Hailed as an honest, candid political memoir in a genre more often characterized by slick, self-serving campaign biographies, this book captures Barbara Lee's extraordinary life and political career from her early upbringing in El Paso, Texas, through her years in Oakland, California, with the Black Panther Party, to her service in the U.S. Congress. In a new Afterword to the paper edition, Lee pays tribute to the Congressional Black Caucus, for which she serves as chair during the 111th Congress, and reflects on the challenges that continue to face our nation at home and abroad.

"Barbara Lee's honest, personal, and very American story will inspire every reader plus generations of young leaders. Yes, Robert Kennedy, Martin Luther King Jr., and others have led us by their public examples; but in showing us the links between public and private life, Barbara Lee ushers us into a new era that allows leaders to be whole people." - Gloria Steinem

"Most memoirs by Members of Congress are safe, tepid retellings of hardscrabble upbringings or glossing-over of troubled pasts. Not so in the candid new book by Rep. Barbara Lee, which delves into raw emotional territory from the California Democrat's past, including a secret marriage, a clandestine abortion, an abusive marriage and even an LSD trip forced upon her by her violent ex-husband....Still, the story ends in triumph, and Lee remembers her career in the House and the support, both public and private, that she's gotten for her controversial stance as the sole Member of Congress who voted against the use of force after the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001. We do love a happy ending." - Roll Call, July 2008

"Her passion for public service brought her into the orbit of the Black Panther Party and later more mainstream politics as she developed her iconoclastic views on how to serve. She details the challenges of getting ahead in politics, relying on a strong faith, and maintaining the courage to stand up for what she thinks is right." - Booklist

"A refreshingly frank self-examination by a public figure." - Contra Costa Times, "Public Lawmaker Shows her Private Side" from November 12, 2008

"It's striking to read....Lee's story, told in an earnest, almost reticent way, is startling: who would have thought that this person who has at times been vilified as a left-wing radical is trying to live what she was taught by nuns and in her Methodist Sunday school?" - Shelf Awareness, November 2008

"If you enjoy a good biography or if you're a political junkie, you'll love this book. Renegade for Peace & Justice is a book to pay attention to." - The Charlotte Post, December 2008

"Renegade For Peace And Justice: Congresswoman Barbara Lee Speaks For Me is the title of the most profound autobiography there is. Congresswoman Lee's life is an example to all—you can accomplish, you can stand. It is wonderful." - The Birmingham Times, January 2009