Overview

Veil, the former French politician who became first President of the European Union, was born Simone Jacob in 1927. In her long-awaited memoir, she describes in vivid detail a time of happiness and innocence spent in Nice where she grew up. This happy time came to an abrupt end in 1944, when at the age of 17, her family was deported to the camps. Her mother, father and brother all died in captivity. With undeterred resolve, she studied law and political science and became Minister for Health (1974- 1979) in the government of Jacques Chirac where her hardest political fight was to introduce the law to legalize abortion. She was elected the first female President of the European Parliament (1979-1985) and returned to French government as Minister for Social Affairs (1993-1995). In 1998, aged 70, she received an honorary damehood (DBE) from the British Government for her contributions to humanity. Veil, one of France's most beloved political figures, is admired for her personal and political courage, and enjoys respect from all political spectrums. Her memoir is a sincere and candid account of an extraordinary life and career, which reflect her humanity and determination to improve social standards at home and maintain economical and political stability in Europe.

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9781906598235

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'This is a riveting memoir by an extraordinary woman. With exemplary forthrightness, Simone Veil charts her trajectory from her pre-war childhood in a secular Jewish family in Nice, through the misery of her year in Auschwitz and into the cut and thrust of French and European politics. This document of a life is also a compact history of post-war France.' -- Lisa Appignanesi 'The life story is a debased genre, but occasionally someone writes one who actually has something to say. Simone Veil is one of those... the small publishing firm Haus is to be congratulated on making available in English this account of a great Frenchwoman's life.' -- Denis McShane The Observer Simone Veil is probably best-known in France for having guided into being the 1975 law legalising abortion...30 years later, thi monumental achievement remains controversial in some circles...shamefully, the head of the Union of Orthodox Rabbis of the United States and Canada, in a letter to the Polish President in 2005 opposing her presence at the 60th anniversary commemorations of the liberation of Auschwitz, said that Veil 'was to be held responsible for a mass-murder of human life far exceeding' that of the Nazis. -- Natasha Lehrer The JC (Jewish Chronicle) 20101218

Author Information

Minister for Health (1974 - 1979), during which she introduced the law to legalize abortion in 1975. She was elected first female President of the European Parliament (1979 -1982) and Minister of State for Social Affairs (1993-1995). In 1998, aged 70, she received an honorary damehood (DBE) from the British government for her contributions to humanity.

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