An ordinary but extraordinary childhood in Birmingham told with great candour. The family were poor and had problems but it very sharply shows how impotent people can be in the face of bureaucracy. Tracy’s sister was a school refuser and was taken away from her family and they were powerless to stop this. Her father died as a result of random violence and she had to go through an exorcism in a born again Christian way. Tracy survives and the power of education shines through.

Step into Tracy King's shoes and navigate the landscape of an ordinary council estate just outside Birmingham, a household teeming with creativity, curiosity, and love but tainted by her father's battle with alcoholism and her mother's agoraphobia.

By the time Tracy reaches the age of twelve, her life takes a tragic turn. Her father is killed, her sister placed in care, and her mother ensnared by the promises of born-again Christianity. This isn't the fodder of cult documentaries; instead, it's the narrative of an average family ensnared in a fractured system—a story that could befall anyone lacking the tools to break free from their circumstances. Tracy's journey becomes a beacon of hope, illustrating how she managed to escape.

This shocking, inspiring, and ultimately hopeful memoir doesn't unfold like the sensational tales of cult documentaries. Instead, it serves as a mirror reflecting the everyday realities of life in poverty—a narrative that could resonate with anyone lacking the means to transform their situation. Tracy's story is not only a testament to the resilience of the human spirit but also a tribute to the transformative power of books and the importance of learning to question the world around us.

The E-Book could be improved and more user-friendly, such as links to the chapters, no significant gaps between words and a cover for the book would be better. It is very document-like instead of a book. A star has been deducted because of this.

This is a first for me by the author and one I enjoyed and I would read more of their work. The book cover is eye-catching and appealing and would spark my interest if in a bookshop. Thank you to the author, publisher and Netgalley for this ARC.

Tracy King’s memoir is a complex story of family, class and an education system that lets down children who don’t fit in, but it is also the story of her decision to look back and investigate what happened, rewriting the story as she does so.

Tracy’s parents were not perfect and their lives were affected by money troubles, anxiety and alcohol, but this is no misery memoir. This was a loving family who valued learning, bringing home early computers (in the 90s), making good use of their library memberships and the Open University on the TV.  Emily, her sister, has school refusal (also more sympathetically termed, emotionally-based school avoidance) which places a huge stress on all the family. In an unimaginable consequence of her fear of attending school, Emily is eventually sent to a psychiatric institution and then removed from the custody of her parents and sent to boarding school.

The horror of this, however, is subsequently overshadowed by a tragedy that becomes a central part of King’s life. It is not until she’s an adult that she is able to painstakingly examine what she was told as a child, and subsequently put together a more nuanced picture. This thoughtful tale of poverty, trauma, class, education and religion is told with insight and love for her parents and is a tremendous and unusual story that is well worth reading.

Learning to Think is a memoir based on Tracy King's experience of growing up and her relationship with religion and her father's passing. She had a somewhat chaotic upbringing due to her father's death and her mother's agoraphobia and this is all detailed in the book. It's a fairly quick read but unfortunately it didn't hold my attention and I didn't enjoy it.

Tracy experiences profound loss with the death of her father and the separation of her family. However, it is through education and the pursuit of knowledge that she discovers the tools to transform her circumstances.
Her story inspires us to recognize the potential for growth and change, even in the midst of heartbreak.

This is a very personal and interesting memoir that provides social commentary on growing up in the 70s and 80s in a council estate.

It talks about religion, mental health, social services and her father's murder.

It was interesting to read about both Tracy and her sisters' experience as “school refusers” where for different reasons they both failed to attend school and received a lack of support from social services and the local authorities. Whilst I think there is more mental health support in schools now than there was then, I think we are still a long way from where we need to be.

It was also interesting when King later in life dug into the details of her father's death and discovered a lot of what she believed was in fact not true. I think she dealt with it incredibly well and has come out of it a stronger person.

Not one I loved but an interesting read all the same.

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.

Social history book of the 70's and 80' based in the Midlands heartlands. Poverty and believes are tested in this book.

I felt it could have been reduced down to a shorter memoir in places.

Not one to read if you are feeling down.

This book is a feast of good writing - mostly memoir, but particularly enjoyable for anyone who is interested in modern British social history. It could be edited down to a shorter read, but still really enjoyable.

King confronts her family's own problems in a candid and unapologetic look at the most difficult days of her life. It can be difficult to read at times - there are moments of genuine pain and frustration - but there is also hope and perseverance running beneath it all.

While her narrative of her formative years is evocative storytelling in and of itself, it is also an investigation of the stories we tell ourselves, and how our recollections are not always accurate. That, I believe, is what makes this memoir so compelling (and so relatable): at its core, it is all about learning and the ability to adapt even in the most difficult circumstances. Learning to Think is a thought-provoking work that is both powerful and moving.

As an educator myself I am absolutely passionate about education if its done right.
This book highlights what can happen when it isn't and sadly tends to affect lower income families. A great read none the less.

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.

A very well written, moving memoir.

Thank you NetGalley for my complimentary copy in return for my honest review.

Learning to Think is a great read. The simple style of this beautifully written book makes it accessible. A very human suffering of a child’s journey to attitude charts how resilience, authenticity and love wins the day. Tracy King touched my heart and shows what is possible when hope and compassion reign.

Evocative, relateable and eminently readable, my thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for my copy of Learning to Think.

This book starts with a bang, then retraces its steps to become more of a slow burn. The author seems blessed - or cursed - with total recall of every detail of an extraordinary childhood, which I felt occasionally slowed the pace - I was eager to get back to the drama of the opening pages - but when I finished I realised that every single word was necessary to experience things through King's eyes. Sobering reading, highly recommended.

This is not a book looking at the many failings around her life and her family that were made by the people that should have been looking out for her but a brutally honest book about the strength of character we can all be born with and how even in very harsh and sad conditions it can either break you or make you and thankfully in this book it made her. A great read.

Quite a hard book to read at times but details Tracy King's life and her personal struggles. Tracy is a very independent, intelligent young woman who had a difficult, but loving, upbringing. I feel that she possibly needed to write this book for cathartic reasons and I hope it helped as the last part seemed more of an essay exploring truth. A powerful story about poverty intertwined with anxiety, phobias and alcoholism plus a good dollop of superstition and a zealous brand of Christianity. Disturbing in it's own way.

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.

A beautifully written memoir that tells a brilliant yet haunting tale. I would absolutely recommend this book, it is a masterpiece.