This is an unusual piece of writing by a Third World civil servant on his life and times. Its candour, depth of emotion and understanding and wide-ranging coverage on an international scale give it a distinct flavour. It also reveals a large number of startling facts hitherto unknown to the public. This book is an essential reading in understanding how economy, society, polity and administration actually work in a Third World country. In order to make it reader-friendly to both Bangladeshi and foreign audience, the book includes not only glossaries of local words and abbreviations, subject and name indexes but also end notes.

There are three parts of this book. The first part of the book consists of three chapters: The Environment of my Childhood (1945-1961), Life in Dhaka University (1962—1966) and Transition to Manhood (1966-1970). The second part consists of three chapters, namely Before, During and After the War of Liberation (1970-1973), Between Academic Pursuits and Practical Work (1973-1980) and Back to the Civil Service (1980-1991). The third part also contains three chapters, namely My First Term in PM’s Office and after (1991-2001), My Second Term in PM’s Office and After (2001-2011) and Whatever is Left of this Life