Not for turning: the life of Margaret Thatcher by Robin Harris
Transworld Publishers, 2013. ISBN 9780593072868.
(Age: 17+) Margaret Thatcher overcame many challenges to become not
only the Leader of the Conservative Party but also Britain's first
female Prime Minister, and the longest serving British Prime Minster
in the twentieth century. These challenges included the Falklands
war, a terrorist attack on the British Cabinet and economic woes
within Britain whilst in power. Robin Harris delves into Margaret
Thatcher's personal life as well as her political career in
portraying her as a driven and passionate individual. Her entry into
the male dominated British Parliament is one of the fascinating
aspects of this book, highlighting her intellectual strengths and
courage. Despite being her speechwriter and close advisor Robin
Harris has written a balanced and objective account of Margaret
Thatcher's successes and failures as a politician and person. Her
interactions involving international affairs and with other world
leaders as British Prime Minister were comprehensively highlighted
and in the case of General Pinochet, a united Europe and Bosnia,
demonstrated her commitment to truth and justice and overwhelming
loyalty to those causes she strongly believed in. Margaret Thatcher
remained involved in politics after leaving office in 1990, however
sadly her intellectual drive and passion to bring about change were
severely curtailed not only by opposition from within the party she
once led and personal money worries but also due to her Alzheimer's.
The only downside to Not for turning: the life of Margaret
Thatcher was the demanding vocabulary used which detracted
somewhat from the overall flow of the writing itself. Recommended
for university or senior school students studying politics and
women's studies as a thought-provoking introduction to Margaret
Thatcher; a formidable presence in British and world politics.
Tara Burton