During the years of apartheid rule in South Africa, the auhtor was actively involved with the banned ANC, its military wing Umkhonto we Sizwe and the South African Communist Party. Hunted by the security police, he was described by them as “Armed and dangerous.” This is his account of the tense and dramatic years of the liberation struggle followed by his role in the first ten years of a democratic South Africa in which he first served as Deputy Defence Minister (1994-1999) and then as Minister of Water Affairs and Forestry (1999-2004).

Originally published in 1993, Kasrils has added eight new chapters and many new photographs for this updated edition.