From the boxing clubs and street-markets of 1970s East London to Hollywood's red carpets - the knockout autobiography by one of Britain's best-loved actors

Ray Winstone's amazing talent for bringing out the humanity buried inside his often brutal screen characters - violent offender in Scum, wife-beater in Nil by Mouth, retired blagger in Sexy Beast - has made him one of the most charismatic actors of his generation. But how do these uncompromising and often haunting performances square with his off-duty reputation as the ultimate salt-of-the-earth diamond geezer?

The answer lies in the East End of his youth. Revisiting the bomb-sites and boozers of his childhood and adolescence, Ray Winstone takes the reader on an unforgettable tour of a cockney heartland which is at once irresistibly mythic and undeniably real. Told with its author's trademark blend of brutal directness and roguish wit, Young Winstone offers a fascinating insight into the social history of East London, as well as a school of hard knocks coming-of-age story with a powerful emotional punch.

"A gripping insight into his youth . . . For fans of his violent turns in Scum, Nil by Mouth or Sexy Beast, this is a perfect literary counterpart. For everyone else, it's an engaging portrait of a boy done good" - * Telegraph *

"Brilliant . . . Young Winstone is a must-read" - * Shortlist *

"As much about London as his nascent career. Ray made such an impression in Scum that I still remember his prison number, and he is just as vivid on his formative years, losing his virginity at 14 standing up by the mini-golf, and generally running riot around Mile End. There'll be another volume, I hope" - * Independent on Sunday, Best books on film in 2014 *

"Worth a read for anyone who enjoys Ray's cheeky charms" - * Empire *