A Life

Simone Veil was born Simone Jacob in 1927. This memoir describes a childhood of happiness and innocence in Nice that came to an abrupt end in 1944 when, at the age of 17, she was deported to Auschwitz. Her moth, father and brother all died in captivity. After the war she became Minister for Health in the government of Jacques Chirac where she fought to introduce a law to legalise abortion. Veil was later elected the first President of the European Parliament before returning to the French government as the Minister for Social Affairs. One of France's most beloved political figures, Simone Veil was widely admired for her personal and political courage.