Gordon Brown

This book is about people in all parts of Britain who have given me a fresh insight into the needs and aspirations of our country, what is great about it now and how it can become greater in the future. It is the story of Britain's everyday heroes: the kind of heroes who live next door, and in the next street, and throughout our neighbourhoods - the kind of heroes we might ourselves become.' - Gordon Brown. In Britain's Everyday Heroes, Gordon Brown tells the stories of ordinary people whose willing commitment to a cause or a community has informed and inspired him. The stories tell of a real Britain neither flawless nor broken down but caring, innovative, passionate and determined. He tells of the woman who has been the inspiration behind community reconciliation in Northern Ireland and the leader of a campaign tackling gang culture in Manchester. Of the innovator transforming the way we use the Internet as a tool of democracy and the campaigner who has established the World's first Fairtrade Town. Of councillors leading local regeneration efforts and public servants going far beyond the parameters of their job. Of a new generation of social entrepreneurs proving that successful business can benefit communities. Of the creative pioneers who brought the arts to a deprived housing estate, gardening to the refugees and opera to the homeless. And of the carers, mentors, coaches and volunteers he has met who give of themselves quietly, every day, never expecting praise or recognition.

Former Prime Minister and the country's longest-serving Chancellor, Gordon Brown has been a guiding force for Britain and the world over three decades. This is his candid, poignant and deeply relevant story. In describing his upbringing in Scotland as the son of a minister, the near loss of his eyesight as a student and the death of his daughter within days of her birth, he shares the passionately-held principles that have shaped and driven him, reminding us that politics can and should be a calling to serve. Reflecting on the personal and ideological tensions within Labour and its successes and failures in power, he describes how to meet the challenge of pursuing a radical agenda within a credible party of government. He explains how as Chancellor he equipped Britain for a globalised economy while swimming against the neoliberal tide and shows what more must be done to halt rising inequality. In his behind-the-scenes account of the financial crisis and his leading role in saving the world economy from collapse, he addresses the question of who was to blame for the crash and why its causes and consequences still beset us. From the invasion of Iraq to the tragedy of Afghanistan, from the coalition negotiations of 2010 to the referendums on Scottish independence and Europe, Gordon Brown draws on his unique experiences to explain Britain's current fractured condition. And by showing us what progressive politics has achieved in recent decades, he inspires us with a vision of what it might yet achieve today. Riveting, expert and highly personal, this historic memoir is an invaluable insight into our times.