The Education of an Idealist: A Memoir
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- Create Date：2021-01-27 04:20:26
- Update Date：2025-09-06
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- Author：Samantha Power
- ISBN：9780062820709
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Summary
A NEW YORK TIMES， WALL STREET JOURNAL， AND USA TODAY BESTSELLER
A NEW YORK TIMES NOTABLE BOOK OF 2019 • AN NPR BEST BOOK OF 2019 • ONE OF TIME’S MUST-READ BOOKS OF 2019 • AN ECONOMIST BOOK OF THE YEAR • A WASHINGTON POST NOTABLE BOOK OF 2019 • A PUBLISHERS WEEKLY BEST BOOK OF 2019
“Her highly personal and reflective memoir 。 。 。 is a must-read for anyone who cares about our role in a changing world。”—President Barack Obama
An intimate， powerful， and galvanizing memoir by Pulitzer Prize winner， human rights advocate， and former UN Ambassador Samantha Power。
Includes a new afterword
In her memoir， Power offers an urgent response to the question "What can one person do？" and a call 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 traces Power’s distinctly American journey from immigrant to war correspondent to 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， he named her US Ambassador to the United Nations， the youngest American to assume the role。
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。 Humorous and deeply honest， 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， 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。 Power’s memoir 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
“Honest， personal， revealing… about the development of a young woman’s inner strength and self-knowledge。”—COLM TÓIBÍN， author of Brooklyn and Nora Webster
“Truly engrossing。”—RACHEL MADDOW
Editor Reviews
Engaging…。Power’s memoir is an insider’s account of foreign-policy-making， and an intensely personal one。
Reviews
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Caitlin
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Samantha Power's life has been fascinating so far。 Born in Ireland， she moved to the US during middle school。 She's been a freelance journalist in a war zone， human rights activist， Harvard law professor， youngest American US Ambassador to the UN， and - with this book - Pulitzer Prize winner。 She's amazing - brilliant and an incredible writer。 This is a timely read because she was just named Administrator to USAID in the new Biden administration。Her memoir was interesting because it gave a clear Samantha Power's life has been fascinating so far。 Born in Ireland， she moved to the US during middle school。 She's been a freelance journalist in a war zone， human rights activist， Harvard law professor， youngest American US Ambassador to the UN， and - with this book - Pulitzer Prize winner。 She's amazing - brilliant and an incredible writer。 This is a timely read because she was just named Administrator to USAID in the new Biden administration。Her memoir was interesting because it gave a clear glimpse into inner workings of the UN and American politics （sometimes I even asked myself how she got cleared to share some of what's in the book）。 It's a "watch the sausage being made" insider look， and I loved that part of it。 Her personal story was interesting - I enjoyed learning about the personal aspects of her life because it humanized her。It was just。 So。 Long。 The detail， while interesting， were almost painful at times。 She gets so down in the weeds and tells stories behind every event。 I would often find myself hoping for her to just get to the point。 It could have been shorter and more concise and still be just as impactful。 。。。more
Rebecca Van Der Veer
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People who care act！ You may not be able to change the world， but you CAN change many individual worlds :）What an amazing woman and role model。 Absolutely loved this。 Took me a while to finish listening to this book but wow。 Sooo inspiring。 Happy to finish the book knowing she’s been nominated as the head of USAID！Also great to get a bit of a political history lesson :）If you have a passion for a better world and are even the slightest interested in politics I highly recommend this book。 Was ver People who care act！ You may not be able to change the world， but you CAN change many individual worlds :）What an amazing woman and role model。 Absolutely loved this。 Took me a while to finish listening to this book but wow。 Sooo inspiring。 Happy to finish the book knowing she’s been nominated as the head of USAID！Also great to get a bit of a political history lesson :）If you have a passion for a better world and are even the slightest interested in politics I highly recommend this book。 Was very nice to listen to her read her own words :） 。。。more
Katie
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Huge score from the feminist little free library located outside a 2nd-hand clothing shop in our town。 I didn't know anything about Power's personal life or path to becoming the UN ambassador。 While her policy perspectives and anecdotes carry the book， I was struck by the anecdotes about being a mother while balancing this incredible responsibility - including her experience with IVF while working in the White House。 More of this normalization！ Huge score from the feminist little free library located outside a 2nd-hand clothing shop in our town。 I didn't know anything about Power's personal life or path to becoming the UN ambassador。 While her policy perspectives and anecdotes carry the book， I was struck by the anecdotes about being a mother while balancing this incredible responsibility - including her experience with IVF while working in the White House。 More of this normalization！ 。。。more
Molly O'Connor
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This was such an incredible and inspirational book to read and by far an away one of my favourite reads of the summer so far。 Samantha Power has had a long and varied career working to improve the lives of others and advance the cause of human rights。 In her memoir， Power takes us through her time as war reporter in Bosnia， as a Pulitzer Prize winning author， as a senior official in the Obama administration and finally as the U。S。 Ambassador to the United Nations。 At each step along way， Power p This was such an incredible and inspirational book to read and by far an away one of my favourite reads of the summer so far。 Samantha Power has had a long and varied career working to improve the lives of others and advance the cause of human rights。 In her memoir， Power takes us through her time as war reporter in Bosnia， as a Pulitzer Prize winning author， as a senior official in the Obama administration and finally as the U。S。 Ambassador to the United Nations。 At each step along way， Power provides fascinating insight into the policy and humanitarian work that goes on behind the scenes of some of the the world’s biggest human rights crises of the past three decades while also empowering the reader to go forth and make change in their own lives， urging us to look for the small， concrete steps that we can take to change ‘many individual worlds。’ Equally impressive however is the personal narrative that she weaves into her memoir， from her childhood in Dublin， her move to America， her struggles with anxiety and the difficulties of being a working mother in a series of incredibly demanding， high pressure jobs， Power shows admirable levels of vulnerability to her readers。 Honestly， as a young， Irish immigrant woman working in policy development， trying to make a difference and struggling with anxiety and my own ‘bat cave’， reading her story made me feel like I can do anything。 。。。more
Sonja
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This took me almost a year to read because *gestures at the world*， but it was really very good。 I've always thought Samantha Power was an extremely fascinating person， and this didn't detract from that。 I liked that she was critical of certain things the US did， and outspoken about where she disagreed with her administration。 The most interesting parts of the book， to me， were definitely her childhood in Ireland and coming to the US， her experience as a journalist in Bosnia during the war， and This took me almost a year to read because *gestures at the world*， but it was really very good。 I've always thought Samantha Power was an extremely fascinating person， and this didn't detract from that。 I liked that she was critical of certain things the US did， and outspoken about where she disagreed with her administration。 The most interesting parts of the book， to me， were definitely her childhood in Ireland and coming to the US， her experience as a journalist in Bosnia during the war， and her tenure as the US Permanent Representative at the UN。 The chapters where she describes meeting ambassadors from countries who had never had the US visit their Mission were fascinating。 Also really appreciated seeing written out all of her efforts to get recognition for LGBTQ people around the world at the UN。 I also cried a couple of times， sometimes at stories she tells， by people who have experienced the worst humanity has to offer， and once because of the letter she wrote to her infant son in case she was killed during an upcoming trip to a warzone。 It was a lot。 Some of the things she talks about in the memoir are very heavy on the US exceptionalism， and I guess that's to be expected， and some of the Syria stuff is。。。 not great。 I figure that's to be expected when reading a memoir by a US government official。 But overall， while this was long and， in parts， very dense and depressing， it was a truly riveting and fascinating read， and I'm glad I finally finished it。 。。。more
Larissa
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UN， USA
Jane Baer
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This memoir from probable future U。S。 Agency for International Development （USAID） director Samantha Power provides both interesting personal details of an influential policy maker and professional insight into some of the toughest decision-making in the Obama Administration。 It's very well written and I found it extremely fast and easy to read， although it's over 500 pages。 It certainly didn't feel that long。 I am actually interested in reading some of Power's other books now， especially her bo This memoir from probable future U。S。 Agency for International Development （USAID） director Samantha Power provides both interesting personal details of an influential policy maker and professional insight into some of the toughest decision-making in the Obama Administration。 It's very well written and I found it extremely fast and easy to read， although it's over 500 pages。 It certainly didn't feel that long。 I am actually interested in reading some of Power's other books now， especially her book "Problem from Hell。" Her strength in this book is her story-telling and personal narrative in the midst of high-stakes international relations。 I was between 4 and 5 stars for the review， because I really would have liked to hear more introspection on what they could have done differently。 She now has the benefit of hindsight。 Perhaps she doesn't want to use this platform to second-guess a team that was doing their best in complicated and dangerous scenarios， but I feel it misses the opportunity to really analyze what could have been done differently in some crucial situations。 The scenario where she offers this the most is in looking at Syria。 Most of the book is about seeing accomplishments for what they are in government - minor， slow-moving， and never as grand as a former human rights activist wants， but they are still there。 。。。more
Jaspreet
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The initial chapters are not that interesting but after about chapter it’s good。
Sarah Anderson
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The word that comes to mind to describe this book is "exhausting。" The word that comes to mind to describe this book is "exhausting。" 。。。more
Kristin
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I appreciated this book for a few reasons:She provided a clear recounting & analysis of world events that occurred in my childhood and/or before I was paying much attention （Bosnia， Syria， Arab Spring）。As a person who has worked to make change within government， it was interesting to compare notes with someone so talented to see how she ran into similar roadblocks and was able to overcome some but not all。 I also appreciated her relationship-based approach to all of her positions: she built a ne I appreciated this book for a few reasons:She provided a clear recounting & analysis of world events that occurred in my childhood and/or before I was paying much attention （Bosnia， Syria， Arab Spring）。As a person who has worked to make change within government， it was interesting to compare notes with someone so talented to see how she ran into similar roadblocks and was able to overcome some but not all。 I also appreciated her relationship-based approach to all of her positions: she built a network upon whom she could rely for both personal and professional support; also how she forged personal relationships with colleagues rather than transactional ones that led to much success at the UN。Finally， her direct voice was refreshing， particularly both the delights and difficulties of incorporating her family into her professional life 。 。。。more
Vivian
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Samantha Power does a great job writing about her personal story and her time as Ambassador to the UN。 Loved her anecdotes， her reasonings for wanting to go into international relations， and how she balanced being a working mother amidst such a high profile job。 I read this book while trying to figure out if I wanted to go into IR myself - I do not anymore， but Power's writing has inspired me to take initiative to pursue my dreams。 Samantha Power does a great job writing about her personal story and her time as Ambassador to the UN。 Loved her anecdotes， her reasonings for wanting to go into international relations， and how she balanced being a working mother amidst such a high profile job。 I read this book while trying to figure out if I wanted to go into IR myself - I do not anymore， but Power's writing has inspired me to take initiative to pursue my dreams。 。。。more
Lily Fryer
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I loved this book！
MH
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Overall， i really appreciated Power's perspective on working in international relations。 I don't agree with all of her points and opinions， but her example of standing up for her convictions made a powerful impression on me。 Her accounts of meeting with world leaders shed insight to the current world order。3。5 stars because it was a bit too long and came off as braggy during portions of the Obama years。 Overall， i really appreciated Power's perspective on working in international relations。 I don't agree with all of her points and opinions， but her example of standing up for her convictions made a powerful impression on me。 Her accounts of meeting with world leaders shed insight to the current world order。3。5 stars because it was a bit too long and came off as braggy during portions of the Obama years。 。。。more
Amber
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Loved this book。 It was really exciting to hear Ambassador Power talk about some of the conflicts I worked on in a past life。 It made me feel like I had a small， small， small， small part in a bigger picture。 Beyond her all-star career， hearing about her anxieties as a parent and as a person made Ambassador Power that much more human。 Well written and compelling。 Love。
Julia
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I started off really enjoying this book， with Power's story of her initial interest in foreign policy and her move from journalism to taking part in Obama's administration told extremely well。 I felt the book started to fall apart during the last hundred pages or so， when it felt like Power started to rush through the accomplishments of the her last few years as the American UN Ambassador。 The candor and insight that had made the first part of the book very interesting started to fade away。 I started off really enjoying this book， with Power's story of her initial interest in foreign policy and her move from journalism to taking part in Obama's administration told extremely well。 I felt the book started to fall apart during the last hundred pages or so， when it felt like Power started to rush through the accomplishments of the her last few years as the American UN Ambassador。 The candor and insight that had made the first part of the book very interesting started to fade away。 。。。more
Olivia Grosso
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Invigorating！
Gedi Siuskus
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Really powerful personal story about the global geopolitical idealist。 +PROS+ a lifestory of an imigrant that turn to lead USA in UN during Obama presidency+ wide spectrum of geopolitical issues with focus on the humanity of the world+ lots of great references （historical & present） supporting the story+ uplifting & motivating for any kind of "immigrant" out there -CONS- lots of references to photos， covers， but their not presented for easier read- （nothing to add）SUMMA SUMMARUMIf you're into po Really powerful personal story about the global geopolitical idealist。 +PROS+ a lifestory of an imigrant that turn to lead USA in UN during Obama presidency+ wide spectrum of geopolitical issues with focus on the humanity of the world+ lots of great references （historical & present） supporting the story+ uplifting & motivating for any kind of "immigrant" out there -CONS- lots of references to photos， covers， but their not presented for easier read- （nothing to add）SUMMA SUMMARUMIf you're into politics of thew world or how things are moving， this could be good read for you。 In addition this is personal story with lots of passion， dedication， love and sadness - not your "dry" historical read。 。。。more
Christine Mattingly
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This was a long book！！ It took me much longer than I expected to complete but I learned so much。 I loved reading about her upbringing and childhood and her close relationship with President Obama。 Overall this left me feeling hopeful for our future。
Bruno Sánchez-Andrade
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An extremely inspiring and powerful person doing an account of her life circumstances， motivation， and path （so far！）。 She is a great living example of the grit of an extremely motivated immigrant girl path to the most powerful public places。 The book itself is a great narrative of all historical events she has lived and influence so far。 5/5 stars。 IMHO it slows down too much towards the end， perhaps is the same kind of work， or more details than earlier pages。 Nonetheless， a fantastic book。Can An extremely inspiring and powerful person doing an account of her life circumstances， motivation， and path （so far！）。 She is a great living example of the grit of an extremely motivated immigrant girl path to the most powerful public places。 The book itself is a great narrative of all historical events she has lived and influence so far。 5/5 stars。 IMHO it slows down too much towards the end， perhaps is the same kind of work， or more details than earlier pages。 Nonetheless， a fantastic book。Can't wait to see what she does at the head of USAID， and whatever comes next！ The world needs Power。 。。。more
Jennifer
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At 550 pages， a bit of a slog， but worth it！ An amazing story！
Anna Thompson
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I greatly enjoyed reading this book。 In addition to Power being an excellent writer， she provides a unique and keen perspective into the foreign policy decisions and effects of the Obama Administration and Obama himself。 She very deftly describes the intricacies of international crises and the way that they were handled diplomatically。 It is a salient reminder to a likely critical crowd that foreign policy decisions are often judged only on outcomes visible to the public - not unforeseen consequ I greatly enjoyed reading this book。 In addition to Power being an excellent writer， she provides a unique and keen perspective into the foreign policy decisions and effects of the Obama Administration and Obama himself。 She very deftly describes the intricacies of international crises and the way that they were handled diplomatically。 It is a salient reminder to a likely critical crowd that foreign policy decisions are often judged only on outcomes visible to the public - not unforeseen consequences of earnest intent or quiet victories。 There is no way to ensure the success of an initiative and it’s chaotic ripple effects - it is only possible to measure them retrospectively。 In this way， her book is very aptly named。 As a diplomat and activist， she approaches each situation idealistically， truly believing that she and the United States can proliferate positive change。 And she’s absolutely right。 Though we are at a time of intense division and painful historical reckoning， this book is a reminder of the weight of United States influence and the humility in which it must be treated。 There is a lot of good that both individuals and representatives can do， and though not immediately gratifying， “better is good。” 。。。more
Mike Lazio
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Superb。 Former Obama UN ambassador
Melly Ratu
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an unnecessarily long romanticization of one's justification on the degradation of her moral compass an unnecessarily long romanticization of one's justification on the degradation of her moral compass 。。。more
Victoria Ward
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I happened to start this the week before she was appointed administrator of USAID so it was a timely read for me。 It was interesting and provides good insights into the Obama administrations decisions。 NSC and UN。 Still have mixed feelings over some of the positions taken as Amb， as does she apparently。 Shows the need for activist administration on big things and little things。
Vanessa
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“People who care， act， and refuse to give up may not change THE world， but they can change many individual worlds。” A stark reminder that each individual citizen of the United States has to decide what it means to be an American。 Is that the constant work of democracy， carving out， inch by inch a world that is more just， more inclusive and strong in the fact that there is far more that we have in common than not with our fellow citizens？ Or do we slide back into divisive segregation， living in a “People who care， act， and refuse to give up may not change THE world， but they can change many individual worlds。” A stark reminder that each individual citizen of the United States has to decide what it means to be an American。 Is that the constant work of democracy， carving out， inch by inch a world that is more just， more inclusive and strong in the fact that there is far more that we have in common than not with our fellow citizens？ Or do we slide back into divisive segregation， living in a constant state of US vs THEM？As someone who holds a Masters Degree in International Peacekeeping and Conflict Resolution， Samantha Power has been deeply influential。 Hearing in her own voice， the journey she has taken to make this world better for every citizen of the globe was outstanding。 Hearing her frustration of a painstakingly slow， red taped and bureaucratic reality of those pushing for meaningful International Aid and International Human Rights made me better appreciate the tireless efforts put in by those Idealists in the Foreign Service。 Spanning decades， continents， administrations， and global challenges this is a great read for anyone interested in Geo-politics， diplomacy， global humanitarian crisis response and of course the power of the United States to influence the path the rest of the world takes。 。。。more
Anne Merrill
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Main lesson I took from this book: there are plenty of warning signs before genocides。 Just like pandemics， we don't hear much about the genocides that are prevented。 Sam Power was the US Ambassador to the UN during Obama's second term。 She met Obama when he was a senator， after she sent him a copy of her first book， an investigation into whether it is possible to prevent genocide。 This book is her memoir from childhood up through the end of the Obama administration。 It's probably too long for m Main lesson I took from this book: there are plenty of warning signs before genocides。 Just like pandemics， we don't hear much about the genocides that are prevented。 Sam Power was the US Ambassador to the UN during Obama's second term。 She met Obama when he was a senator， after she sent him a copy of her first book， an investigation into whether it is possible to prevent genocide。 This book is her memoir from childhood up through the end of the Obama administration。 It's probably too long for most people， but I am particularly interested in so many of the themes in her story: emigration from Ireland to the US， dealing with a strong ethical sense in a corrupt world， being female and smart in a male dominated world， being proud of what's best about the US and horrified by what is worst about it。 。。。more
Allyson McCreery Burton
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Samantha Power's memoir， like her professional experience， is exceptional （and long）。 As an activist and diplomat， Power tirelessly fought to protect and empower people around the world。 Some of her accomplishments are truly incredible。 She also demonstrates the difficulties faced by working mothers and how motherhood also informed some of her policy decisions。 This book inspires readers to fight for the change they wish to see; that even though you may not change the world， you will change some Samantha Power's memoir， like her professional experience， is exceptional （and long）。 As an activist and diplomat， Power tirelessly fought to protect and empower people around the world。 Some of her accomplishments are truly incredible。 She also demonstrates the difficulties faced by working mothers and how motherhood also informed some of her policy decisions。 This book inspires readers to fight for the change they wish to see; that even though you may not change the world， you will change someone's world and ultimately， that is what matters most。 Although rich in description of diplomatic triumphs， she also details diplomatic failures。 Her memoir is open and honest， though she does not acknowledge her privilege。 A great read if you want to feel inspired。 。。。more
Beth
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4。5 stars。 I learned a lot about what the US did for regions with humanities crisis。 Sam brought a perspective as first a young journalist then as someone working for the president and why it was a struggle to do more when it seemed like we weren’t doing enough。 Sam was a good storyteller。 I was really interested in her early life experiences and then what it was like working for President Obama。 The book got a little slow for me at the end when the focus moved towards foreign policies。
Ellen Williams
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I learned so much about events that have happened in the past 30 years from a voice that was authentic。 The honesty & compassion was refreshing in this world of self-interested politicians。 I was thrilled to just learn of her appointment by Biden to head the department for aid for International development。 She will again add her expertise in helping to stabilize struggling populations & to provide global humanitarian efforts。
Christopher Kuo
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