Jim Berryman met Sting more than two decades before he was "An Englishman in New York," when he was just Gordon Sumner—fellow reluctant Newcastle schoolboy. Both had a cynical sense of humor and a shared sense of bewilderment at the incomprehensible antics of their Catholic teachers, forming the basis for a friendship that would last even as they left the institution and took radically different paths. As Sting became enormously successful, his friend realized that the blunt, well-grounded fellow slacker he used to know still lurked under the popular public perception of the crusading superstar. Jim reveals for the first time the roots of Sting's incredible climb to international fame and fortune, a story that's intertwined with Jim's own sometimes tough struggle to make his way, related with humor and irreverence. The only person to write about Sting with the perspective of a 40-year friendship, Jim shows a side to Sting that will be a revelation to even his most ardent fans.