Investigates the inner man, including Karol Wojtyla's life before he became Pope and his friendships with men and women. This book follows his life, from his birth in Poland in 1920, through the losses that shaped his childhood, the assassination attempt in 1981, and his public confrontations on the world stage, right up until his death. 'A distinctive, insightful and enjoyable book ... conveys a freshness and reverent iconoclasm in his portrait of John Paul'