Published in 2023
6 hours and 26 minutes
Dawn Butler is the Labour MP for Brent Central, and an adviser to the Mayor of London, representing 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.
What is this book about?
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Drawing from lessons from her own life, Dawn shows how traditional routes to success and power are outdated, and reveals that it’s easier than we think to disrupt a broken system.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.
