‘I sat down and began to prepare myself for an ordeal. I made three resolutions to support me through whatever was to come: no regrets, no false sentimentality, no self-pity.’

In his prison cell Terry Waite wrote his autobiography in his head. This is it, his own heart-rending account of how he survived for 1,763 days in captivity, almost four years of which were in solitary confinement. He tells of his constant struggle to maintain his faith and of the inner strength which which helped him endure the savage treatment he received from his captors.

Above all it was his recollections of his life from childhood onward which gave him the will to keep going. Beginning with his humble upbringing as the son of a village policeman through to his years in the dangerous role of adviser to the first African Archbishop in Idi Amin’s Uganda and his work in Rome as consultant to religious communities, Terry goes on to recall his emergence on the world stage during his time as the Archbishop of Canterbury’s envoy.

A humanitarian in his own right, he became a negotiator for hostages in Tehran and Libya and with the kidnappers of the Beirut hostages, including his fateful involvement with Oliver North and George Bush and leading finally to his own captivity.

This classic account of man’s survival at the limits of human endurance now includes an updated foreword and new final chapter exploring some of the many encounters over the years that have only strengthened Terry’s resolve in the face of the unfolding humanitarian disaster in the Middle East.