Everand Logo

Welcome to Everand!

  • Discover millions of ebooks, audiobooks, and so much more with a free trial

    Only $11.99/month after trial. Cancel anytime.

    Never Learn to Type: A Woman at the United Nations
    Never Learn to Type: A Woman at the United Nations
    Never Learn to Type: A Woman at the United Nations
    Ebook549 pages11 hours

    Never Learn to Type: A Woman at the United Nations

    By Margaret Joan Anstee

    2/5

    ()

    Read preview

    About this ebook

    A fascinating account of a remarkable life that took the author, through hard work and determination, from rural England to the highest ranks of the United Nations

    Dame Margaret Anstee was born in the 1920s to a poor family in rural Essex. With the support of her parents and through her own determination, she graduated from Cambridge with first class honours, and entered the Foreign Office where she worked with the spy Donald Maclean shortly before his defection with Guy Burgess.

    Her career here ended as was customary at the time, when she married a diplomat and was posted to Singapore. As the marriage began to fail Margaret accepted a job at the United Nations in order to earn her fare back to England.

    It was the start of a career that was to push the boundaries at every step. She became the first woman to be posted to her beloved South America, where she drove through the Andes in her VW Beetle, she headed up the first Government think tank during Harold Wilson’s Government and she was the first woman to break the glass ceiling at the United Nations.

    Dame Margaret Anstee served the United Nations for four decades, both at the New York Headquarters and in some of the poorest countries of the world attempting to help the victims of war, poverty and natural disasters. Throughout this time Dame Margaret has worked relentlessly to overcome the inequalities between the developed and developing world, a battle that she considers essential for the survival of both worlds.

    • The first and only woman ever to reach this powerful position within the United Nations.
    • Exciting, insightful and, on occasion humorous, travel writing as the author journeys through South America, Africa and the Far East.
    • Charming account of village life and that of a young academic in Cambridge in the 1930s and 1940s.
    • Gives an insight into the workings of the United Nations and the challenges faced both in conflict resolution and health and education programs.
    • Features lively and amusing anecdotes with a cast of characters that includes many of the world’s leaders, from Che Guevara to Margaret Thatcher as well as special appearances by MI6 and the CIA, set against a global backdrop.

    Praise for Never Learn to Type:

    "Her achievements are truly inspirational."
    —The Rt Hon. Jack Straw MP, Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs

    "The preamble of the UN Charter announces the commitment... to... reaffirm the faith in the fundamental dignity and worth of the human person.... No one has lived for these principles more selflessly or diligently than Margaret Anstee. Her life... is inspirational, and her story is highly recommended."
    —Jimmy Carter, Former President of the United States of America (awarded Nobel Peace Prize in 2002)

    "...a true pioneer of the international community... an account of a rich and fascinating life, as well as the kind of insight only the insider can provide into the nature of conflict, development and the work for peace."
    —Kofi A. Annan, Secretary-General of the United Nations

    "...a remarkable and entertaining account of her adventures in many parts of the world."
    —Boutros Boutros-Ghali, Former Secretary-General of the United Nations

    "...she became, with all my support and pleasure, the first woman Under Secretary-General."
    —Javier Pérez de Cuéllar, Former Secretary-General of the United Nations

    "An extraordinary book about an extraordinary life.... A story written with wit, charm and affection.... Thank God she never learned to type but learned to think and care!
    —Gonzalo Sánchez de Lozada, President of Bolivia

    "A truly absorbing account of achievement and adventure, by a remarkable woman... she engages and holds the reader's attention from beginning to end."
    —The Rt Hon. The Lord Howe of Aberavon CH QC<

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherWiley
    Release dateJan 21, 2005
    ISBN9780470864609
    Never Learn to Type: A Woman at the United Nations

    Related to Never Learn to Type

    Related ebooks

    Women's Biographies For You

    View More
    View More

    Related podcast episodes

    Related articles

    • Article

      Opinion Letters

      Jun 18, 2021

      A potent view of Palestine from a Jewish perspective Congratulations on publishing the true history of the Nakba (A Jewish case for Palestinian refugee return, 28 May), particularly convincing since written by a Jewish editor. The British are also re

      3 min read

    • Article

      Books

      Oct 15, 2020

      by Ian Cobain (Granta Books, ISBN 9781846276408) granta.com For those of us not living on the island of Ireland, it has been all too easy since the 1998 Good Friday Agreement to wash our hands of the Troubles. Now, the looming likelihood of a no-deal

      4 min read

    • Article

      Free Speech

      Apr 7, 2024

      Free Speech
      4 min read

    • Article

      The Best Nonfiction Books of 2019

      Nov 23, 2019

      The Best Nonfiction Books of 2019
      7 min read

    • Article

      President Donald J. Trump Proclaims March 2017 as Women's History Month

      Mar 5, 2017

      WOMEN'S HISTORY MONTH, 2017 - - - - - - - BY THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA A PROCLAMATION We are proud of our Nation's achievements in promoting women's full participation in all aspects of American life and are resolute in our co

      2 min read

    • Article

      Icons

      Sep 25, 2020

      Icons
      13 min read

    • Article

      Icons

      Sep 25, 2020

      Icons
      13 min read

    • Article

      Letters

      Sep 24, 2021

      Twenty years after 9/11, we are still struggling to comprehend the enormity of such a heartless and malicious attack (Big story, 10 September). That was a ruthless onslaught on everything our human family stands for: peace, openness, tolerance, equal

      3 min read

    • Article

      Books

      Jun 26, 2023

      Books
      6 min read

    • Article

      Pioneers

      Sep 17, 2021

      Pioneers
      11 min read

    • Article

      In Praise Of Diffcult Women

      Mar 3, 2020

      Growing up as a resolute tomboy with my nose constantly stuck in a book, having the words “Be good, sweet maid, and let who will be clever/Do noble things, not dream them all day long” quoted at me, really rankled. This was NOT the girl (embodied by

      2 min read

    • Article

      Pioneers

      Sep 17, 2021

      Pioneers
      12 min read

    • Article

      Letters

      Oct 29, 2020

      I read with interest about Captain Francis Grose and his contribution to the English language (My History Hero, November). However, Captain Grose also had a hand in creating one of Scotland’s most famous literary figures, Tam O’Shanter by Robert Burn

      6 min read

    • Article

      Letters

      May 28, 2021

      Jonathan Freedland gives a typically perceptive analysis of the Israel-Gaza situation (Opinion, 21 May). He acknowledges that the incendiary moves in Jerusalem and its holy sites have “provoked this latest crisis” and explains that Benjamin Netanyahu

      3 min read

    • Article

      Titans

      Apr 15, 2023

      Titans
      8 min read

    • Article

      Titans

      Apr 14, 2023

      Titans
      8 min read

    • Article

      A Century Redefined

      Mar 6, 2020

      A Century Redefined
      4 min read

    • Article

      Women On The Road

      Sep 2, 2022

      Women On The Road
      2 min read

    • Article

      Lest Darkness Fall

      Oct 16, 2023

      Lest Darkness Fall
      5 min read

    • Article

      2023 American Women Quarter Honorees Named

      Apr 15, 2022

      The honorees to be featured on the 2023 American Women quarters were announced by the U.S. Mint on March 30. They are Maria Tallchief, Edith Kanaka‘ole, Eleanor Roosevelt, Jovita Idar and Bessie Coleman. Details follow. Bessie Coleman: Pilot, advoca

      1 min read

    • Article

      Icons

      Apr 14, 2023

      Icons
      10 min read

    • Article

      Icons

      Apr 15, 2023

      Icons
      10 min read

    Related categories

    Reviews for Never Learn to Type

    2/5

    3 ratings0 reviews

    What did you think?

    Tap to rate

    Review must be at least 10 words

      Book preview

      Never Learn to Type - Margaret Joan Anstee

      Enjoying the preview?
      Page 1 of 1