EXCEEDING MY BRIEF

'Memoirs of a Disobedient Civil Servant' caught our eye from this trailblazer you have probably never heard of. It has been a hit memoir about a remarkable life in the corridors of power. Warm, funny and illuminating, it is one woman's journey down the corridors of Whitehall and through a slowly changing society. From the tragic massacre at the 1972 Munich Olympic Games to signing the Treaty of Rome when Britain entered the Common Market, Barbara Hosking was there. This is the story of a Cornish scholarship girl with no contacts who ended up serving two British Prime Ministers. It is also the very personal story of her struggle with her sexuality as a young woman in the 1950s, a time when being gay could mean social ostracism. Between working on a copper mine in the African bush, serving as a Press Officer to Harold Wilson and Edward Heath, and pioneering British breakfast television, Barbara's is a tale of breadth and bravery. At the age of 92 here in her memoir she reflects on her life and gives a compelling account of the innermost workings of politics and the media amid the turbulence of 20th century Britain. She has a keen eye for character, mood and episode, such as living a simple pastoral life amongst a local tribe in a remote corner of Africa with Mary, party conferences, lunches, drinks, press, government departments, Barbara Castle and all the big names in journalism and politics and ITV television and more. 306pp, paperback.