Albanese

The moving personal story behind the very public political face of Labor's Anthony Albanese, written with the cooperation of Albo. As much a window on the recent turbulent years of politics u from the man who was often in the middle of the room where everything was happening, and who became the Deputy Prime Minister u as a heartbreakingly personal story of family and belonging. Anthony Albanese ( Albo') was brought up by a fiercely protective mother, Maryanne, whom he adored. Like any loving mother, she was driven to help her son to succeed, to put her life on hold and sacrifice everything she had to support him and help him become the very best version of himself he could be.

Her belief in him was absolute, and she played the part of both mother and father to him. Until he was 14 years old Anthony believed that his father had married his mother, but had died in an accident before he was born. At the age of 14 she finally sat him down and told him the truth ...This is a moving story of a politician who really believes. It is the story not only of the tough game of politics from an insider who lives it, but also of family secrets and a mother's sacrifices for her so

About the Author

Karen Middleton is a Canberra-based freelance journalist, writer and broadcaster who has covered national and international affairs for almost 30 years. Her first book, An Unwinnable War - Australia in Afghanistan, was published in 2011 and tells the political back story to our longest military conflict - how John Howard's presence in Washington DC on September 11, 2001, led to Australia spending the next decade at war. Karen was Chief Political Correspondent for SBS television for 10 years and before that was Political Editor for The West Australian and Foreign Affairs and Defence Correspondent for The Age.

She is a regular panellist on ABC TV's Insiders program and on ABC radio, a commentator on Radio New Zealand and Monocle 24 radio in the UK and currently contributes to the BBC online, the ABC's The Drum online and The Australian Women's Weekly magazine in print and online. Karen has been a past contributor to The New York Times, CNBC and al Jazeera. She is also an occasional lecturer at the Australian Defence Force Academy, University of New South Wales, in its Executive Education Program.