'A fascinating story of courage, doubt and defiance across three generations' SARAH WATERS

'A fierce and beautiful book' EDMUND DE WAAL

'Heartfelt and upfront... A grieving daughter rediscovers her mother's political past' BLAKE MORRISON, Guardian

'A compelling reconstruction of her mother's life as a young anti-nuclear activist defying her suburban parents' CATHERINE TAYLOR, Financial Times

'Eloquent, piercing, gloriously humane' PHILIPPE SANDS

After the sudden death of her mother at the age of 75, Natasha Walter found herself in a period of confusion and grief. Only when she started to search into Ruth's past did she begin to understand how her life led to her death by her own hand. She learns that Ruth had grown up to be a conventional young woman but chose to take huge risks and even break the law for her beliefs in the nuclear disarmament movement of the 1960s. She explores the story of her parents, as well as the story of her grandfather, who, as a member of the anti-Nazi resistance in 1930s Germany, was imprisoned for three years and then escaped across Europe, eventually finding safe haven in England.

Honest about loss, this memoir also seeks the precious in the legacy of a family that lived through some of the greatest crises of the 20th century. With no illusions of hope and with genuine passion, Natasha Walter shows us why, even when success is far off, defending what you believe is always important.

Pages: 256, Publication Year: 0903, Dimensions: 12.6x12.6cm