The Education of an Idealist: A Memoir - Hardcover

Advance Praise for Samantha Power and The Education of an Idealist: “Samantha Power’s captivating memoir is a rare and intimate revelation of the inner workings of international diplomacy as well as a heartening beacon of a book for young women and men everywhere. Its stories of dignity, kindness, empathy, and inclusiveness are needed today as never before.” (DORIS KEARNS GOODWIN, presidential historian and Pulitzer Prize–winning author)

“Problem solving in a complex world can challenge idealism. Samantha 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, founder and executive director of the Equal Justice Initiative and author of Just Mercy)

“Samantha Power’s memoir gives a candid, self-questioning, intensely personal view of what goes on inside. It should inspire others to test their ideals against the unforgiving world.” (GEORGE PACKER, author of The Unwinding and Our Man)

“A celebrated writer and an accomplished diplomat, Samantha Power is one of the most outspoken and important voices in world affairs today. Her absorbing, heartfelt, and remarkably candid memoir provides vivid new details about the difficult strategic questions that arose during her years in the Obama administration, and offers essential lessons to anyone aspiring to follow in her footsteps in shaping the world for the better.”   (Secretary of State MADELEINE ALBRIGHT)

“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. It is the journey of an idealist, whose conscience was forged in Bosnia, into the corridors of power where compromise does battle with commitment. It is the story of someone with the soul of an outsider becoming, as an insider, a passionate witness to events in the White House and the United Nations during the Obama years.” (COLM TÓIBÍN, author of Brooklyn and Nora Webster)

“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 )

“[Power] is a very good writer, which makes it more fun and truly engrossing to read a memoir about a former U.S. official [...] A pleasure to read.” (RACHEL MADDOW)

“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.” (Booklist, starred review )

“[Power] 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.” (Publishers Weekly, starred review)

“Lively...and strikingly personal...[Power] writes vividly and lucidly here about her turn in the international spotlight.” (Vogue)