A Purposeful Life

A Purposeful Life

What I’ve Learned About Breaking Barriers and Inspiring Change

Summary

Brought to you by Penguin.

Dawn Butler is the trailblazing Labour MP for Brent Central, best known for speaking truth to power. In 2021, she was famously ejected from the House of Commons and threatened with police for calling Boris Johnson a liar. Her tireless campaigning to eradicate injustice, from the Met Police to the NHS, has changed lives, but until now, she's never talked openly about what has inspired and motivated her to persevere in the face of oppression.

Drawing from lessons from her own life, Dawn shows how traditional routes to success and power are outdated, and reveals that it's easier than we think to disrupt a broken system. She shares the values, people, places and beliefs that have helped her forge her own authentic path to power, including celebrating the strength of diverse communities, looking at an issue from all angles, and embracing intersectionality to drive real change. As the third Black woman ever to be elected as an MP, Dawn is a true pioneer, and now she wants to give others the courage and conviction to dream big and improve the world around them.

Ultimately, A Purposeful Life is uplifting and hopeful, showing how anybody can make positive change, even when our systems and structures feel irrevocably broken.

©2023 Dawn Butler (P)2023 Penguin Audio

Reviews

  • A funny, lively authorial voice. There are truths here that indisputably needed telling, and an irrepressibly bouncy confidence that inspires. An unexpectedly warm and uplifting read
    Gaby Hinsliff, The Observer

About the author

Dawn Butler

Dawn Butler is the Labour MP for Brent Central and stands up for groups and people in society that are often underrepresented. Dawn was named the "most promising feminist under 35" by New Statesman magazine and was honoured as MP of the year at the 2009 Women in Public Life Awards. In 2020 she was named one of the 25 most influential women in the UK by Vogue.
Learn More

Sign up to the Penguin Newsletter

For the latest books, recommendations, author interviews and more