cover image The Time of My Life

The Time of My Life

Denis Healey. W. W. Norton & Company, $29.95 (606pp) ISBN 978-0-393-02875-1

Healey, one of the leaders of Britain's Labor Party for more than 40 years and who only narrowly missed becoming Prime Minister, is a type of politician unfortunately rare on this side of the Atlantic. Born in humble circumstances, educated at Oxford, rising by ability and absorbing a profound knowledge of music, art and literature along the way (how many American politicians could open chapters in their books with relevant quotes from Yeats, Auden, Blake and Emily Dickinson?), he shows himself in these very expansive and often gripping memoirs as a man of great humor and compassion. Political testimonies do not automatically sell better in Britain than here, and the fact that this one sold very well indeed is tribute to Healey's frankness, knack for a good story and lucid accounts of many of today's major controversies: nuclear disarmament, East-West relations, dealings with the Third World, the creation of a humane society. In turn Foreign Secretary and Chancellor of the Exchequer, Healey has been near the center of power in Britain for much of the post-World War II era, and offers extraordinarily interesting observations on American leaders and policies of the period. It would be impossible to read his book without learning a great deal about the realities of contemporary politics--and acquiring an affection for a compelling personality. Photos. (Oct.)