This is an outspoken, explosive book which draws back the curtain on the mystique of the Bar and Judiciary, naming names, pulling no punches, and relating entertaining anecdotes about legal personalities, politicians, statesmen and the Royal Family. Above all, it is a deeply moving and inspirational account of Peter Whiteman's journey from an impoverished childhood to the pinnacle of the legal profession.
At school he was bottom of the class and endured vicious anti-Semitism and bullying, but he ended up leaving school, and university, with the highest honours. He went on to read for the Bar, opened his own Chambers aged only 34, and was appointed a QC - the youngest ever in modern times. Later he acquired impressive accolades in the USA, and in the UK he became a Deputy High Court Judge.
Peter Whiteman's life story is one of vision, boldness and determination, told with candour in a humorous and self-deprecating way. The message is clear: he started with nothing, so if he could overcome all obstacles, then anyone can.
But at what price? With the world at his feet and all ambitions realised, his life was turned upside down by two cataclysmic events. He was left staring into the abyss. The golden bubble had burst and he reveals with searing honesty how he coped - or didn't.