Young people caught up in the London riots; elderly people dependent on care; the war against benefit cheats; life in young offenders' institutions. There are areas of society which are often inaccessible, forgotten about or unintentionally overlooked. Amelia Gentleman's intimate portraits of other people's everyday lives are moving insights into the causes of deprivation in our society and the effects, both welcome and unwelcome, of the government's social policy.
Originally published in the Guardian, these collected articles won Amelia Gentleman the Orwell Prize for Journalism 2012. Accompanied by a new introduction written specially for this ebook, they present a remarkable series of individuals coping with difficulty in ways which are sometimes inspiring, sometimes frustrating – but always in environments reflected with an unflinching honesty.
