Ootlin : A Memoir

WINNER OF THE GORDON BURN PRIZE 2025

Longlisted for the Women's Prize for Non Fiction 2025

'An astonishing story of survival' GUARDIAN
'Extraordinary and uplifting' OBSERVER
'A triumphant tale of survival' FINANCIAL TIMES
'An extraordinary book' LITERARY REVIEW
'To read this book is to be reminded of the importance of kindness, of beauty and of storytelling' iPAPER
'A phenomenal memoir. I am in awe' AMY LIPTROT
'Beautiful, deep, transfixing . . . it will burn a home in your heart' LEMN SISSAY
'Essential reading, life-changing ... Beautiful, earth-shattering and unforgettable' SAMANTHA MORTON
'Mesmerising, heart-breaking. I'll never forget it' ANNIE MAC
'Should be required reading' CLAIRE FULLER

The government told a story about me before I was born.

Jenni Fagan was property of the state before birth. She drew her first breath in care and by the age of seven, she had lived in fourteen different homes and had her name changed multiple times.

Twenty years after her first attempt to write this powerful memoir, Jenni is finally ready to share her account.
Ootlin is a journey through the broken UK care system - it is one of displacement and exclusion, but also of the power of storytelling. It is about the very human act of making meaning from adversity.