In My Own Name

by Maureen McTeer

At the age of 50, lawyer and activist Maureen McTeer takes stock of an incredibly eventful life. In a book that will be inspirational for women of all ages, McTeer shares the struggles and triumphs of a private person living in the public eye. Throughout her adult life, Maureen McTeer has played many roles, often lawyer, mother, author, public speaker, activist, parliamentary candidate, scholar, volunteer. Perhaps most visibly, she has been cast as the Political Wife, criticized for years by those who believed that keeping her name when she married Joe Clark was a sign she was not deferential enough to men. For the first time, In My Own Name tells Maureen McTeer's story. In a voice that is as entertaining, warm and funny as it is inspiring and insightful, she outlines the struggles and triumphs of what it means to work for justice and for equity, and to be her own woman in an era of extremely mixed messages. Born and raised in Ottawa, the twenty-year-old Maureen McTeer was already a seasoned political worker when she went to work for a young M.P. from Alberta, Joe Clark. By the time she was 22, they were married. While fulfilling the many duties of a politician's wife, McTeer also attended law school, and gave birth to her daughter, Catherine, in 1976. The following years would prove to be a time of personal and political highs and lows for the family. Following his sojourn at the pinnacle of Canadian political power, Joe Clark remained a dedicated Cabinet minister and parliamentarian, while McTeer continued to rise to new challenges in her career. In My Own Name is filled with personal stories that are often moving, and always revelatory. In her own "Complacency and self-satisfaction are not options for me in this next half of my life. They never were, and they never will be." "I have always been out of step, frowning upon the easy comfort of the status quo

336 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2003

Reviews

[Kryptonian Fletch · Rating 3 out of 5]

Best when she relates her experiences in the 1970's and 80's. After that, it seems 'padded'.

[Dorothy · Rating 2 out of 5]

I found this book to be hard going at times. I chose it as I had always admired Joe Clark as a political leader and wanted to know more about the people who surrounded him and Maureen McTeer's refusal to change her name took place around the same time I was married. I found her writing to be almost a grind to get through as it appeared in the first of the book,she was almost whining about the manner in which she was treated because of her decision about her name. She did have hard times within the Conservative Party and it was a difficult road that she travelled in terms of blazing trails within the role of women in society. I came away with a better appreciation of everything she has done, and attempted to do, to help citizens of Canada and the world, especially women, have a better quality of life. However, the book isn't one of my favourite reads this past month.