The Course of My Life: The Autobiography of Edward Heath Book

Edward Heath's autobiography is at times oddly impersonal; much of its emotional force has to do with a passion for setting the record straight. The son of a small builder, his Conservatism defined itself early on through his patriotism and passion for self-improvement. His travels in Europe as a young man filled him with a dread of the Nazis and he had, as they say, a good war. Just as his time in charge of firing squads put him off capital punishment, so the war made him a determined European; his premiership failed in many ways, but he did succeed in getting Britain into Europe. His opposition to recent Conservative leaders is less the personal pique sometimes alleged than a determination not to see his legacy destroyed. His resolution not to let the Eurosceptics rewrite history sometimes bogs his story down in repetitive score-settling; given the charge of disloyalty so often made against him, it is legitimate that he establish his credentials. At the book's occasional best, he shows a dry humour and an unexpected sense of his own absurdity; there are some surprising vignettes as well, like Fidel Castro drunkenly ranting about his hero- worship of Winston Churchill, and Enoch Powell promising to break an NHS strike by importing Jamaican nurses. --Roz KaveneyRead More