A LIFE AND A HALF

Charming unexpected honest RORY STEWART 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 ran the family home from 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 d