Colin Powell is the embodiment of the American dream. He was born in Harlem to immigrant parents from Jamaica. He knew the rough life of the streets. He overcame a barely average start at school. Then he joined the Army. The rest is history. Here, for the first time, Colin Powell tells us how it happened in a memoir that is distinguished by a heartfelt love of country and family, good humour and a soldier's directness. Colin Powell writes of his anxieties and difficulties as well as the triumphs that marked his rise to four-star General, National Security Advisor, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and mastermind of 'Desert Storm'. Moving between the Army and high positions in both Republican and Democratic Administrations, Colin Powell has a unique perspective. As an active soldier, he has experienced the sharp end of political decision in Washington. As an advisor to four Presidents, he has seen how policy is shaped and has shaped it himself. Colin Powell gives us behind-the-scenes portraits of Presidents Reagan, Bush and Clinton, of Stormin' Norman Schwartzkopf, of Margaret Thatcher, John Major and many others. This is a book of political excitement and disclosure, but it is much more. A Soldier's Way reveals General Powell's passionate beliefs in family and personal responsibility. It is an account of an adventure that has not run its course. It is a history with an intense personal vision. -- Back cover.