Before the Light Fades

'A fascinating story of courage, doubt and defiance across three generations' — SARAH WATERS

'A fierce and beautiful book' — EDMUND DE WAAL

'Heartfelt and upfront... A grieving daughter rediscovers her mother's political past' — BLAKE MORRISON, Guardian

'A compelling reconstruction of her mother's life as a young anti-nuclear activist defying her suburban parents' — CATHERINE TAYLOR, Financial Times

'Eloquent, piercing, gloriously humane' — PHILIPPE SANDS

After the sudden death of her mother at age 75, Natasha Walter was thrown into a time of bewilderment and sadness.

It was only when she began to search back through Ruth's history that she began to understand how her life led to death by her own hand. She learns that Ruth had been brought up to be a conventional young woman, but chose to take huge risks and even break the law for her beliefs in the nuclear disarmament movement of the 1960s.

Reaching further back, she explores the history of Ruth's parents and the story of her grandfather who, as part of the anti-Nazi resistance in the 1930s in Germany, was imprisoned for three years and then went on the run across Europe, finally finding safety in England.

Honest about loss, this memoir also searches for what is valuable in the legacy of a family who lived through some of the great crises of the twentieth century. Without false hope, and with honest passion, Natasha Walter shows us why, even when success is far from assured, it is always important to stand up for what you believe.

Before the Light Fades is a memoir of love and legacy, exploring the courage and convictions that echo through generations.