Pope Lonergan

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I'll Die After Bingo

Penguin Shop: 3 Clothbound Classics for £33

Funny and moving... deeply affecting

Blackly funny... enough to make you die laughing

Five out of five stars. This book does for care home workers what This Is Going to Hurt did for junior doctors... this isn't just a conscience-rebooting book. It's also blisteringly well written, deeply humane and very funny

Pope Lonergan is always very funny even when dealing with the most serious subject matter

Pope is such a kind, funny and erudite guide through a world many of us ignore. I hope people read the book. It can't possibly be what they think. It is exceptional

Darkly comic, crushingly funny and impossibly uplifting. It makes you want to call every elder in your life and hold on to a piece of them while you still can. A triumph

Pope is a hilarious and naughty guide through one of the most pressing political issues: social care. This book is a perfect blend of playful, provocative and powerful. So irreverent and honest and not twee or sugar-coated

Brutal, pitch-black comedy... Lonergan is a powerful advocate for why care work is important and why we need an honest national conversation about the realities of human deterioration and death

Pope is such a kind, funny and erudite guide through a world many of us ignore. I hope people read the book. It can't possibly be what they think. It is exceptional.

My unlikely life as a care home assistant

'From fearless and funny to heart-stoppingly raw' Evening Standard 
 
Home is where the care is. 
 
Whether he's initiating a coup d'état against new regulations with the residents, or forging a bond with the 98-year old who once called him a fat slut, Pope Lonergan's work is infinitely varied. This no-holds-barred account shows what life inside a care home is really like, for both residents and carers. Featuring night-time drama, incontinence pads and the uniquely dark humour of one double-amputee Alzheimer's patient, here you can learn everything you ever wanted to know (and a few things you probably really didn't) about Britain's care system. 
 
This important memoir challenges us all to think differently about the value of our elderly, and also the carers who look after them.

Brought to you by Penguin. 
 
Resident: I feel I want to keep talking. 
Me: Of course! What do you want to talk about? 
Resident: My heart. 
Me: What about your heart? 
Resident: I feel I want to touch it. 
Me: Your heart? You want to touch your heart? 
Resident: Yes, but I'm too frightened. 
Me: What are you frightened about? 
Resident: Everything. People. Things. 
Me: What's frightening you at this very moment? 
Resident: (Closes eyes). That I'll never be touched again. That I won't be able to get to my heart. 
Me: Metaphorically? 
Resident: More carrots please. 
 
Whether he's initiating a coup d'état against new regulations with the residents, or forging a bond with the 98-year old who once called him a fat slut, Pope Lonergan's work is infinitely varied. This no-holds-barred account shows what life inside a care home is really like, for both residents and carers. Featuring night-time drama, incontinence pads and the uniquely dark humour of one double-amputee Alzheimer's patient, here you can learn everything you ever wanted to know (and a few things you probably really didn't) about Britain's care system. 
 
This important memoir challenges us all to think differently about the value of our elderly, and also the carers who look after them. 
 
'From fearless and funny to heart-stoppingly raw' Evening Standard 
 
© Pope Lonergan 2022 (P) Penguin Audio 2022

Pope Lonergan is a stand-up comedian, Quaker and (recovering) drug addict. He is also a care assistant. I'll Die After Bingo is his tough yet hilarious, intelligent and honest account of 9 ½ years spent caring for the elderly.

I'll Die After Bingo

My unlikely life as a care home assistant

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Funny and moving... deeply affecting

Blackly funny... enough to make you die laughing

Five out of five stars. This book does for care home workers what This Is Going to Hurt did for junior doctors... this isn't just a conscience-rebooting book. It's also blisteringly well written, deeply humane and very funny

Pope Lonergan is always very funny even when dealing with the most serious subject matter

Pope is such a kind, funny and erudite guide through a world many of us ignore. I hope people read the book. It can't possibly be what they think. It is exceptional

Darkly comic, crushingly funny and impossibly uplifting. It makes you want to call every elder in your life and hold on to a piece of them while you still can. A triumph

Pope is a hilarious and naughty guide through one of the most pressing political issues: social care. This book is a perfect blend of playful, provocative and powerful. So irreverent and honest and not twee or sugar-coated

Brutal, pitch-black comedy... Lonergan is a powerful advocate for why care work is important and why we need an honest national conversation about the realities of human deterioration and death

Pope is such a kind, funny and erudite guide through a world many of us ignore. I hope people read the book. It can't possibly be what they think. It is exceptional.

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