Lord Smith has been a Lib Dem life peer since 1997 and has been involved in UK politics since 1959, when he was the youngest candidate ever to run to be an MP. 

In his adult life, he taught at universities in England, the USA and Ireland.  He was vice-chancellor of Ulster University during the 1990s witnessing first hand the Troubles, ceasefires and the Belfast Agreement.

In this thought-provoking, entertaining and frank memoir, Lord Smith uses his unique insight to trace his roots from being evacuated towards Hitler’s bombing during WWII. He takes readers from his upbringing in the suburbs of London, the contrasting bohemian atmosphere of Fitzrovia and, ultimately, to the House of Lords.