Description
Book Synopsis''The best memoir by a politician you will ever read'' Philip Collins, The Times
School on the Kings Road, Chelsea in the Swinging 60s, the rock-and-roll years, the race riots; this boy has seen it all.
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Alan Johnson''s childhoodwas not so much difficult as unusual, particularly for a man who was destined to become Home Secretary. Not in respect of the poverty, which was shared with many of those living in Britain''s post-war slums, but in its transition from being part of a two-parent family to having a single mother and then to no parents at all...
This is essentially the story of two incredible women: Alan''s mother, Lily, who battled against poor health, poverty, domestic violence and loneliness to try to ensure a better life for her children; and his sister, Linda, who had to assume an enormous amount of responsibility at a very young age and who fought to keep the family together and out of care
Trade Review
the best memoir by a politician you will ever read -- Philip Collins * The Times *
a poignant memoir…Johnson writes wonderfully -- Mary Kenny * Telegraph *
deeply moving and unforgettable -- Lynn Barber * Sunday Times *
a handsome and eloquent tribute -- Peter Wilby * Guardian *
beautifully, beautifully written... his style is utterly simple, with a wit so understated that every reader will believe that he or she alone got it -- John Rentoul * Independent on Sunday *
Neither mawkish nor sentimental, it is an evocative, filmic account on an early childhood... would make a fabulous drama that, for all its squalor, lifts the spirits -- Judith Woods * Daily Telegraph *
a testament to the power of family love and a tribute to two strong women -- Ian Birrell * Daily Mail *
Wonderful and moving... unreadable with a dry eye * The Times *
the biography of a politician like no other - beautifully observed, humorous, moving, uplifting; told with a dry self-deprecating wit and not a trace of self-pity -- Chris Mullin * Observer *
No ordinary politician's memoir ... wonderful. -- John Grimond * The Spectator *
