Learning to Think.

An astonishing account of a father’s violent death, exorcism and religious superstition….
Learning to Think is, in many ways, a book about demons: the addiction, violence, mental health struggles and, yes, superstition, that so often accompany poverty. But it’s also the story of an extraordinary family, full of energy and joie de vivre. It’s a story that brims with life and hard-won hope… Well structured and punchily told.

An astonishing account of a father’s violent death, exorcism and religious superstition….
Learning to Think is, in many ways, a book about demons: the addiction, violence, mental health struggles and, yes, superstition, that so often accompany poverty. But it’s also the story of an extraordinary family, full of energy and joie de vivre. It’s a story that brims with life and hard-won hope… Well structured and punchily told.

A memoir you read with the same breathlessness as you read the most gripping of novels ... An account of a family both torn apart and trapped by a broken system. A story of poverty and hardship, religion and superstition, but also an incredibly hopeful tale of how King got out of it.

An earth-shattering, hopeful memoir.

Reflective and compassionate, King gently reminds of the complex ways poverty wreaks havoc on people's lives.

A powerful depiction of a challenged but enterprising, intelligent and resilient family.

King's memoir is heartbreaking and hopeful; a devastating true story that teaches us how the pursuit of knowledge can be a path to both freedom and breathtaking grace.

A raw and unflinching account of growing up in poverty which tackles the false narratives we tell ourselves to survive.

A brilliant writer

What would you do if you began to suspect the events of your childhood didn't happen as you remembered them? In this evocative memoir, Tracy King confronts the stories we all tell ourselves in order to live.

You won’t often read a book so driven by raw emotion. A book of tragedy, hope and ultimately of triumph.

Tracy King is a writer, producer and science communicator based in England. She has contributed to media on subjects ranging from science and technology to politics and video games, for the BBC and in the Guardian , Telegraph , the New Statesman , Stylist and the New European , amongst others . She was a columnist for Custom PC magazine for over ten years. Her science and critical-thinking animations include a collaboration with Tim Minchin, Storm , which has over five million views on YouTube and was adapted into a bestselling graphic novel. Her television and radio credits include Sky News , Newsnight , Good Morning Britain and BBC Sounds. She is writer in residence at the Royal Institution, one of Britain's oldest scientific organizations.