Ugly - Softcover

Briscoe, Constance

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0340994657 ISBN 13: 9780340994658

Publisher: Hodder Paperbacks, 2009

Synopsis

Constance's mother systematically abused her daughter, both physically and emotionally, throughout her childhood. Regularly beaten and starved, the girl was so desperate she took herself off to Social Services and tried to get taken into care. When that failed, she swallowed bleach 'because it kills all known germs and my mother always told me I was a germ'. When Constance was thirteen, her mother simply moved out, leaving her daughter to fend for herself: there was no gas, no electricity and no food. But somehow Constance found the courage to survive her terrible start in life. This is her heartrending - and ultimately triumphant - story, now with fourteen extra chapters detailing the trial.

About this title

Review:

On Constance's trial: 'A small triumph for sanity' (Observer Review)

Utterly extraordinary . . . harrowing, often deeply disturbing, but ultimately inspiring (Daily Mail)

Reading the book is like an exercise in bottling up your rage. Afterwards, you feel helpless and disturbed. Which is only right. (Evening Standard)

An astonishing true story of hope over adversity (Mail on Sunday)

Remarkable (Good Housekeeping)

Compelling . . . Disturbingly honest. (Woman & Home)

Horrific, but remarkable too. Let us hope that Constance's story will inspire young people everywhere to not only hold onto their dreams and make them happen, but also to be better parents themselves. (Lesley Pearse)

This is a lawyer's memoir with a difference, an inspiring antidote to the usual catalogue of tedious milestones towards legal eminence . . . She's also managed - a rare feat for a lawyer - to write an absorbing book in language untainted by convoluted legal-speak. (Marcel Berlins, Guardian)

UGLY is the life story of Constance Briscoe. Starved, beaten and told she was an "ugly waste of space", this is a heart-rending account of a mother's cruelty from one of the first black women to sit as a judge in the UK. (Elle)

Widely regarded as the best British contribution to what's often called the "misery memoir" genre. (Evening Standard)

From the Publisher:

Constance Briscoe's story is truly extraordinary - and to hear her read this audiobook of her life is an unforgettable experience. Her character really shines through in this recording, not just in her words but in her voice and her delivery. It is both gripping and very moving.

About this edition

• Publisher: Hodder Paperbacks
• Publication date: 2009
• ISBN 10: 0340994657
• ISBN 13: 9780340994658
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 431