'An engrossing, urgent, and entertaining read. I couldn't put it down'
Roddy Doyle
______
Marguerite Penrose's is an extraordinary story of making a great life
from complicated beginnings. Marguerite was born in a Dublin
mother-and-baby home in 1974, the daughter of an Irish mother and a
Zambian father. Severe scoliosis indicated a future of difficult medical
procedures. She was a little girl who needed a break. And she got it at
three when she was fostered - and later adopted - by a young couple,
Mick and Noeline, and acquired a mam, dad, sister, Ciara, and loving
extended family.
Growing up, Marguerite's appearance was occasionally remarked on by
strangers, but it wasn't until her teens that she understood that her
skin colour was a provocation for some. The progressive city that she
knew was revealed to have an unpleasant undercurrent. So, she became an
expert in shaping her life around anything that marked her out as
'different'.
Marguerite's story is one of facing some big questions - Who am I? How
do I live in world made for people with bodies different to mine? Why
does anyone care about my skin colour? - with intelligence, humour,
courage and common-sense. She writes about coming to terms with the
circumstances of her birth and, like so many in her position, looking
for answers. About navigating the world as an active woman with a
disability. About what it means to be both Irish and Black, particularly
at a moment when the conversation is becoming mainstream in Ireland and
she is thinking about it in new ways herself. Mostly, she writes about
embracing life in a spirit of openness and positivity.
Yeah, But Where Are You Really From? is a captivating, wise and
inspiring memoir by a truly remarkable woman.
___________
'Beautiful, moving, tender and informative' SINÉAD MORIARTY
'Wonderful' MIRIAM O'CALLAGHAN
