Nothing Like a Dame
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| Author | Andrew Hosken |
|---|---|
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Language | English |
| Subject | Shirley Porter |
| Genre | Non-fiction, Biography |
| Publisher | Granta Books |
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Publication date
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1 October 2006 |
| Media type | Print (hardcover & paperback) |
| Pages | xii, 372 (first edition) |
| ISBN | |
| OCLC | 62479273 |
| Followed by | Ken: The Ups and Downs of Ken Livingstone |
Nothing Like a Dame: The Scandals of Shirley Porter is a 2006 biography by British journalist Andrew Hosken. The book was first published on 1 October 2006 through Granta UK and discusses British politician Shirley Porter's time served as a member of the Westminster City Council.
The book discusses Porter's time served under the Westminster City Council and the resulting fallout. Hosken also includes several interviews and looks into Porter's history as the daughter of Jack Cohen.
The Guardian gave a positive review for Nothing Like A Dame, calling it "enthralling".Bloomberg gave a more mixed review, remarking that it was "riveting" but also "uneven". In contrast, The Contemporary Review praised Hosken's research.Jay Rayner, reviewing for The Observer, felt that the book was: "probably as comprehensive an account of Porter's time in power, and the bullying, plotting, maladministration and corruption that went with it, as we are likely to get."Francis Beckett described it as: "a splendid book, as easy to read as a good thriller... It's also very thorough, with an immense amount of detail, presented remarkably digestibly."
Christian Wolmar wrote that the book: "tells the story brilliantly, often with greatly enlightening and entertaining detail, and breaking up the chronology to deal with the various individual scandals which individually are shocking enough but together suggest that the very basis of the administration was corrupt." On the negative side, Wolmar was critical of the lack of references, "a result of the publisher seeking to keep it to a manageable length but hopefully an omission that will be remedied in the paperback version as this is a subject ripe for future generations to study as a classic failure of governance."
The cover of the book consists of a photograph of Porter which she had posed for use in a feature article about her in the The Sunday Times. Jenny Diski, for the London Review of Books, was, however, critical of the cover, writing:
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