Miles ahead of anyone you can name currently in office at Westminster. Brown thinks, and thinks profoundly. And by and large, over the last 30 years, what he has thought has turned out to be correct ... thrilling ... unexpectedly moving -- David Hare * Guardian * A protagonist of Shakespearian stature ... The chapters on the crash are fast, tense and riveting ... Like our times, Brown's life is complicated, contradictory, full of irritations, frustrations and even rage. But as this absorbing memoir makes clear, he is also a man who, in both his willingness and ability to tackle the most pressing questions of our age, towers over those who currently fill the political stage ... He is one of the giants of our recent political history - and this book explains why -- Jonathan Freedland * Prospect * A compelling story, well told ... This is an important book that goes far to explain what made this enigmatic, solitary and intensely private man tick ... an example of that rare species in Britain: the intellectual in politics ... this book reminds us what a moderate politics of the left looks like and how much it can achieve -- Daniel Johnson * Sunday Times * Very good at describing the process by which an idea for reform is germinated, then shaped into a policy before being executed ... He writes very movingly about the death of baby Jennifer Jane ... You feel great sympathy and admiration for his tenacity ... one of the most formidable chancellors that Britain has ever seen -- Andrew Rawnsley * Observer * In this fascinating book, Gordon Brown shares the experience and perspective of a lifetime spent in public service. Readers will come away with not just a deeper understanding of British and international politics but also the intellect and integrity of one of today's great statesmen -- Kofi Annan