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As a small boy in Epping Forest- Jack Straw could never have imagined that one day he would become Britains Lord Chancellor. As one of five children of divorced parents- he was bright enough to get a scholarship to a direct-grant school- but spent his holidays as a plumbers mate for his uncles to bring in some much-needed extra income. Yet he spent 13 years and 11 days in government- including long and influential spells as Home Secretary and Foreign Secretary. This is the story of how he got there. His memoirs offer a unique insight into the complex- sometimes self-serving but always fascinating world of British politics and reveals the toll that high office takes- but - more importantly- the enormous satisfaction and extraordinary privilege of serving both your constituents and your country. Straws has been a very public life- but he reveals the private face- too and offers readers a vivid and authoritative insight into the Blair/Brown era and- indeed- the last forty years of British politics....