The education of an idealist : a memoir / Samantha Power.

Enhanced descriptions from Syndetics:

A NEW YORK TIMES, WALL STREET JOURNAL, AND USA TODAY BESTSELLER

An intimate, powerful, and galvanizing memoir by Pulitzer Prize winner, human rights advocate, and former US Ambassador to the UN Samantha Power. Named one of the best books of the year:

The New York Times * National Public Radio * Time * The Economist * The Washington Post * Vanity Fair * Christian Science Monitor * Publishers Weekly * Audible

"Her highly personal and reflective memoir . . . is a must-read for anyone who cares about our role in a changing world."--President Barack Obama

Includes an updated afterword

Tracing her distinctly American journey from immigrant to war correspondent to presidential Cabinet official, Samantha Power's acclaimed memoir is a unique blend of suspenseful storytelling, vivid character portraits, and shrewd political insight. After her critiques of US foreign policy caught the eye of Senator Barack Obama, he invited her to work with him on Capitol Hill and then on his presidential campaign. When Obama won the presidency, Power went from being an activist outsider to serving as his human rights adviser and, in 2013, becoming the youngest-ever US Ambassador to the United Nations. Power transports us from her childhood in Dublin to the streets of war-torn Bosnia to the White House Situation Room and the world of high-stakes diplomacy, offering a compelling and deeply honest look at navigating the halls of power while trying to put one's ideals into practice. Along the way, she lays bare the searing battles and defining moments of her life, shows how she juggled the demands of a 24/7 national security job with raising two young children, and makes the case for how we each can advance the cause of human dignity. This is an unforgettable account of the power of idealism--and of one person's fierce determination to make a difference.

"This is a wonderful book. [...] The interweaving of Power's personal story, family story, diplomatic history and moral arguments is executed seamlessly and with unblinking honesty."--THOMAS L. FRIEDMAN, The New York Times Book Review

"Truly engrossing...A pleasure to read."--RACHEL MADDOW

"A beautiful memoir about the times we're living in and the questions we must ask ourselves...I honestly couldn't put it down." --CHERYL STRAYED, author of Wild

"Power's compelling memoir provides critically important insights we should all understand as we face some of the most vexing issues of our time." --BRYAN STEVENSON, author of Just Mercy

Table of contents provided by Syndetics

• Preface (p. ix)
• Part 1 (p. 1)
• 1 Ireland (p. 3)
• 2 America (p. 16)
• 3 Loss (p. 24)
• 4 Dignity (p. 33)
• 5 Tank Man (p. 40)
• 6 Doers (p. 50)
• 7 Risk (p. 62)
• 8 Hearts of Darkness (p. 72)
• 9 "Tell Clinton" (p. 83)
• 10 The Secret to a Long Life (p. 93)
• 11 "Go Remember" (p. 107)
• 12 "A Problem from Hell" (p. 118)
• 13 Upstanders (p. 131)
• 14 Going to Washington (p. 144)
• 15 The Bat Cave (p. 157)
• 16 Yes We Can (p. 169)
• 17 Monster (p. 181)
• 18 Victory (p. 199)
• Part 2 (p. 209)
• 19 No Manual (p. 211)
• 20 Can We Go Home Now? (p. 224)
• 21 April 24 th (p. 234)
• 22 Turnaround (p. 247)
• 23 Toolbox (p. 266)
• 24 Revolutions (p. 283)
• 25 All Necessary Measures (p. 297)
• 26 Let's Pray They Accomplish Something (p. 312)
• 27 One Shot (p. 328)
• 28 "Can't Be Both" (p. 341)
• 29 The Red Line (p. 359)
• 30 "Chemical Weapons Were Used" (p. 372)
• 31 When America Sneezes (p. 391)
• 32 Upside-Down Land (p. 403)
• 33 Us and Them (p. 420)
• 34 'Freedom from Fear (p. 434)
• 35 Lean On (p. 458)
• 36 Toussaint (p. 471)
• 37 The Golden Door (p. 490)
• 38 Exit, Voice, Loyalty (p. 502)
• 39 Shrink the Change (p. 517)
• 40 The End (p. 528)
• Afterword (p. 543)
• Acknowledgments (p. 553)
• Notes (p. 557)
• Index (p. 569)

Reviews provided by Syndetics

Library Journal Review

Power (The Unquiet American) holds endowed chairs at both Harvard's Kennedy School and Law School, and received the 2003 Pulitzer Prize for A Problem from Hell: America in the Age of Genocide. She served as Barack Obama's special assistant for Multilateral Affairs and Human Rights (2009--13) and as U.S. ambassador to the United Nations (2013--17). Here, she presents an illuminating and engaging account of her journey from would-be sports journalist to award-winning author, from Irish immigrant to presidential cabinet member. Along the way, Power shares about her family life, notably the challenges of raising two young children while serving in high-level government positions. Some of the narrative's best features include insights into working with fellow diplomats in a male-dominated UN bureaucracy inflamed by tyrannical world leaders, such as Russia's Vladimir Putin and Syria's Bashir Assad. Their actions are countered by anecdotes of heroic citizens who put their lives on the line for freedom from despots, disease, and mass murders. Power herself, was a steadfast advocate for immigrant, LGBTQ, and women's rights. VERDICT Revealing the inner-workings of foreign policy, this engrossing memoir will appeal to informed readers and will inspire women contemplating careers in public service. [See Prepub Alert, 3/4/19.]--Karl Helicher, formerly with Upper Merion Twp. Lib., King of Prussia, PA

Publishers Weekly Review

In vividly told scenes, with bracing honesty and breathless prose, Pulitzer Prize--winner Power (A Problem from Hell) reflects on the roads that led from her college days at Yale to her work in the U.S. government. She graduated from Harvard Law School, and in 2005 met Sen. Barack Obama, who asked her to serve as a foreign policy adviser. After his presidential election, Obama brought Power into the National Security Council in 2009, and from 2013 to 2017, she served as U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. Power takes readers behind the scenes of her visits to Libya during the final tense days of the Qaddafi regime, pointing out that in spite of the downturn in security, Libya's citizens agreed that they wanted no international presence in their country, but to determine their own future. She discovered that Burma's human rights activist Aung San Suu Kyi is a bad listener and that it's not clear that Suu Kyi cared that much about humans. Ultimately, she stresses the necessity of caring, acting, and not giving up when seeking to change people's lives. Power's vibrant prose, exuberant storytelling, and deep insights into human nature make for a page-turning memoir. (Sept.)

Booklist Review

As a young Irish immigrant to the U.S., painfully separated from her beloved, alcoholic father, Power learned the lessons of otherness and found refuge and camaraderie in sports, a passion that has helped her break down many barriers. The Tiananmen Square protests precipitated her political awakening; Washington, DC, internships stoked her fascination with foreign policy, and her intrepidness, writing skills, empathic curiosity, and commitment to justice propelled her to become a war correspondent in Bosnia at 23. Hoping to effect change, Power earned a law degree and wrote the Pulitzer Prize-winning history of genocide, A Problem from Hell (2002), which led to the first of many delving conversations with U.S. senator, then president Barack Obama, who appointed her to be a human rights advisor on the National Security Council, then U.S. Ambassador to the UN. In this gripping and revelatory memoir, Power chronicles, with vibrant precision and stunning candor, her best and worst moments navigating the obstacle courses within the White House and the UN, daunting global crises, and personal struggles. She is utterly compelling in her eye-witness accounts of violence and political standoffs and shrewdly witty in her tales about balancing diplomacy and motherhood. Ultimately, Power affirms the possibility for positive change and asserts that America's power resides in its respect for human rights.--Donna Seaman Copyright 2010 Booklist