The education of an idealist : a memoir Cover Image

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

Summary:

Pulitzer Prize winning humanitarian Samantha Power offers an urgent response to the question "What can one person do?" In this memoir, 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. In 2005, her critiques of U.S. foreign policy caught the eye of newly elected senator Barack Obama, who invited her to work with him on Capitol Hill and then on his presidential campaign. After Obama was elected president, Power went from being an activist outsider to a government insider, navigating the halls of power while trying to put her ideals into practice. She served for four years as Obama's human rights adviser, and in 2013, he named her U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations, the youngest American to assume the role. Power shows how she juggled the demands of a 24/7 national security job with the challenge of raising two young children. Along the way, she illuminates the intricacies of politics and geopolitics, reminding us how the United States can lead in the world, and why we each have the opportunity to advance the cause of human dignity.

Record details

ISBN: 9780062820693
ISBN: 0062820699
Physical Description: xii, 580 pages, 32 unnumbered pages of plates : illustrations (chiefly color), portraits ; 24 cm
Edition: First edition.
Publisher: New York, NY : Dey St., an imprint of William Morrow, [2019]
Copyright: ©2019

Content descriptions

Bibliography, etc. Note:	Includes bibliographical references (pages [557]-568) and index.
Formatted Contents Note:	Part one. Ireland -- America -- Loss -- Dignity -- Tank man -- Doers -- Risk -- Hearts of darkness -- "Tell Clinton" -- The secret to a long life -- "Go remember" -- "A problem from hell" -- Upstanders -- Going to Washington -- The bat cave -- Yes we can -- Monster -- Victory. Part two. No manual -- Can we go home now? -- April 24th -- Turnaround -- Toolbox -- Revolutions -- All necessary measures -- Let's pray they accomplish something -- One shot -- "Can't be both" -- The red line -- "Chemical weapons were used" -- When America sneezes -- Upside-down land -- Us and them -- Freedom from fear -- Lean on -- Toussaint -- The golden door -- Exit, voice, loyalty -- Shrink the change -- The end -- Afterword.
Participant or Performer Note:	Read by the author.