''My Life'' is the autobiography of the first female Prime Minister of Israel,
Golda Meir
Golda Meir (; 3 May 1898 – 8 December 1978) was the prime minister of Israel, serving from 1969 to 1974. She was Israel's first and only female head of government.
Born into a Jewish family in Kyiv, Kiev, Russian Empire (present-day Ukraine) ...
. The book was first published by
Weidenfeld & Nicolson
Weidenfeld & Nicolson Ltd (established 1949), often shortened to W&N or Weidenfeld, is a British publisher of fiction and reference books. It has been a division of the French-owned Orion Publishing Group since 1991.
History
George Weidenfeld ...
with the title ''A Land of our own'' and later by
G. P. Putnam's Sons in 1975. The first German translation was published 1973 by the Scherz Verlag in
Bern
Bern (), or Berne (), ; ; ; . is the ''de facto'' Capital city, capital of Switzerland, referred to as the "federal city".; ; ; . According to the Swiss constitution, the Swiss Confederation intentionally has no "capital", but Bern has gov ...
.
Reception
The book became a ''
New York Times
''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...
''
best-seller
A bestseller is a book or other media noted for its top selling status, with bestseller lists published by newspapers, magazines, and book store chains. Some lists are broken down into classifications and specialties (novel, nonfiction book, cookb ...
. Its title is a double-entendre; It refers to both a life story and a well-known Jewish term of endearment. The book was well received by
Kirkus Reviews
''Kirkus Reviews'' is an American book review magazine founded in 1933 by Virginia Kirkus. The magazine's publisher, Kirkus Media, is headquartered in New York City. ''Kirkus Reviews'' confers the annual Kirkus Prize to authors of fiction, no ...
who described the book as "both frank and very revealing of her personality and goals. Her total lack of pretense is especially winning. Meir's practical idealism can be seen in efforts as diverse as the beautification of kibbutzim and her strong advocacy of unemployment benefits. The work that 'most concerned and interested me,' she writes, was 'the translation of socialist principles into the down-to-earth terminology of everyday life.' Although the political events narrated are well known they are recounted with drama and spirit. Don't mistake this for just chicken soup with riposte-noodles: it's a model of its kind and a sure crowd-pleaser."
[''My Life by Golda Meir'' (book review). Kirkus Reviews. 1975]
Contents
''List of illustrations'' ix
*1. My childhood (1)
*2. A political adolescence (16)
*3. I choose Palestine (36)
*4. The start of a new life (56)
*5. Pioneers and problems (77)
*6. 'We shall fight Hitler' (103)
*7. The struggle against the British (131)
*8. We have our state (164)
*9. Minister to Moscow (201)
*10. The right to exist (234)
*11. African and other friendships (263)
*12. We are alone (291)
*13. The prime minister (318)
*14. The Yom Kippur War (353)
*15. The end of the road (382)
''Index'' (391)
References
{{reflist
1973 non-fiction books
Political autobiographies
Israeli autobiographies
Weidenfeld & Nicolson books
G. P. Putnam's Sons books
Books about Israel
Books about Zionism
Golda Meir