri e il possesso di ben due iPhone X, il fascino esercitato dai beni materiali, dal loro accumulo e dalle rappresentazioni sociali borghesi che si alterna a un istintivo spirito anticapitalistico e solidaristico, tanto da affermare ”Sono stufa di essere una disgustosa outsider working class. Dove mi ha portato il fatto di essere una outsider? Dove mi ha portato il fatto di essere orgogliosamente working class? Diventi orgogliosa della working class solo dopo che ti sei lasciata quel mondo alle spalle. Voglio le cose come tutti quelli che possiedono le cose.”
In realtà questa aspirazione non ha sbocchi e le cadute sono sempre più pesanti delle momentanee risalite; Cash Carraway a fatica mette assieme il pranzo con la cena, normalmente affidandosi a lavoretti, spesso utilizzando il suo corpo e la sua sessualità. Madre single, senza casa, senza rete famigliare di supporto, occupata anche in molte attività contemporaneamente da cui non ricava nulla, si salva dalla depressione e dal suicidio solo per amore della figlia. Come scrive Cinthya Cruz, ”Per la working class, trovare del tempo libero è un’impresa impossibile: come possiamo ritagliarci dei tempi morti quando ogni ora della nostra vita è risucchiata da lavori senza prospettiva?”
Cash Carraway scrive fin dalle prime pagine che cosa aspettarsi da questo memoir dallo stile frammentato che può apparire a volte urlato, a volte scostante, a volta un “già sentito”, ma che può essere apprezzato a fondo calandosi nella realtà non finzionale che sta sotto e che possiamo comprendere anche guardandoci un po’ intorno.
”Questo è un libro sulla mia vita da donna working class nella gran Bretagna dei nostri giorni. È un libro che parla della ricerca della propria voce da parte di una cittadina posta ai margini che è stata gettata in un pozzo e sepolta lì dentro da uno stigma sociale. Prendete le mie storie personali e le mie esperienze sordide come un gonzo reportage scritto dal ventre. Un antidoto alla rappresentazione mediatica della destra e al poverty porn che Chanel 5 eiacula sui nostri schermi… Potrebbe non piacervi quel che state per leggere e potrebbe non piacervi il modo in cui lo scrivo; volte ho un modo disinvolto e caustico di dire le cose che mi rende incredibilmente spiacevole. Non so guardare le cose con distacco e non sono brava con le statistiche. Il mio non è giornalismo di qualità scritto per instillare un’effimera empatia nel lettore ottenendo gli allori dei premi editoriali. Questa è la mia realtà: Io-sono-arrabbiata.”
January 20, 2021
This book will make you feel uncomfortable. Good.
This book will make you feel like your privilege is a problem. Good.
This book can open your eyes, and possibly change the way you look at other people. If you let it.
This book isn’t about your feelings.
Cash is an absolutely exceptional writer and shares the rawest moments of her life in this memoir of life below the poverty line. A women’s refuge that literally crumbles around the women and their children in the weeks after Grenfell. Visits to food banks. Sex work. Whatever work will help pay the bills. The absolute disregard to an entire class of people by those at the top, who are elected time and time again by people who claim to care.
I really urge everybody read this. And sit with your discomfort. Listen, learn, and stop falling for the poverty porn lies pedalled by our media, our government, and those who have more money than the people they hate could ever dream of.
#20SecondBookReview
Content warnings: physical abuse, mental abuse, poverty, sexual acts, frank conversation about being working class with zero regard for how it makes the middle classes feel.
This book will make you feel like your privilege is a problem. Good.
This book can open your eyes, and possibly change the way you look at other people. If you let it.
This book isn’t about your feelings.
Cash is an absolutely exceptional writer and shares the rawest moments of her life in this memoir of life below the poverty line. A women’s refuge that literally crumbles around the women and their children in the weeks after Grenfell. Visits to food banks. Sex work. Whatever work will help pay the bills. The absolute disregard to an entire class of people by those at the top, who are elected time and time again by people who claim to care.
I really urge everybody read this. And sit with your discomfort. Listen, learn, and stop falling for the poverty porn lies pedalled by our media, our government, and those who have more money than the people they hate could ever dream of.
#20SecondBookReview
Content warnings: physical abuse, mental abuse, poverty, sexual acts, frank conversation about being working class with zero regard for how it makes the middle classes feel.
July 13, 2019
Absolutely fascinating. I Love this book so much. Mind blowing! Will read over again and again.
June 18, 2019
ACTUAL RATING: 4.5 STARS(9/10)
This was really really difficult to read but oh so important. Full review to come
This was really really difficult to read but oh so important. Full review to come
June 10, 2020
This book addresses wealth privilege and leaves out no detail about the reality of balancing motherhood and poverty. Cash talks about, well, pretty much everything. The reality of food banks, the conditions of sex work, the impact of politics on families in poverty, the issue of racism in council housing and how poverty impacts mental health are just some mentions. No detail is 'too much' in this book.
The humour that is paired with this uncensored style makes this book feel pretty insensitive at times. Although, to me, this tone is what makes this book such a success; perfectly capturing the humour that we use to stay afloat in hard times. This book is more informative and emotive than any page of statistics.
The humour that is paired with this uncensored style makes this book feel pretty insensitive at times. Although, to me, this tone is what makes this book such a success; perfectly capturing the humour that we use to stay afloat in hard times. This book is more informative and emotive than any page of statistics.
October 26, 2019
What a load of rubbish! I got this book as I read an interview with the author in a magazine and I was intrigued to find out more about the realities of life of underprivileged. This book is an incoherent monologue of a mentally unstable, angry person. It has very little facts nor a story line. It has a lot of swearing to compensate for lack of substance. The majority of the previous reviews are written by people who received this book as a gift. I actually spent money on this and regret it dearly. One of the worst books of this genre I ever read!
July 9, 2019
My favourite book I’ve read this year - it needs to be read by everyone but in particular Conservative voters.
March 13, 2020
I thought this was going to be an incredible journey of someone ‘similar’ (notice, before anyone jumps on me that I did not say ‘same’) to me, in a similar situation. And to an extent it was, but really it was just jumble of words thrown together. I found much of it highly offensive. I live under the poverty line, that’s no lie, and as harrowing and tiring as it is, it’s no where near as damning as this author makes out. I’ve used food banks, I’ve also donated to them too. The first 5% I nearly didn’t bother carrying on, but I did and I finished it too. Bravo, moi. Something I do agree on with this author is that the Tory’s suck. I hate them as much as she does. They’re ruining the country and especially targeting the poor.. and the disabled like myself.
Although, saying all that, the author has an incredible gift with words. She’s very talented but maybe instead of streaming words together that make no sense, maybe she could right in a way that does. I did find myself laughing at some parts; Cash has great humour and I did sympathise with her and her daughter. Her past that syncs into her present is an extraordinary story to tell, I’m not denying that. She’s fought against a system that seems to despise the poor and the disabled and for that I can only praise her for. She can be an inspiration to many people.
Although the story didn’t end up being my cup of tea, I did enjoy it for the most part but it did drag on a little and a lot made no sense. But it was an ‘okay’ read at best.
Although, saying all that, the author has an incredible gift with words. She’s very talented but maybe instead of streaming words together that make no sense, maybe she could right in a way that does. I did find myself laughing at some parts; Cash has great humour and I did sympathise with her and her daughter. Her past that syncs into her present is an extraordinary story to tell, I’m not denying that. She’s fought against a system that seems to despise the poor and the disabled and for that I can only praise her for. She can be an inspiration to many people.
Although the story didn’t end up being my cup of tea, I did enjoy it for the most part but it did drag on a little and a lot made no sense. But it was an ‘okay’ read at best.
December 18, 2020
Vivid, witty, sometimes horrifying, often funny and undoubtably brilliant.
Cash Carraway's memoir of life as a single mother living below the poverty line is, among other things, a clear indictment of austerity measures and the complete lack of empathy that characterises so many recent Tory policies. Carraway plainly, and without apology, recounts the prejudice, abuse and sheer disdain which she and so many others face daily. Human beings shouldn't have to be saints to be deserving of respect, and Carraway isn't going to pretend to be - not to fit a neat media-friendly image of a victim. In fact, she is by turns funny, obscene, sad, gross and so, SO angry. Most importantly, she is trying incredibly hard to care for her daughter.
In many ways, this book reads more like a love letter to her daughter - whom Carraway is desperate to provide with a better life - than 'poverty porn'. Though Carraway is open about selling stories of deprivation to right-wing news outlets to be mocked on social media, if only for a bit of extra cash to feed her daughter, she will not allow herself to be reduced to her circumstances. Carraway's love provides hope, even in the bleakest of moments: her daughter inspires her and gives her strength to fight for a better life.
Women like Cash Carraway aren't meant to have hope, they aren't meant to fight for their futures and the futures of their children, but she is. She is, because she loves her daughter. And for all the troubles she's been through, she a fucking fantastic mother!
Cash Carraway's memoir of life as a single mother living below the poverty line is, among other things, a clear indictment of austerity measures and the complete lack of empathy that characterises so many recent Tory policies. Carraway plainly, and without apology, recounts the prejudice, abuse and sheer disdain which she and so many others face daily. Human beings shouldn't have to be saints to be deserving of respect, and Carraway isn't going to pretend to be - not to fit a neat media-friendly image of a victim. In fact, she is by turns funny, obscene, sad, gross and so, SO angry. Most importantly, she is trying incredibly hard to care for her daughter.
In many ways, this book reads more like a love letter to her daughter - whom Carraway is desperate to provide with a better life - than 'poverty porn'. Though Carraway is open about selling stories of deprivation to right-wing news outlets to be mocked on social media, if only for a bit of extra cash to feed her daughter, she will not allow herself to be reduced to her circumstances. Carraway's love provides hope, even in the bleakest of moments: her daughter inspires her and gives her strength to fight for a better life.
Women like Cash Carraway aren't meant to have hope, they aren't meant to fight for their futures and the futures of their children, but she is. She is, because she loves her daughter. And for all the troubles she's been through, she a fucking fantastic mother!
March 8, 2020
This book should be compulsive reading for all Daily Mail journalists and readers, who think that somehow people living on benefits in the UK all live in palaces with more income than "decent, honest working folk" etc etc ad nauseum. Carraway shine a bright unflinching light on modern-day poverty in the UK - zero working hour contracts, social housing, benefits eligibility, food banks - all of it a far cry from the images regularly portrayed in the media.
As a single mother, she is driven by her instinct to provide for her child - from dancing in a Soho strip club while heavily pregnant, to penning articles about life below the poverty line which get twisted to support the media's ongoing narrative about benefit scroungers.... It's a stark account of the harsh realities behind the sensational headlines. The reality of not having a fixed address and how that affects your ability to work, have a bank account, etc. The reality of not having a full-time job, and the reluctance of landlords to then let accommodation to you. The challenges of being a single parent and caring for your child.... Carraway's strength and resilience through it all is truly inspiring, which makes her moments of vulnerability all the more hard-hitting.
This is an important book that should be widely read. Highly recommended.
As a single mother, she is driven by her instinct to provide for her child - from dancing in a Soho strip club while heavily pregnant, to penning articles about life below the poverty line which get twisted to support the media's ongoing narrative about benefit scroungers.... It's a stark account of the harsh realities behind the sensational headlines. The reality of not having a fixed address and how that affects your ability to work, have a bank account, etc. The reality of not having a full-time job, and the reluctance of landlords to then let accommodation to you. The challenges of being a single parent and caring for your child.... Carraway's strength and resilience through it all is truly inspiring, which makes her moments of vulnerability all the more hard-hitting.
This is an important book that should be widely read. Highly recommended.
March 8, 2021
Not for me. Far too politicised and displaying all the usual sense of entitlement that I see on a daily basis in my job as a Housing Officer. The author could have applied for social housing and she would have qualified if she didn’t keep moving around. It’s not as bad as she makes out. I think she has embellished a lot of her story - victims of domestic abuse ARE prioritised for housing and there are numerous charities and organisations specifically designed to help. Parts of the book were funny and sometimes she displays a skill in creative writing but overall it was far too egotistical and fantasised
October 18, 2019
Cash Carraway blir som 16 åring utkastad av sin gränslösa och destruktiva mamma. Pappan försvann strax före och skaffar snabbt en ny familj, utan att ta ansvar för dottern. Cash hamnar i destruktiva relationer och när hon är runt 29 blir hon gravid, till sin glädje. Äntligen kan hon få den familjen hon saknar. Den blivande pappa slår sönder ansiktet på henne när han får veta och hotar att se till att hon får ett missfall, om hon inte ordnar en abort själv.
Cash lämnar mannen och ägnar sin graviditet att jobba ihop 10 000 pund på en peepshow, summan som behövs för att skaffa bostad och vara hemma med barnet. Men när dottern äntligen kommer blir Cash deprimerad och ensam och funderar på att ta sitt liv. Tyvärr blir det inte lättare, det blir värre.
Är helt blown away av Cash Carraways Skint Estate.
Det är inte så hemskt som det låter. Eller, jo, egentligen, men det blir aldrig socialporr. Författaren berättar rakt uppochner om sakernas tillstånd utan att vara sentimental eller självömkande. Men det är fruktansvärt och tragiskt. Men det är roligt också. Och smart och intelligent och reflekterande och problematiserande. Och kärleksfull.
Det är en högst politisk text: hur dyrt det är att vara fattig, att ses som en belastning för samhället, hur det konservativa partiet (tory) drar in på sociala skyddsnät för ensamstående mammor (”de får skylla sig själva”, ”skaffa inte barn om du inte har råd”), när skyddshemmet för utsatta kvinnor kollapsar (taket ramlar in) och det tar 8 timmar för någon slags personal att komma, problemet när hyresrätter (som uppfördes för socialt utsatta personer) privatiseras och får marknadshyror. Hur omöjligt det är att hosta upp 6 månaders förskottshyra i deposition, att jobba för 1 pund i timmen, att bara kunna jobba när barnet är i skolan (eftersom barnomsorg är så dyrt att bara medelklassen har råd) och vilka slags jobb som finns kvar. Hur nästan omöjligt det är att ta sig ur situationen. Hur kvinnor alltid är offren.
Det här är Ingenbarnsland av Hetekivi Olsson, i Storbritannien, ur en ensamstående kvinnas perspektiv.
Författaren är skoningslöst och brutalt ärlig utan att hänga ut sitt barn. Det är först vid kapitel 13 som dotterns röst hörs, när de har sjunkit ännu djupare i fattigdom. De är på väg till frälsningsarmén för att få mat och dottern (lika gammal som min) dokumenterar allt i sin anteckningsbok. Det är bara så naket och ärligt att jag gråter där jag går längs Mölndalsån, till mitt fasta jobb med bra lön, knäckebröds-låda och smör och ost i kylen. Jag kunde inte sluta lyssna. Jag ville bara sluta lyssna. Det blev aldrig tråkigt. Så intensivt.
Visst kan man diskutera lämpligheten i att bo kvar i en stad London eller skaffa barn när man lever på marginalerna, men det är att flytta fokus från problemet.
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Cash lämnar mannen och ägnar sin graviditet att jobba ihop 10 000 pund på en peepshow, summan som behövs för att skaffa bostad och vara hemma med barnet. Men när dottern äntligen kommer blir Cash deprimerad och ensam och funderar på att ta sitt liv. Tyvärr blir det inte lättare, det blir värre.
Är helt blown away av Cash Carraways Skint Estate.
Det är inte så hemskt som det låter. Eller, jo, egentligen, men det blir aldrig socialporr. Författaren berättar rakt uppochner om sakernas tillstånd utan att vara sentimental eller självömkande. Men det är fruktansvärt och tragiskt. Men det är roligt också. Och smart och intelligent och reflekterande och problematiserande. Och kärleksfull.
Det är en högst politisk text: hur dyrt det är att vara fattig, att ses som en belastning för samhället, hur det konservativa partiet (tory) drar in på sociala skyddsnät för ensamstående mammor (”de får skylla sig själva”, ”skaffa inte barn om du inte har råd”), när skyddshemmet för utsatta kvinnor kollapsar (taket ramlar in) och det tar 8 timmar för någon slags personal att komma, problemet när hyresrätter (som uppfördes för socialt utsatta personer) privatiseras och får marknadshyror. Hur omöjligt det är att hosta upp 6 månaders förskottshyra i deposition, att jobba för 1 pund i timmen, att bara kunna jobba när barnet är i skolan (eftersom barnomsorg är så dyrt att bara medelklassen har råd) och vilka slags jobb som finns kvar. Hur nästan omöjligt det är att ta sig ur situationen. Hur kvinnor alltid är offren.
Det här är Ingenbarnsland av Hetekivi Olsson, i Storbritannien, ur en ensamstående kvinnas perspektiv.
Författaren är skoningslöst och brutalt ärlig utan att hänga ut sitt barn. Det är först vid kapitel 13 som dotterns röst hörs, när de har sjunkit ännu djupare i fattigdom. De är på väg till frälsningsarmén för att få mat och dottern (lika gammal som min) dokumenterar allt i sin anteckningsbok. Det är bara så naket och ärligt att jag gråter där jag går längs Mölndalsån, till mitt fasta jobb med bra lön, knäckebröds-låda och smör och ost i kylen. Jag kunde inte sluta lyssna. Jag ville bara sluta lyssna. Det blev aldrig tråkigt. Så intensivt.
Visst kan man diskutera lämpligheten i att bo kvar i en stad London eller skaffa barn när man lever på marginalerna, men det är att flytta fokus från problemet.
Den här vill ni inte missa! Finns på Storytel. Ni kan tacka mig för tipset sen.
Vilket svenskt förlag köper in den här?
March 7, 2023
Loved this. Its a mixture of really funny in parts and horrific in others, but overall a really loud call to action against the housing crisis and the social, political and economic dismissal of poor, single mothers. Would recommend to anyone.
July 16, 2019
This was a very readable memoir about the authors life. She delves into the reasons behind her poverty and explains very matter of factly what she has had to deal with from a young age. The language is harsh in places, but this helps to make full impact. This will make you question if you (weren't already) the benefits system, the 0 hours system and affordable housing situation.
It did get quite political from the start and continues periodically throughout and the ending was a bit abrupt, maybe leaving room for the next instalment?
My thanks to Ebury for the gifted copy of this in exchange for an honest review
It did get quite political from the start and continues periodically throughout and the ending was a bit abrupt, maybe leaving room for the next instalment?
My thanks to Ebury for the gifted copy of this in exchange for an honest review
November 21, 2019
I gave up at 50% because I just could not take it anymore. I feel deeply sorry for Cash and admire her immense strength, I applaud her indomitable will, but I just could not take it anymore, all that pain, all that abuse and dysfunction. I felt like one of the customers in her peep show the more I read, so I stepped back, not wanting to disturb what feels like therapeutic writing.
January 4, 2024
An important and eye-opening book. Passionate, gutsy and emotional. Loved it.
February 28, 2020
TW: domestic abuse, physical abuse, sexual abuse, explicit language and discussions of sexual content
Thank you very much to Netgalley and Penguin Random House for allowing me to read an eARC copy of Skint Estate.
Wow. All I can say to this book is Wow. It was a real eye-opener; in my job i'm no stranger to working with people who are in the depths of poverty but actually reading this deep and real experience of someone living below the poverty line was quite harrowing. I cannot imagine how Cash had such power to get up every day and carry on living. She was let down by almost everyone in her life; family, friends, loved ones, and professionals who are meant to be there to support you in the worst of times.
Cash doesn't hold back. And I don't think she should; this is the real experience of so many people and it needs to be shouted across the screens. People need to stand up and take notice and actually start doing something to change. This story just made me ache. I admire her bravery and her strength and her just real grit and determination. In the face of all this crap, she manages to have humour and an insane amount of love for her daughter. Everything Cash does she does for her daughter and that love she has for her is the thing that keeps her going. I read this in practically one sitting and literally couldn't put it down; any chance I had to pick it up and read another few pages I did.
The only only reason I gave it four stars was because the structure of the book was at times, just really confusing. The timeline jumps around quite a lot and it gets confusing at what stage in her life Cash is.
This book takes you to places you do not want to go but that you need to go to understand just what other people's lives are like. I highly recommend picking this one up but it is definitely not an easy read.
Publish Date: 12th March 2020
Thank you very much to Netgalley and Penguin Random House for allowing me to read an eARC copy of Skint Estate.
Wow. All I can say to this book is Wow. It was a real eye-opener; in my job i'm no stranger to working with people who are in the depths of poverty but actually reading this deep and real experience of someone living below the poverty line was quite harrowing. I cannot imagine how Cash had such power to get up every day and carry on living. She was let down by almost everyone in her life; family, friends, loved ones, and professionals who are meant to be there to support you in the worst of times.
Cash doesn't hold back. And I don't think she should; this is the real experience of so many people and it needs to be shouted across the screens. People need to stand up and take notice and actually start doing something to change. This story just made me ache. I admire her bravery and her strength and her just real grit and determination. In the face of all this crap, she manages to have humour and an insane amount of love for her daughter. Everything Cash does she does for her daughter and that love she has for her is the thing that keeps her going. I read this in practically one sitting and literally couldn't put it down; any chance I had to pick it up and read another few pages I did.
The only only reason I gave it four stars was because the structure of the book was at times, just really confusing. The timeline jumps around quite a lot and it gets confusing at what stage in her life Cash is.
This book takes you to places you do not want to go but that you need to go to understand just what other people's lives are like. I highly recommend picking this one up but it is definitely not an easy read.
Publish Date: 12th March 2020
January 25, 2022
Unapologetic and honest words from one of the many hard working single parents that exist on the poverty line, and that were lucky enough to be heard. A reflectively raw read that highlights the everyday experience of the working class mother that does what she needs to in order to keep her child safe and happy.
October 24, 2025
Potente e crudo. Leggere questo libro e' farsi una doccia di realta', e' immergersi nella merda e capire come si fa a sopravvivere sguazzandoci dentro. Temo che il pubblico che leggera' questo libro non sia lo stesso per il quale e' stato concepito, il che e' un po' ironico. Che bello pero' che al mondo esistano libri cosi', quanta rabbia ti lasciano, quanta voglia di cambiare tutto
August 19, 2019
Great insight into the reality of poverty Britian. Very difficult read but my goodness is it eye opening and incredibly important.
January 1, 2023
Wow!!!
I’ve been through so much in my 42 years and felt so sorry for myself. Upon reading this book, I now know that I have been quite lucky with the cards I have been dealt.
This country needs to change but I can not see it happening in my lifetime. I worry for my two sons futures. People like us have no voices and it saddens me to the core.
Cash, you are an amazing woman. This book has really affected me and I will never forget it.
I’ve been through so much in my 42 years and felt so sorry for myself. Upon reading this book, I now know that I have been quite lucky with the cards I have been dealt.
This country needs to change but I can not see it happening in my lifetime. I worry for my two sons futures. People like us have no voices and it saddens me to the core.
Cash, you are an amazing woman. This book has really affected me and I will never forget it.
Read
September 15, 2022By no means an easy read- this one comes with ALL the trigger warnings, so proceed with caution
February 8, 2021
Respect her honesty....
March 3, 2023
Found it hard to put this book down. A brutal and uncompromising look at Tory England and poverty. At times, it was hilarious but ,mainly ,it’s just sad.
December 3, 2021
Sometimes, when there’s an article posted on Twitter about foodbanks, or people having to choose whether to heat their homes or eat, I read the comments and wonder what’s wrong with people. I can guarantee that someone will say something about flat screen TVs (all TVs have flat screens), or mobile phones (you have to have internet access to apply for jobs, and access information and services relating to universal benefit, and a mobile is often the cheapest way) or alcohol and cigarettes, the lottery or scratch cards (no evidence that people in poverty buy these disproportionatly, and even if they do, well, god forbid the poor should have any pleasure, just sit on the floor and stare at the wall). Anyway, the ignorance, smugness, and lack of compassion always makes me furious. These people should read this book.
Cash Carraway tells it exactly like it is, with an intelligence and wit that makes reading this book bearable. Because without her skill as a writer, it would be unremittingly depressing. Which a life in poverty in the UK undoubtedly is.
The frustration of moving from temporary home to temporary home, of trying to find work that fits in with childcare, the sheer exhaustion of just trying to keep your head above water, the author relates these things with an honesty that is raw and brave, and with a scathing humour and a justifiable anger.
I’m currently reading ‘The Nanny State Made Me’ by Stuart Maconie, partly a celebration of the funded NHS, libraries, education, that my generation enjoyed and benefitted from. Had these things still been available, rather than completely decimated by recent policies, you can’t help thinking that Cash Carraway would have had a much better chance in life, that she would have had access to resources, to care, that would have set her on her path earlier, that she wouldn’t have had to have gone through what she has gone through, and write about it, to be a successful writer and journalist.
I come from a working class background, and I know first-hand the benefits of libraries, and student grants, and access to education. I have also had first-hand experience of the NHS providing lifesaving care for my child – goodness knows what would have happened without it. Reading of experiences like Cash Carraway’s and reading the way people like her are demonised and blamed for society’s ills really brings home just how much in danger we are of losing these things for good. I also wonder how much my life may have been like hers had I been born twenty or thirty years ago rather than fifty-odd years ago.
It’s not just a blessing for the author that her writing and her talent has been recognised, it’s a blessing for the rest of us – her work is so important, and deserves to be shared. She’s a real talent, and I do hope she’ll write more of her experiences.
Cash Carraway tells it exactly like it is, with an intelligence and wit that makes reading this book bearable. Because without her skill as a writer, it would be unremittingly depressing. Which a life in poverty in the UK undoubtedly is.
The frustration of moving from temporary home to temporary home, of trying to find work that fits in with childcare, the sheer exhaustion of just trying to keep your head above water, the author relates these things with an honesty that is raw and brave, and with a scathing humour and a justifiable anger.
I’m currently reading ‘The Nanny State Made Me’ by Stuart Maconie, partly a celebration of the funded NHS, libraries, education, that my generation enjoyed and benefitted from. Had these things still been available, rather than completely decimated by recent policies, you can’t help thinking that Cash Carraway would have had a much better chance in life, that she would have had access to resources, to care, that would have set her on her path earlier, that she wouldn’t have had to have gone through what she has gone through, and write about it, to be a successful writer and journalist.
I come from a working class background, and I know first-hand the benefits of libraries, and student grants, and access to education. I have also had first-hand experience of the NHS providing lifesaving care for my child – goodness knows what would have happened without it. Reading of experiences like Cash Carraway’s and reading the way people like her are demonised and blamed for society’s ills really brings home just how much in danger we are of losing these things for good. I also wonder how much my life may have been like hers had I been born twenty or thirty years ago rather than fifty-odd years ago.
It’s not just a blessing for the author that her writing and her talent has been recognised, it’s a blessing for the rest of us – her work is so important, and deserves to be shared. She’s a real talent, and I do hope she’ll write more of her experiences.
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