A Journey

My Political Life

By: Tony Blair

Narrated by: Tony Blair

Length: 16 hrs and 4 mins

Publisher's summary

Tony Blair is a politician who defines our times. His emergence as Labour Party leader in 1994 marked a seismic shift in British politics. Within a few short years, he had transformed his party and rallied the country behind him, becoming prime minister in 1997 with the biggest victory in Labour’s history, and bringing to an end 18 years of Conservative government. He took Labour to a historic three terms in office as Britain’s dominant political figure of the last two decades.

A Journey is Tony Blair’s firsthand account of his years in office and beyond. Here he describes for the first time his role in shaping our recent history, from the aftermath of Princess Diana’s death to the war on terror. He reveals the leadership decisions that were necessary to reinvent his party, the relationships with colleagues including Gordon Brown, the grueling negotiations for peace in Northern Ireland, the implementation of the biggest reforms to public services in Britain since 1945, and his relationships with leaders on the world stage - Nelson Mandela, Bill Clinton, Vladimir Putin, George W. Bush.. He analyzes the belief in ethical intervention that led to his decisions to go to war in Kosovo, Sierra Leone, Afghanistan, and, most controversially of all, in Iraq.

A Journey is a book about the nature and uses of political power. In frank, unflinching, often wry detail, Tony Blair charts the ups and downs of his career to provide insight into the man as well as the politician and statesman. He explores the challenges of leadership, and the ramifications of standing up, clearly and forcefully, for what one believes in. He also looks ahead, to emerging power relationships and economies, addressing the vital issues and complexities of our global world.

Few British prime ministers have shaped the nation’s course as profoundly as Tony Blair, and his achievements and his legacy will be debated for years to come. Here, uniquely, we have his own journey, in his own words.

©2010 Tony Blair (P)2010 Random House Audio

inside view of history

very well written and expertly narrated. Mr. Blair keeps you listening for the next element of history and his mind-set as it was transpiring.

Credible, Honest, Superbly Written

What a wonderful opportunity to hear first hand what it is to be a world leader from the world leader himself. The book is many things. It is a study in the qualities of leadership. It is humorous and at times painfully personal and touching. It provides an intimate glimpse of the personalities other important world leaders. It is a lesson in the recent history of british politics and world affairs.

Extremely candid, very respectable

I just finished off this audiobook and have come to the conclusion that Tony Blair is an extremely principled and honorable fellow. I already knew that, no matter the media attacks, his personal vision completely changed politics in Britain for the better on both sides of the political spectrum because it caused everyone to honestly evaluate the way they do business. This book addresses the hard decisions and personal pain over making those decisions that Mr. Blair had to endure. I may not agree with the total sum of his politics; but after this book, I can respect his reasoning in addition to respecting the man. This is a very compelling listen. Mr. Blair is not the greatest narrator ever (kind of fast talking with sudden stops), but his reading this relays a very personal telling and is well worth it.

Absolutely fantastic

If you could sum up A Journey in three words, what would they be?

Interesting
Thorough
Reveiling

Which character – as performed by Tony Blair – was your favorite?

Blair himself, of course, but I also liked his descriptions of his relationships with Bill Clinton and George Bush.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

No, but it was quite astonishing at times. And I sometimes felt like the author talking to me in the way he would do when revealing something to close friends.

Any additional comments?

I like his voice in general as I also like Bill Clintons voice when he reads his own books.

Blair's Side of the Story

Readers can like or dislike Blair (even as George Bush draws detractors). However, I approach each memoir willing to hear the author's side of the story. If you want to like Blair you'll find reason here. If you are a Blair hater, your mind will probably remain made up. So lets look at style. The book is a retelling of the breakdown of his administration over the ten year period in office. It comes across as deeply personal and reflective. The tone is uneven in the book, but I came away feeling this is a thougthful man who tried to take his responsibilities seriously. Sometimes, the book reads as though Balir is talking to a confidant rather than the mass market reader. I particularly enjoyed his discussion of his introduction to the Queen and his problems getting used to the Prime Minister's Questions. Other issues such as Iraq and Ireland's troubles are dealt with in an authentic manner. The book is read by Blair and his emotion comes through. It is as interesting as Clinton's book and more interesting than Bushes...for what it is worth.

History can only ever be accepted judgments

However it is far easier to accept these judgments when they come directly from the man who was, after all, leader of one of the world???s great powers, the United Kingdom, during such a historically significant window of time. This is a book that thoroughly transcends partisan politics. It helps the listener understand the complexities of leadership and realpolitik in our time, at least as Tony Blair saw it. More importantly it is a book about relations and how they are managed at this strategic level. The listener is taken through a first-person account of a range of issues starting with the Royal Family over the death of Lady Diana, and with Heads of State and the UN over the catastrophe in Kosovo, with Sierra Leone???s transition from war to peace, the robust relationship with US President George W. Bush following 9/11 - and the politics of moving into war and a nation-building role in Afghanistan and Iraq; and then dealing with terrorism in his own city of London. This is powerful, serious and thought provoking stuff that should not suffer the indignity of being thought of along party political lines. Naturally it can???t all be about international events, and it would be impractical for Tony Blair to write an autobiography without dealing with domestic political issues, especially the troubled relationship with Gordon Brown. However these issues are dealt with in a way that is not at all onerous for listeners from outside the UK and actually provides an interesting perspective on politics generally, that politically savvy listeners from many other countries will find much to identify with. Finally, Blair makes no attempt to disguise areas that he felt were not his proudest moments, and this balanced approach lends an essential credibility to his story that would severely degrade the worth of this work if it were not present.

Blair at His Most Articulate

This book is an excellent and lively account of Tony Blair???s rise as leader and reformer of the British Labour party and his ten-year run as Prime Minister. He vividly describes his personal doubts, convictions and feelings at numerous points in that period. It is a revealing story of the never-ending pressures, demands, and difficult decisions faced by a modern political leader, The book also includes numerous insights and pithy remarks on modern-day politics and statecraft. Here is a good example: ???Politics today works by reference to paradigms of opinion that are formed, harden fast, and then become virtually unchallengeable. People have a short time to reflect and consider; issues are weighed quickly; little care is put into what goes on the scales and so judgements are made with a speed and severity that a more deliberate process would eschew. Once such judgements are made, stories are written that tend to reinforce the judgement. Stories to the contrary are ignored, until eventually to challenge the judgements is deemed almost delusional. Balance is an alien concept in today???s world. It wants opinions that are certain and are made fast.???

I recall during the Iraq War that I felt the most articulate advocates of the US Administration???s policy were Colin Powell, Don Rumsfeld and ??? Tony Blair. This book reinforces my view that the most articulate of the three was Blair.

Excellent experience!

Would you consider the audio edition of A Journey to be better than the print version?

Absolutely! Blair is a very good reader and his voice makes the story even more lively.

Quite frank & revealing.

I enjoyed this. Mr Blair reads the book in a way that is easy on the ear. Even if one is not aware of the main characters that he talks about he writes in a style that gives one a sense of politics involved.

Unlike anything I've ever heard - I want more!

In the opening chapter of this book, I immediately realized this book was going to be an entirely different experience. Hearing Tony Blair read aloud about just how starkly (and secretly) terrified he was upon winning his initial landslide election was honest and thrilling. When he describes his initial meeting with the queen (‘You are my tenth prime minister. Winston Churchill was my first’) you can’t help but grin as you gain the vicarious feeling of what it must have been like to assume the reins of power.

As the book unfolds, Blair does not lose his way. He continues to articulate both the amusing side of life as a world leader (The time his son got drunk and was arrested on the eve of his big speech on antisocial behavior) as well as articulate in clear detail his controversial and visionary decisions (Why Iraq? Why Afghanistan? How did New Labor come to be?) I’ve never heard of any other case where a world leader took the time to give you such a person tour of their time in power.

By the end of the book, I came away with a few confident conclusions. 1) Tony Blair is a deep and nuanced thinker, open to new ideas and able to clearly formulate a vision for leadership in the 21st century. 2) If you think you have all the answers on what ought to have been done over the last 10 years, it is a bit trickier than you might imagine. 3) Tony Blair is on my top 10 list of people I’d love to have a beer with and knowing that is not likely to happen I was so glad I listened to this book.