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The gripping, remarkably candid story of one man's unorthodox life before politics, from Labour minister and Sunday Times-bestselling author Chris Bryant
'It is often said that the politicians of today have no hinterland, but then along comes Chris Bryant with a fascinating, frank, funny and moving account of how he became one' Reverend Richard Coles
Before he was a politician, Chris Bryant was an Anglican priest, baptising babies and holding the hands of the dying. Before that, he manned the barricades in Latin America, and before that, he was the scared son of an alcoholic mother and an estranged father.
This is a no-holds-barred account of a minister's truly unconventional life before politics – one that has left Bryant equally at home behind the altar, in sweaty gay clubs, on the hustings or the stage. With characteristic frankness, he recounts growing up in General Franco's Spain, acting alongside some of the most talented names of the day as a teenager, and caring for his brother and mother as she descended into addiction. He left home at sixteen, became ordained at twenty-four and came out as gay shortly after. And that's just the early years.
A Life and a Half tells a gripping story of bishops and actors, drag queens and pushy candidates, stuffed with moments of joy and hilarity and sorrow and abuse. All while tracking the landscape of late-twentieth-century British politics, from Thatcher to the birth of New Labour. It is a memoir like no other.
Published | 21 Aug 2025 |
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Format | Ebook (PDF) |
Edition | 1st |
Extent | 336 |
ISBN | 9781526680945 |
Imprint | Bloomsbury Publishing |
Publisher | Bloomsbury Publishing |
It is often said that the politicians of today have no hinterland, but then along comes Chris Bryant with a fascinating, frank, funny and moving account of how he became one; from young Conservative wannabe actor, Welsh-born, raised in Spain, to Church of England priest, to first out gay Labour MP in Wales. And all before his fortieth birthday
REVEREND RICHARD COLES
Riveting, raw and hilarious. Bryant's honesty is a force for good. Humble and proud in turn – you won't put this down
HELEN LEDERER
Absolutely riveting . . . There is no better guide
Reverend Richard Coles on 'Code of Conduct'
Nobody knows how parliament works - and how it doesn't - better than Chris
James O'Brien on 'Code of Conduct'
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