The Education of an Idealist

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

THE INTERNATIONAL BESTSELLER

A NEW YORK TIMES NOTABLE BOOK OF THE YEAR

AN ECONOMIST BOOK OF THE YEAR

A TIMES LITERARY SUPPLEMENT BOOK OF THE YEAR

What can one person do?

At a time of division and upheaval, Samantha Power offers an urgent response to this question - and calls for a clearer eye, a kinder heart, and a more open and civil hand in our politics and daily lives.

The Education of an Idealist combines gripping storytelling, vivid character portraits and deep political insight, tracing Power's journey from Irish immigrant to war correspondent and presidential Cabinet official. In 2005, her critiques of US 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 took one of the world's most powerful diplomatic positions, becoming the youngest ever US Ambassador to the United Nations.

A Pulitzer Prize-winning writer, Power transports us from her early years in Dublin to the streets of war-torn Bosnia into the White House Situation Room and the arena of high-stakes diplomacy. The Education of an Idealist lays bare the searing battles and defining moments of her life and 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, and reminds that in the face of great challenges there is always something each of us can do to advance the cause of human dignity. Honest, inspiring and evocatively written, Power's memoir is an unforgettable account of the world-changing power of idealism - and of one person's fierce determination to make a difference.

A NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER

AN IRISH TIMES BESTSELLER

AN OBAMA FAVOURITE BOOK OF 2019

A NEW YORK TIMES NOTABLE BOOK OF 2019

AN ECONOMIST BOOK OF THE YEAR 2019

A TIMES LITERARY SUPPLEMENT BOOK OF THE YEAR 2019

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

'Samantha Power's book is honest, personal, revealing. It is about the development of a young woman's inner strength and self-knowledge. But it is also a political book, alert to both the power of political will and its limitations.' Colm Toibin

'It's a profound, heart wrenching, uplifting, and emotional journey through her life and what she's seen; starting in her youth in Ireland, and taking us through places like Bosnia, Kosovo, Rwanda, Sudan, and eventually the White House ... All while navigating war zones and political culture as a woman and eventually a mother.' Sophia Bush

'An unusually engaging political memoir...Power is an excellent storyteller, with a deft touch with anecdotes and a nice sense of humour.' Times Literary Supplement

'Refreshingly frank and self-deprecating ... An energizing reminder that conscience has a place in the process of shaping foreign policy.' TIME Magazine

'Uniquely personal and absorbing ... A riveting fly-on-the wall insight.' Irish Times

'A wonderful book ... The interweaving of Power's personal story, family story, diplomatic history and moral arguments is executed seamlessly - and with unblinking honesty.' New York Times Book Review

'Engaging ... Power's memoir is an insider's account of foreign-policy-making, and an intensely personal one.' Economist

'Lively ... And strikingly personal ...[Power] writes vividly and lucidly here about her turn in the international spotlight.' Vogue

Samantha Power is a leading global voice on human rights and international affairs. She served for four years as President Barack Obama's human rights adviser and then, from 2013 to 2017, in his Cabinet and as US Ambassador to the United Nations. Power is the author of several books, including the Pulitzer Prize-winning 'A Problem From Hell': America and the Age of Genocide, and has been named one of TIME's '100 Most Influential People' and one of Forbes' '100 Most Powerful Women'. Currently a professor of practice at Harvard Law School and Harvard Kennedy School, she lives in Massachusetts with her husband, Cass Sunstein, and their two children. Power immigrated to the United States from Ireland at the age of nine.

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