Norwegian good.

• Author: Crittenden, Ann

REALLY WANTED TO LIKE THIS book. The. author, Gro Harlem Brundtland, was the first female Prime Minister of Norway, and is currently director-general of the World Health Organization, the first woman elected to head a major U.N. institution. More to the point, Brundtland, a physician who raised four children, is a social democrat who fought tirelessly for the pro-choice and family friendly policies that have made Scandanavia a model for women's advocates around the world.

What stories this woman could tell! How did she ever manage to combine all of her accomplishments with the responsibilities of a large family? Just exactly how did the progressive social policies, of which she is so proud come about? After all, Norway has a strong conservative party. How was the country persuaded to accept a progressive welfare state, including, in 1993, a paid maternity leave of one year, with tour weeks reserved for the father? And in 1994, the right of parents to take six months of that leave in the form of six-hour days on full pay until the child is almost three years old?

Readers looking for thoughtful reflection on these and other issues will be disappointed. Brundtland's autobiography is like those of so many other dignitaries, particularly those who are still in public positions and have every reason not to burn any bridges. The book is a compendium of"I did this, I did that; I flew here, I flew there; I worked on this commission, then that one, and we received accolades for our report." The author provides ample details on the ins and outs of her ups and downs in Norwegian politics from the 1970s to the 1990s, which may be of great interest to her Norwegian readers, but are as gripping to most Americans as reading the phone book. One has to wonder if this is what we can expect from the memoirs of Hillary Clinton, another consummately public woman whose similarities are striking. (The two met in Washington in 1993, during Hillary's attempt to reform American health care. Brundtland reports that "her attitudes in many respects echoed my own social-democratic approach.")

The book's lack of analysis may be a reflection of Brundtland's personality. She presents herself--convincingly--as a forthright straight-shooter, blessedly self-assured. Her self-portrait borders on self-righteousness. She is always on the side of truth and justice; readers will search in vain for the usual excruciating compromises and lesser evils that more mortal politicians are...