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Review
'A terrific political autobiography of a kind that we may not see again... Compelling and affecting stuff'
(Sunday Times )Product Description
From failing the 11-plus to becoming Britain’s longest-serving deputy prime minister, John Prescott’s story is one we may never see again. He began his journey into politics as a ‘Hollywood waiter’ on Cunard liners, where he stood up for the rights of his fellow seamen and went on to become a shop steward and union firebrand. Throughout his career, he has been the key link between old and new, between working and middle classes, and ultimately between Blair and Brown. This is the compelling life story of a man who has made mistakes, but has never stopped fighting for what he believes in.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
8 of 8 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
This is not a heavyweight book, it's not really comparable to memoirs by Thatcher or Campbell, but it is still an enjoyable and informative read.
Prescott is candid about deeply personal things like his struggles with bulimia and academia. He is less candid about the true nature of some of the people he has worked with. No one really gets a kicking, which is surprising for someone like Prescott who says in his book that one of his best qualities is his professional aggression. Bearing in mind the book's title, I would have liked to have seen him land a few more well placed blows on his opponents...
But Prescott has inarguably led a fascinating life and as such this is an inspiring success story of battling against the odds to achieve big things at the highest level of public service.
'Prezza' is not one for the political academics, but it would be a great book for those with an interest in the Labour Party and current affairs to chuck in the hand luggage for a bit of aeroplane reading.
Prescott is candid about deeply personal things like his struggles with bulimia and academia. He is less candid about the true nature of some of the people he has worked with. No one really gets a kicking, which is surprising for someone like Prescott who says in his book that one of his best qualities is his professional aggression. Bearing in mind the book's title, I would have liked to have seen him land a few more well placed blows on his opponents...
But Prescott has inarguably led a fascinating life and as such this is an inspiring success story of battling against the odds to achieve big things at the highest level of public service.
'Prezza' is not one for the political academics, but it would be a great book for those with an interest in the Labour Party and current affairs to chuck in the hand luggage for a bit of aeroplane reading.
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase
John Prescott is one of the last of a dying political breed: the local trade union official who rose from the shop floor (or in his case, ships' decks) to be selected as an MP and then progress through to the cabinet.
If his book makes one thing clear, it's that he's always felt - and usually been - an outsider. As such, being just about the last remaining Old Labour member of an unapologetically New Labour government placed him in a role where he was comfortably uncomfortable. He doesn't seem happy unless fighting against someone, whether that be ships' masters, his trade union bosses, Tories, or the 'beautiful people' in Labour for whom modernisation meant dumping the party's heritage. Or egg-throwers.
That episode may well be what he ultimately becomes best remembered for and it's something he seems proud of, given the number of references or allusions to it throughout, from reminiscences of his times entertaining passengers at sea as a participant in boxing bouts, to another incident where he hit someone while Deputy PM, to the book's subtitle, 'Pulling no Punches'.
As for that description, it feels largely true. It's not a deep personal self-analysis (failings are invariably put down to his having failed the Eleven Plus or poor grammar) but it does feel quite an honest account of his life. The comparison with, for example, Peter Mandelson's book, The Third Man, is stark: there, every word felt as if it had been considered before being committed to paper, as he still fought for his legacy. Prescott's is definitely written in the past tense.
One reason why it is so open is that I suspect that while every word is his, he didn't write any of them. The style is very conversational and it reads as if the book's resulted from a long series of interviews between Prescott and Hunter Davies, after which Davies has 'knocked it into shape and made sense of it all', as Prescott says in the acknowledgements, but left the wording verbatim in as far as possible. One other aspect of this approach is that the chapters tend to be thematic rather than purely chronological, which is no bad thing.
If he shows few if any regrets politically, he does appear more vulnerable when discussing his battle with bulimia and his affair, though his description of the former has much more emotional depth than the latter.
Overall, it's a lightweight book as political autobiographies go but one surprisingly worth reading. I didn't have any great expectations beforehand but I'm glad I bought it and would recommend it to anyone interested in understanding both New Labour in government and the Labour of a time gone and unlikely to return.
If his book makes one thing clear, it's that he's always felt - and usually been - an outsider. As such, being just about the last remaining Old Labour member of an unapologetically New Labour government placed him in a role where he was comfortably uncomfortable. He doesn't seem happy unless fighting against someone, whether that be ships' masters, his trade union bosses, Tories, or the 'beautiful people' in Labour for whom modernisation meant dumping the party's heritage. Or egg-throwers.
That episode may well be what he ultimately becomes best remembered for and it's something he seems proud of, given the number of references or allusions to it throughout, from reminiscences of his times entertaining passengers at sea as a participant in boxing bouts, to another incident where he hit someone while Deputy PM, to the book's subtitle, 'Pulling no Punches'.
As for that description, it feels largely true. It's not a deep personal self-analysis (failings are invariably put down to his having failed the Eleven Plus or poor grammar) but it does feel quite an honest account of his life. The comparison with, for example, Peter Mandelson's book, The Third Man, is stark: there, every word felt as if it had been considered before being committed to paper, as he still fought for his legacy. Prescott's is definitely written in the past tense.
One reason why it is so open is that I suspect that while every word is his, he didn't write any of them. The style is very conversational and it reads as if the book's resulted from a long series of interviews between Prescott and Hunter Davies, after which Davies has 'knocked it into shape and made sense of it all', as Prescott says in the acknowledgements, but left the wording verbatim in as far as possible. One other aspect of this approach is that the chapters tend to be thematic rather than purely chronological, which is no bad thing.
If he shows few if any regrets politically, he does appear more vulnerable when discussing his battle with bulimia and his affair, though his description of the former has much more emotional depth than the latter.
Overall, it's a lightweight book as political autobiographies go but one surprisingly worth reading. I didn't have any great expectations beforehand but I'm glad I bought it and would recommend it to anyone interested in understanding both New Labour in government and the Labour of a time gone and unlikely to return.
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
This is a very easy read! It doesn't read like a typical autobiography of a politician, Prescott seems to have only read a couple of books, such as Campbell's diaries, and hasn't done much work, so some figures are based on his memory, and aren't checked out. His biases are played out, so despite his protests he does come across as someone who doesn't have an equal view of women, or value anything about tories - indeed his description of a conservation with the then PM Major Prezza comes across as rude.
As a book that may capture Prescott the man this may do the job, but for a deputy PM, or a high profile politician, it is slight, we can only have greater hope for Tony Blair's biography
As a book that may capture Prescott the man this may do the job, but for a deputy PM, or a high profile politician, it is slight, we can only have greater hope for Tony Blair's biography
Most Recent Customer Reviews
An interesting read
This book was purchased for my mother.
At the time of this missive, she tells me she is approximately half way through reading it, and is finding it most enjoyable. Read more
At the time of this missive, she tells me she is approximately half way through reading it, and is finding it most enjoyable. Read more
Published 14 days ago by Alan R. Curtis
Prezza: Pulling No Punches by John Prescott
I just finished reading Pulling No Punches by John Prescott. It is humorous and witty also informative. I had copy from RNIB read by Steve Hodson. He is my favourite book reader. Read more
Published 6 months ago by A. S. Phillips
A captivating and enjoyable insight into a much-maligned public figure
This is a really fabulous read. I thoroughly recommend it. I'd give it six stars if I could!
During the years of Conservative government John Prescott was always there... Read more
During the years of Conservative government John Prescott was always there... Read more
Published on 13 Feb 2009 by J. Ruthven-Fox
Prezza: My enormous chip on my shoulder
I always had a sneaking regard for Prescott, yes he came across sometimes as a bit of a maverick but it made for a refreshing contrast to other politicians. Read more
Published on 28 Oct 2008 by P. Williams
Just what l'd hoped for
To start my rant, I'm not a Political Animal, and was hoping it
would not be full of policy decisions, more about his life. Read more
would not be full of policy decisions, more about his life. Read more
Published on 13 July 2008 by Robert P. Splaine
Pulling No Punches - that title is a joke
I thought from all the preview blurb that the book would be a 'warts and all' story. Instead I found it to be almost totally 'sanitised'. Read more
Published on 14 Jun 2008 by Brian Peter Gower
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