Innocent is the memoir of Barbara Morrison’s life as a single mother relying on welfare.This is her story of poverty and survival as well as bearing the weight of judgement, and the bureaucracy that traps folks in a difficult and vicious cycle. The voice in this audio version bears the exhaustion and frustration of someone trying to get ahead but facing obstacles at every turn. She explains the discouragement of how society treats those, who for whatever reason find themselves in poverty, as a personal failures.
This is not a happy or feel good story, rather it is the harsh reality of Morrison’s struggles which I found to be an intense listen.
She points out the flaws in a system that should help but often hinders.

Innocent is well written, thought provoking and shows the power of the human spirit when faced with adversity, I was drawn into her tough struggle as I listened to Morrison's unfolding her life.. .

This book may cause one to rethink ideas about effort, opportunity, and inequality.

Growing up poor and on government assistance til I went into the foster care system, this book hit home!

From food stamps, to subsidized housing, to not being able to afford to repair a vehicle, you root for Morrison to find her way and figure out how to survive and overcame the stigma.

Ms. Morrison does a phenomenal job of narrating her entire experience, good and bad, beautiful and ugly while developing such empathy in her audience.

I rated this 4 stars for this story of triumph over the odds, all due to her own resourcefulness, hunger for knowledge and unparalleled resilience.

Innocent was an okay read, but it didn’t quite stand out among memoirs I’ve read. Early on, it almost felt like we were getting Jill’s memoir rather than the author’s, which made it hard to connect with Morrison’s own story at times. Additionally, the detailed focus on her Morris dancing hobby felt excessive—though I understand its purpose in drawing parallels between her experiences and those of her teammates.

On the narration side, while I generally appreciate authors reading their own memoirs, Morrison’s delivery wasn’t particularly commanding or engaging, which made it difficult to stay fully immersed in the story.

Overall, while Innocent offers an interesting perspective, it didn’t fully capture my attention.

Thank you to the publisher, author, and NetGalley for the opportunity to listen to this audiobook ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This audiobook gave me a raw and unfiltered view of poverty. Barbara Morrison shares her experience as a single mother relying on welfare, without romanticising or downplaying the challenges. Her story is not just about money or survival but about the weight of judgement, the bureaucracy that traps people in a difficult cycle, and the constant struggle to move forward. The narration strengthens the connection to the story. The voice carries the exhaustion and frustration of someone trying to get ahead but facing obstacles at every turn. The book highlights how society treats poverty as a personal failure, overlooking how the system itself makes change so difficult. There are few moments of relief in this account. The harsh reality of Morrison’s life is ever-present, which can make for an intense listen. But perhaps that is the point—not to offer an easy way out, but to show what so many women endure without a choice. More than a story of resilience, this audiobook is a call to reflection. It exposes the flaws in a system that should help but often hinders. It is well worth listening to and rethinking ideas about effort, opportunity, and inequality.

Innocent: Confessions of a Welfare Mother is a deeply personal and eye-opening memoir that challenges stereotypes and humanizes the experience of navigating the welfare system. B.
Morrison's candid storytelling and emotional honesty make for a compelling listen, especially with her own narration adding an extra layer of intimacy.

She brings the struggles, resilience, and strength of single motherhood to life, offering a perspective that is often overlooked or misunderstood a powerful and necessary memoir this
audiobook is a must-listen for those interested in social justice, economic hardship, and the realities of poverty in America.

This was a very interesting and thought-provoking memoire! I am glad to say that I enjoyed every second of every minute listening to this audiobook. The honesty and the personal intake on motherhood and the struggles of single mothers on welfare in 60s and 70s urban America with all the sexism and misogyny single mothers faced during that time was very important to be acknowledged. I am glad I listened to this, and will definitely pick this book up in the future.

Though I was unable to complete this book due to the archival date, it’s one that I’ll probably pick up down the road from the library! It was super interesting as far as I was able to go and I think shows a super interesting perspective.

'Innocent' is well written and a sincere account of both it's time and the realities of being a 'welfare mother'.

I was struck by the honesty of Barbara Morrison, who grew up in a family who were not lacking for money or standing. She owns her own preconceptions of the traits a 'welfare mother' possesses, before she found herself in the position of having to apply for welfare support herself. This book holds a key importance for us all, in holding ourselves accountable and being open minded, hearing lived experience and having curiosity, rather than sustaining the perceptions that our upbringing or society may instill within us. It is ok to have these, but also vital that we are aware of what bias we may hold.

This feels a real snapshot of its time and in places I had to remind myself this was a memoir, rather than a novel. What lingered with me was the real sense of community amongst the women whose stories are told here- those who protested for reform and looked to educate others, but also to simple support their fellow humans. We hear the ways Barbara was able to sustain herself, as a young mother of first one, then two young children. Having a friend who would take her children for one day a week, and vice versa, allowed Barbara and said friend to do those things that allowed them to retain their own identity and to care for themselves. A community pooling the small amount of cash they each had at the end of the week, to allow them to buy a joint treat to share as friends. It is a story of resilience and feels hopeful, even in the darkest moments.

I found it interesting to hear the small, but massive, experiences that occur everyday to those living on the breadline. Of a woman begging in the welfare office for money to replace shoes which no longer had a sole- and being told to wait until her next check (when in reality, the money received went straight out every time to cover bills, with no leftover). 'Innocent' is a frank account which represents a section of society who it feels have more of a voice through this work. Barbara doesn't hold back, writing her story with a genuineness- from how she felt within the family dynamic she was born into, to the highs and lows that came with falling in love for the first time and the position this left her in, to how she faced the future beyond this.

Well written, thought provoking and woven through with the power of human spirit when faced with adversity, I really enjoyed hearing Morrison's experience.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the audiobook ARC.

I found Innocent to be a compelling and eye-opening memoir. Listening to the audiobook made the story feel even more personal, and I really appreciated hearing B. Morrison’s perspective on life as a single mother on welfare. The book does a great job of illustrating how difficult it is to break free from the cycle of poverty while also dealing with the stigmas and systemic barriers that come with being on welfare. It’s an important, thought-provoking read that challenges assumptions about those who rely on public assistance. While it wasn’t always a page-turner, the honesty and resilience in Morrison’s story made it well worth the listen. Thank you to Cottey House Press and Netgalley for the opportunity to listen to this advanced release audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

This was the first non-celebrity memoir I've read, and it was very eye opening. I've never thought too much about welfare as a person privileged enough to never need it. Barabara's story was more than inspiring with everything she endured and overcome. It's too easy to focus on the bad and she had more than enough bad. Through it all she knew her priorities and what she wanted for her life. Not only that, but she also managed to make changes for the good amongst her friends and community. It's actually quite amazing.

There was a quote in the book that I'm going to try and keep close to my heart going forward. "It wasn't that I wasn't too strong or confident to cry over spilled plaster, it was just that crying wouldn't clean up the mess."

This book gave an insightful account of life as a single mother on welfare in 60s and 70s urban America. It is difficult to truly comprehend how much sexism impacted women in previous generations and the challenges they faced, so this book is important in how well it highlights the social stigma, expectations and limitations that single mothers faced.
The author had a lot of privilege and she does fairly well at recognizing it in this memoir. I would prefer more sensitive language be used in some places (the word crippled was used and as a disabled person I object to the use of this slur, even idiomatically, because there are other less ableist terms to use that mean the same thing).
I wasn’t really interested in knowing so much about the Morris dancing scene and exploits. While the stories threw light on sexism permeating all spaces and activities, there was no real benefit to providing such detail on this topic. It didn’t move the reader towards a greater understanding of poverty, the welfare system, or the challenges the author faced. The author clearly felt very moved to do this activity and that is noteworthy, because escape and leisure are important, but a lot of unnecessary peripheral detail was included, which detracted from the narrative flow.
Conversely, anecdotes of houses burning, unsafe accommodation, scheming landlords, women begging for money to buy shoes at the welfare office and the cycle of pouring money into cars that are constantly breaking down, all added to the understanding I gained about how tenuously many on welfare were keeping their heads above water.
I was glad to see the author discuss how much harder life on welfare is today, but felt this was left until the very end and would have been better woven through the memoir. Many of the same challenges and some different ones have placed increasing pressure on those in poverty and the book would have benefited from more reflection on current perceptions of those on welfare, and how that relates to the author’s initial message of how those with privilege assume the worst and don’t see the complexities of the systems people become trapped within.
I wish we didn’t need a well bred, well educated white woman to tell us that those on welfare are trying their hardest. We still are sadly not at the point where many who think welfare recipients are lazy will listen to anyone who doesn’t fit that profile.

Thank you to NetGalley and Cottey House Press for providing me with this audiobook. It was a very insightful look into the circumstances that may lead people to request assistance, or welfare. It is true that many think if a person has to go on welfare, they must be lazy or have no desire to help themselves. Barbara ended up a single mother of 2, and had no choice but to go on welfare, in order to feed and clothe her boys. She tells of how she was treated differently than those who don't need assistance. Her goal was to first provide for her children, no matter what others may think. Secondly, she didn't want to be on welfare forever. She wanted to get out and get a job.

I enjoyed this memoir and look into what people go through when times are tough.

I listened to Innocent: Confessions of a Welfare Mother read by the author, B. Morrison, and was deeply moved by her vulnerability and strength in telling her story. She recalls the stigma she felt around receiving welfare, not just from society, but from her own family who disowns her. B. Morrison's path to independence despite being a single mom of two is an eye-opening commentary on the gaps and failings in American public support services. Thank you NetGalley for the ARC!

While remarkably well written and very poignant, at times I found myself confused as to the lack of drive and the slow meanderings of the book. I had to remind myself often that this is back when the welfare system was unregulated and they can be given certain things for example, the shoes or clothes for kids. Before this, I had never heard of giving additional money for those things. Hearing about the fight to regulate and make everything equal Was very interesting, but also so sad. It’s sad that the rights had to be fought, and the system wasn’t regulated from the beginning. I’m not sure if the author just automatically took it all in a stride or that is her take on it now, but she seemed to be very good with the flow. Well written, it offers a new perspective on so many things that we just take right now, not realizing how hard it took to get them originally and what it was like during that time period.

This was an inspiring account of life under difficult circumstances. Accepting financial help from the state can be demeaning and people will be judgemental but when there is no other option, needs must.

This is a candid story, told in a relatable way.

Many thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for gifting me this arc in exchange for an honest, unbiased review.

I was so surprised to find out this was about Baltimore. It made me think of that audio that’s like “wait, is this play about us?” I suddenly was sucked back in time and could find myself standing in the places the author spoke about throughout the book. I loved feeling like I was in the mid 1900’s and was the Baltimore, MD Kit Kittridge.

Thank you to Netgalley, B Morris and Cottey House Press for this ARC.
In Innocent, we follow B, A middle class born Mother who has to rely on the Welfare system in the US.
First, as Brit, I had absolutely no idea about the welfare system in America, and so this was incredibly eye opening and shocking to me. Especially people’s very public disdain towards people on welfare and how many times B faced discrimination because of this. B is a true inspiration and hearing about the incredible community she was a part of and created was beautiful and the contrast between her loved experience and what people thought of her and her friends was heartbreaking but so enlightening.
That being said, I did find some of the chapters and stories to be a wordy and long winded and of often felt the story was going in multiple directions that were hard to keep track of,
Over all though, I really did enjoy this audiobook, and thought the narration was great.

Thank you to Cottey House Press and NetGalley for providing me an audio copy of this book for review. Growing up with a single mother that used some benefits of welfare, this book really resonated with me. It was always a somewhat shameful topic to discuss and bringing issues to light in this beautiful narrative will benefit a lot of people. I felt incredibly seen while listening. From food stamps, to subsidized housing, to not being able to afford to repair a vehicle, you root for Morrison to find her way and figure out how to survive. This book really brought up some memories as well as discussion about other social issues such as mental health and the subject of race and how every person experiences struggles in a completely different light. At times this felt hopeless, as well as hopeful in the smallest of ways, such as creating the community garden and learning to make bread. The discussion of having small children and it being more beneficial to stay home instead of trying to find work, despite wanting to contribute to society and feel fulfilled, it felt completely hopeless to even try with childcare being near impossible to find or afford. This memoir was incredibly well written and it will stick with me. Solid four stars.

This was such an insightful and important look into the experiences of poverty. I was blown away by the chosen family that Barbara found and created and the beautiful ways they loved and supported each other. The narration was really well-done - I felt like I was with Barbara in her apartment or at dance practice or in the welfare office. This is a must-read for everyone, but especially those of us who have never experienced poverty or single parenthood.

Innocent is a memoir about one woman's experience as a mother on welfare in the 1960s through 1980s. Read by the author, this audiobook comes across a bit flat in affect. However, I still found her story powerful and listened attentively to the end.

Morrison came from a wealthy family in Baltimore, Maryland. Desperate to escape the privilege and racism of her upbringing, she became pregnant young and moved away. When she had children with a less than ideal partner, Morrison chose to be a single mother and thus turned to social welfare programs as a means to survive.

Morrison had many layers of privilege which are somewhat acknowledged in this memoir. I think she does a good job of sticking to what is her story to tell and staying general about what is not her lived experience. I think this book runs a bit too long, but it did open my eyes to how much social welfare has declined in the last few generations and how critical it is for the good of children, families, and communities.