The Prison Teacher

AS SEEN ON BBC BREAKFAST

Step inside one of Britain's most renowned prisons...

During her time as a prison teacher Mim Skinner met people from all walks of life - what united them, was that they had committed a serious crime. But Mim's job was not to judge them, it was to teach.

In this compelling, inspirational memoir Mim takes you behind the bars. From drugs and violence to pregnancy and heartbreak, Mim's classroom saw it all. With high drama but also candid humour The Prison Teacher is full of eye-opening stories of those without a voice, revealing the human side of our country's most controversial institution.

'Shocking, poignant and darkly funny' Woman & Home

'Full of nitty-gritty details of life inside' The Guardian

'Humbling, hopeful and wryly hilarious' The Herald

'Very real and powerful account' Kate Paradine, CEO of Women in Prison

'A humane, sometimes humorous, and always perceptive account of prison life' Ken Loach

'Very funny and important' Pandora Sykes, co-host The High Low Show

A STYLIST NON-FICTION BOOK OF YEAR 2020

“Skinner's warmth and empathy radiates from the pages in this eye-opening read. Humbling, hopeful and wryly hilarious in equal measure, it serves as a powerful reminder about the importance that women's voices - even behind bars - deserve to be heard.-- SUNDAY HERALD”

I've never read a book like Jailbirds before - which shows quite how much we need it. It is very funny and very important and reminds us that women in jail are still women worth listening to. I'm only grateful - for them, and for us - that Mim was listening. Pandora Sykes
Mim's warmth and understanding make for a humane, sometimes humorous, and always perceptive account of prison life. This book is a fine achievement. Ken Loach
Jailbirds is a very real and powerful account of living and working in a women's prison - with all the complexities, pain, frustrations and hope to be encountered there. It's a really accessible, engaging read and we will be recommending it to new staff as part of their induction. Kate Paradine, CEO of Women in Prison
Skinner's warmth and empathy radiates from the pages in this eye-opening read. Humbling, hopeful and wryly hilarious in equal measure, it serves as a powerful reminder about the importance that women's voices - even behind bars - deserve to be heard. SUNDAY HERALD
Skinner's book is full of nitty-gritty details of life inside, and peppered with stories (some tragic, some funny, some poignant, all real) of the women who make up Britain's female prison population. -- Joanna Moorhead THE OBSERVER

From 2014-2017, Mim Skinner worked inside prison as an art teacher. She now runs the women's project for the charity Handcrafted, supporting women reconnect to community, housing and recovery from addiction through creativity.

She is also a co-founder and director of multi award-winning community interest company REFUSE, which works to intercept food that would otherwise go to landfill. The REFUSE cafe in Chester-Le-Street also works alongside local mental health services and probation and prison resettlement services. After publishing Jailbirds Mim was named by Elle Magazine as one of 2019's '50 Game Changers'. Mim lives in the north-east of England with her husband, Sam and their cat, Monkey.

AS SEEN ON BBC BREAKFAST Step inside one of Britain's most renowned prisons... During her time as a prison teacher Mim Skinner met people from all walks of life - what united them, was that they had committed a serious crime. But Mim's job was not to judge them, it was to teach.In this compelling, inspirational memoir Mim takes you behind the bars. From drugs and violence to pregnancy and heartbreak, Mim's classroom saw it all. With high drama but also candid humour The Prison Teacher is full of eye-opening stories of those without a voice, revealing the human side of our country's most controversial institution. 'Shocking, poignant and darkly funny' Woman & Home 'Full of nitty-gritty details of life inside' The Guardian 'Humbling, hopeful and wryly hilarious' The Herald 'Very real and powerful account' Kate Paradine, CEO of Women in Prison 'A humane, sometimes humorous, and always perceptive account of prison life' Ken Loach 'Very funny and important' Pandora Sykes, co-host The High Low Show A STYLIST NON-FICTION BOOK OF YEAR 2020

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