Alva Myrdal: A Daughter's Memoir

Bok ( Secrets ) here offers a loving and candid memoir of her mother, the Swedish diplomat and Nobel Peace Prize winner whose dedication to nuclear disarmament led one of her colleagues at the U.N. to describe her as ``the conscience of the disarmament movement.'' Born and raised in rural Sweden, Myrdal (1902-1986) struggled for the right to further her education beyond grade school. After she graduated from Stockholm University she went on, in her writing, teaching and work for the Swedish government and the U.N., to challenge prevailing notions about raising and educating children, the role of women in society, and the responsibility of developed countries in extending prosperity and democracy to the Third World. She frequently collaborated with her husband, economist Gunnar Myrdal; their book Crisis in the Population Question helped kindle the debate that led to the formation of the Swedish welfare state. Bok reveals that while her parents' marriage appeared a perfect partnership, her mother made many compromises--later regretted--for the sake of her husband's career. This is an inspiring and engaging account of one of the most remarkable women of the 20th century. (June)