Joseph Grima’s book of memoirs, Memories from the Front Line, provides exceptional insight into the development of the public service over a 50-year period, from 1956 to 2005, covering the most important events in Malta’s history. His career spanned from serving a colonial government to direct rule from the UK, to serving the government of independent Malta, as it moved from a constitutional monarchy to a Republic and eventually to membership of the European Union. As a true public servant, he served loyally without ulterior motives other than the good of Malta, five prime ministers, each one having one’s own political agenda. He does have the enviable quality of being able to deal with persons of different characters and personalities without losing his composure. The autobiography shows that he was very good at managing relations between the holders of political office and the public service without creating unnecessary friction. The various events in Malta’s political history each brought about its challenges and its process of change. Moreover, the change of prime ministers also brought about change. Experiencing such change from “the front line”, as Grima describes it, must...