Linda Tirado (born 1981 or 1982)[1] is an American author, freelance photographer and political activist. Her memoir Hand to Mouth: Living in Bootstrap America is about her life as a member of the working class.[2][3] She has also written articles for The Guardian, The Daily Beast and other online periodicals. In 2014, she was included in the BBC's 100 Women.[4]
Linda Tirado | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1981 or 1982 (age 41–42) |
| Occupation(s) | Author, photographer, activist |
| Works | Hand to Mouth: Living in Bootstrap America |
Early life and education
Tirado attended Cedar City High School and Southern Utah University.[5] She did not finish her college degree.[3]
Career
Tirado first came to public attention in October 2013 when a comment she made about living in poverty on a Gawker Media website, Killer Martinis, went viral; she later expanded it into her book, Hand to Mouth: Living in Bootstrap America. Peter Coy from Bloomberg Businessweek gave the book a favourable review, calling it "funny, sarcastic, full of expletives, and most of all outrageously honest."[6] Marcia Kaye from the Toronto Star also gave a favorable review, concluding the book was "provocative and controversial, and I wouldn't be the least surprised to see Tirado, in her thrift store sweater and ill-fitting jeans, running for office one day soon."[7]
Shortly after Tirado's Killer Martinis post, an article in the Houston Press argued she had had a comfortable life, working in politics since 2004.[8] It also erroneously claimed she had attended a boarding school.[3] The writer attacked Tirado for purveying poverty porn, describing poverty through negative stereotypes those who have never experienced it would expect to read.[8] Tirado had disclosed this background herself on a GoFundMe page she was running; while she described her essay as"impressionistic" she made public records showing that for several years she and her family had received Medicaid,[9] welfare and WIC.[10][3]
In May 2020, she was injured in her left eye while she was covering the George Floyd protests in Minneapolis–Saint Paul. Tirado believed the injury was caused by a rubber bullet fired by the police, though it was later reported to be a sponge bullet.[11] Following surgery, the prognosis was that she would be blind in that eye. She returned to work the following day.[12][13][14][15] Tirado filed suit against the Minneapolis Police Department around June 14, 2020.[11] On May 26, 2022, in the protest aftermath, the Minneapolis City Council agreed to a $600,000 settlement.[16]
Tirado has also written articles for The Guardian, The Daily Beast and other online periodicals.
Honors
In 2014, Tirado was included in the BBC's 100 Women.[4] In August 2020, she received the John Aubuchon Press Freedom Award from the National Press Club.[17]
Personal life
Tirado wrote Hand to Mouth while living in Utah. As of 2014, she lived in Washington, D.C., with her husband and two daughters.[1]
As of June 2024, Tirado has reported that she is dying due to complications following her 2020 traumatic brain injury.[18][19]
References
External links
- Appearances on C-SPAN
- Linda Tirado at IMDb
