Madam Prime Minister: A Life in Power and Politics - Hardcover

Brundtland, Gro Harlem

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0374167168 ISBN 13: 9780374167165

Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2002

Synopsis

One of the world's leading woman politicians tells her inspiring story

At forty-one, Gro Harlem Brundtland, physician and mother of four, was appointed prime minister of Norway-the youngest person and the first woman ever to hold that office. In this refreshingly forthright memoir, Brundtland traces her unusual and meteoric career. She grew up with strong role models-her parents were active in the Norwegian resistance and involved in postwar politics. She became known as a pro-choice crusader in the seventies and entered politics as the minister of the environment. She appointed eight women to her second eighteen-member cabinet, to this day a world record, and was the leading figure in the process that led to the Earth Summit in Rio in 1992. As director-general of the World Health Organization since 1997, Brundtland is the first woman elected to run a major UN institution. Along the way, she met a host of international politicians, including Margaret Thatcher-who did not share Brundtland's view on feminism-Mikhail Gorbachev, Nelson Mandela, Ronald Reagan, and Hillary Clinton.

Brundtland writes candidly and with humor about raising children in the political limelight and about dealing with political opposition and stereotypes about women. Hers is a fascinating story of one person's ability to make a difference-globally.

About this title

About the Author:

Gro Harlem Brundtland, born in Oslo in 1939, served three terms as Prime Minister of Norway between 1981 and 1996. She founded and led the influential U.N. Commission on the Environment and Development, and is currently the Director General of the World Health Organization. She lives in Geneva, Switzerland.

From Publishers Weekly:

Brundtland was a fixture in Norwegian politics for 22 years. She twice served as prime minister, her final tenure from 1986 to 1996, and also served as leader of the socialist Labor Party. As she recounts here, while prime minister she crossed paths and occasionally swords with her influential contemporaries: Reagan, Bush and Clinton; Gorbachev and Yeltsin; Margaret Thatcher and John Major; and Nelson Mandela. Her familiarity with these leaders, her surprisingly worldwide political profile and her feminist worldview create an enlightening autobiography that offers a European perspective on key international issues, including nuclear weapons and disarmament, the environment and economic development. More novel to American readers than her European perspective is Brundtland's socialist politics and her views on the responsibilities of government. The extremely detailed descriptions of Norwegian politics and politicians, however, will sometimes overwhelm non-Norwegians. The last chapters deal with Brundtland's successful campaign to be Director General of the U.N.'s World Health Organization and her analysis of world health problems. The writing style is plain and direct, virtually devoid of even modest rhetorical devices. But she is thoughtful, straightforward and unflinching, even when describing heartbreaking family tragedies. There are occasional flashes of self-deprecatory humor and much introspection. The overall effect is to create a sense of intimacy between Brundtland and readers, who will find her a remarkable woman, open about the development of her political philosophy and, within the bounds of her natural reticence, about her personal life. 8 pages of b&w photos not seen by PW.
Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

About this edition

• Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux
• Publication date: 2002
• ISBN 10: 0374167168
• ISBN 13: 9780374167165
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 368