There Is Nothing for You Here: Finding Opportunity in the Twenty-First Century
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- Author：Fiona Hill
- ISBN：0063269082
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Summary
"Of every book written by anybody associated with the Trump administration， in any way， [this] is absolutely the one to read。"
--Rachel Maddow
INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER A celebrated foreign policy expert and key impeachment witness reveals how declining opportunity has set America on the grim path of modern Russia--and draws on her personal journey out of poverty， as well as her unique perspectives as an historian and policy maker， to show how we can return hope to our forgotten places。
"As a memoir this is hard to put down; if you are seeking a better American future you should pick it up。"
--Timothy Snyder， New York Times best-selling author of On Tyranny
Fiona Hill grew up in a world of terminal decay。 The last of the local mines had closed， businesses were shuttering， and despair was etched in the faces around her。 Her father urged her to get out of their blighted corner of northern England: "There is nothing for you here， pet，" he said。
The coal-miner's daughter managed to go further than he ever could have dreamed。 She studied in Moscow and at Harvard， became an American citizen， and served three U。S。 Presidents。 But in the heartlands of both Russia and the United States， she saw troubling reflections of her hometown and similar populist impulses。 By the time she offered her brave testimony in the first impeachment inquiry of President Trump， Hill knew that the desperation of forgotten people was driving American politics over the brink--and that we were running out of time to save ourselves from Russia's fate。 In this powerful， deeply personal account， she shares what she has learned， and shows why expanding opportunity is the only long-term hope for our democracy。
--Rachel Maddow
INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER A celebrated foreign policy expert and key impeachment witness reveals how declining opportunity has set America on the grim path of modern Russia--and draws on her personal journey out of poverty， as well as her unique perspectives as an historian and policy maker， to show how we can return hope to our forgotten places。
"As a memoir this is hard to put down; if you are seeking a better American future you should pick it up。"
--Timothy Snyder， New York Times best-selling author of On Tyranny
Fiona Hill grew up in a world of terminal decay。 The last of the local mines had closed， businesses were shuttering， and despair was etched in the faces around her。 Her father urged her to get out of their blighted corner of northern England: "There is nothing for you here， pet，" he said。
The coal-miner's daughter managed to go further than he ever could have dreamed。 She studied in Moscow and at Harvard， became an American citizen， and served three U。S。 Presidents。 But in the heartlands of both Russia and the United States， she saw troubling reflections of her hometown and similar populist impulses。 By the time she offered her brave testimony in the first impeachment inquiry of President Trump， Hill knew that the desperation of forgotten people was driving American politics over the brink--and that we were running out of time to save ourselves from Russia's fate。 In this powerful， deeply personal account， she shares what she has learned， and shows why expanding opportunity is the only long-term hope for our democracy。
Reviews
Jane Lee
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Up close impartial look at tragedy of trump regime。 Also excellent suggestions to grow resources， support， and success for underrepresented communities from a leader who sees opportunities in US from a non native POV。
Michael Hutchison
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Very good book。 Most surprising to me was the humble， impoverished beginnings this coal miner's daughter came from。 Her experiences growing up in Bishop Aukland， seeing the blight from the end of the coal industry their gives her unique insight to our own rural and past industrial communities suffering the same or similar fates。 It is an inspiring story of her development to what she is today。 Through her experience， education， and work history she has valid insight and opinions of America today Very good book。 Most surprising to me was the humble， impoverished beginnings this coal miner's daughter came from。 Her experiences growing up in Bishop Aukland， seeing the blight from the end of the coal industry their gives her unique insight to our own rural and past industrial communities suffering the same or similar fates。 It is an inspiring story of her development to what she is today。 Through her experience， education， and work history she has valid insight and opinions of America today and what we need to do to be a better society and surviving democracy。 As I have seen some very good and lengthy reviews of this book on Goodreads， I'll end this review with I hope you never have to tell someone， "there is nothing for you here"。 。。。more
Sara Sikes
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Excellent and inspiring memoir by Russian expert who was born a miner’s daughter in impoverished northern England and had phenomenal success in life。 Could not be more timely helping us to understand Putin and Trump and what we can do about our current situation。
Dea Empamano
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What mainly drew me to this book was the title and it did not disappoint。 Here， Dr。 Fiona Hill takes us on her journey from the small mining town of Bishop Auckland to eventually having a seat with the most powerful people in the world where she served as an officer of the U。S。 National Security Council specializing in Russian and European affairs。 Given the ongoing crisis of Russia’s invasion in Ukraine， I can say that this is one of the most relevant books I have ever read。 Dr。 Hill tackles wh What mainly drew me to this book was the title and it did not disappoint。 Here， Dr。 Fiona Hill takes us on her journey from the small mining town of Bishop Auckland to eventually having a seat with the most powerful people in the world where she served as an officer of the U。S。 National Security Council specializing in Russian and European affairs。 Given the ongoing crisis of Russia’s invasion in Ukraine， I can say that this is one of the most relevant books I have ever read。 Dr。 Hill tackles what she has both experienced and witnessed when it comes to the issues of race， gender， and class as well as the misogyny that permeates the political world。 It was fascinating to hear about what happens behind closed doors with strong-men leaders like Trump and Putin。 What I especially loved is how she highlights the importance of education as a tool to escape poverty and how it is not enough any more for our current generation。 As a millennial， I have always wondered how generations before me have managed to make it in their mid twenties while many of us continue to struggle to establish our careers and make ends meet。 This book gives great insight into exactly why and puts it into such eloquent writing。 I could go on and on about how much I enjoyed this but I hope this is enough to convince more people to give it a go。 。。。more
Jonathan
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A valuable contribution to the understanding of the Trump madness that swept America and continues to infect it's politics。Hill's studiously neutral academic - as well as outsider - perspective makes for an interesting read。 She uses her impoverished background in northern England - like the US rustbelt - to explicate her thesis about how industrial deline lead to millions of angry voters in bothe countries who voted for Brexit and Trump。 These left-behind people's rejection of elites and the st A valuable contribution to the understanding of the Trump madness that swept America and continues to infect it's politics。Hill's studiously neutral academic - as well as outsider - perspective makes for an interesting read。 She uses her impoverished background in northern England - like the US rustbelt - to explicate her thesis about how industrial deline lead to millions of angry voters in bothe countries who voted for Brexit and Trump。 These left-behind people's rejection of elites and the status quo left them susceptible to a populist like Trump who at least appeared to understand their anger， even if he was just cynically exploiting it for his own selfish ends。 Trump was a hand grenade into the political order。 As a Russia expert having a lazy incurious narcissist for a President made things more complicated professionally。 When ealing with someone like Putin you need to be on your toes and skeptical。 Hill explains that even though it appeared that Russia was controllig him and had dirt on him it really just was Trump's bottomless ignorance and vanity that was on display not anything more nefarious than that。 I would argue that being so fundamentally lazy and self obsessed is practically traitorous behaviour in it's own right。 She further explains his obsession with strong men and leaders， even the Queen of England is envied for he fame and popularity by Trump。As usual any behind the scenes book contains the usual shocking details and just how stunned his staff and colleagues are at his unseriousness and lack of care for details - not even reading bullet points of briefing papers let alone the papers themselves - his out of control ego， lecherous attitudes and on and on。 。。。more
Reading
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Well worth the read
Mary
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Part memoir of her life， but also history lessons and the role of class & race。 Emphasized the Importance of education， but the book lagged somewhat in the end。
Sebastian Štros
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An unlikely story of getting from working-class coal area of England’s North to the White House。 The story is combine with a mostly nice flow and non-banal political analysis of UK， US and Russian politics of last 40ish years。 One of interesting takeaways for me was an empirical counterexample to Petterson’s justification of gender pay gap。 JBP advocates that the gap is caused by women’s larger agreeableness。 Though the comparatively larger agreeableness of women is confirmed empirically for exa An unlikely story of getting from working-class coal area of England’s North to the White House。 The story is combine with a mostly nice flow and non-banal political analysis of UK， US and Russian politics of last 40ish years。 One of interesting takeaways for me was an empirical counterexample to Petterson’s justification of gender pay gap。 JBP advocates that the gap is caused by women’s larger agreeableness。 Though the comparatively larger agreeableness of women is confirmed empirically for example in Prokop’s Slepé skvrny， one has to ask what causes the larger agreeableness？ According to Fiona Hill non-agreeble women are seen as difficult and the makers of unnecessary conflict while men are seen as tough。 Additionally， women bargain from a worse position than men who have more work opportunities so going away is a real option for them。 Furthermore， agreeableness seems not to explain the entire disparity。 Another factor is women’s former pay。 When women take low-paying job at the start of the career their next employer justifies better but still low pay by their former even lower pay: They get the same relative increase as men， so they should not be upset。The two cons of the book were some repetition and name-dropping。 Repetiotion is perhaps good for smoothing more difficult ideas but it can be botherinf。 And the name-dropping seemed to me as Hill’s way of showing she ‘was in the room where it happens’ despite her unlikely socio-economic background。 She didnt brag by her own efforts which were admirable but she showed she owed a lot to scholarships and networks of opprotunities。 Overt bragging would both undermine her arguments and make her looked terrible。 I guess her name-dropping is Freudian slip of making it so far。 At some times she might not have believed her own story。 So I then met: “Blair， Putin， Trump” is her way of piching herself and saying: “this is truly happening”。 。。。more
Sandee Priser
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I thought this would be another political tell all。 It was not。 Rather， it was an historical walk through inequity and differentiated access to opportunity based in the author's personal experience in the UK， Russia and the US。 Well written with a clear path forward。 I thought this would be another political tell all。 It was not。 Rather， it was an historical walk through inequity and differentiated access to opportunity based in the author's personal experience in the UK， Russia and the US。 Well written with a clear path forward。 。。。more
Carol Lander
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Excellently written and a greatly needed insight and message。 At times it got a little too dry for me， like textbook reading。 On the other hand， Fiona’s dry humor had me laughing aloud in sections。
Sarah
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For me this was pretty interesting and certainly her journey is impressive。 I learned a lot about the social structures and barriers of the UK which as an American I， admittedly， knew very little about。 I "read" this as an audio book which I recommend。 For me this was pretty interesting and certainly her journey is impressive。 I learned a lot about the social structures and barriers of the UK which as an American I， admittedly， knew very little about。 I "read" this as an audio book which I recommend。 。。。more
Dale
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Very well written and informative。 It explains a lot about the former president and why he acted as he did。 It was all about him。 The book has a lot of details; for me， too many。
Willie Kirschner
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there are several ideas for improvement here。In telling her story， about how she went from living in an impoverished neighborhood in North East England to testifying at the first Trump impeachment trial， Ms。 Hill reminds us how important it is to get support from others。 Quite a good book。
Ben Rogers
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This was a pretty good book on poverty， economics， history， and politics。 It had some really good tips on housing。 We must make housing more affordable。 3。4/5
Peter P。 Bernard
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No place to be somebodyI'm just amazed at Ms。 Hill's remarkable intelligence。 But at the same time why couldn't she see at the first meeting with Trump that it was no place for her。 Too many people have used the excuse that they stayed on because they thought they could do "some good。" I have none of Ms。 Hill's qualifications but I knew at Trump's Inaugural address that we'd elected "trouble。"Most writers associate Trump with Germany c。 1933 but Ms。 unique association with Putin is an innovative No place to be somebodyI'm just amazed at Ms。 Hill's remarkable intelligence。 But at the same time why couldn't she see at the first meeting with Trump that it was no place for her。 Too many people have used the excuse that they stayed on because they thought they could do "some good。" I have none of Ms。 Hill's qualifications but I knew at Trump's Inaugural address that we'd elected "trouble。"Most writers associate Trump with Germany c。 1933 but Ms。 unique association with Putin is an innovative insight and maybe it took her full the years to complete that very valuable picture。Thank you， Ms。 Hill。 。。。more
Tim
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I really enjoyed this book。 The writing flowed well。 I especially enjoyed learning about the difficulties some low income or geographically challenged people are likely to face。 I do not come from a wealthy area but I now appreciate some of the opportunities I had more and have a better understanding of how much worse off others are。 The author has some interesting ideas on how to improve opportunities for those that would benefit most。 Overall it was a good read and I would recommend it。
Jim Thomas
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DisappointedThe start of this book was excellent。 It really went downhill when the author went from foreign policy wink to sociologist。 A great writer but she wasted that effort here。 Sorry Fiona， I had higher hopes for you。
Ted Hunt
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This book is a combination memoir and critique of the social/economic/education systems of the author's native Great Britain and her current home， the United States。 She begins by recounting the journey from the rather bleak northeastern UK town， Bishop Auckland， to a university education at St。 Andrews in Scotland， to a PhD。 at Harvard， into positions within the State Department， and finally to a national spotlight on American television testifying in the first set of impeachment hearings of th This book is a combination memoir and critique of the social/economic/education systems of the author's native Great Britain and her current home， the United States。 She begins by recounting the journey from the rather bleak northeastern UK town， Bishop Auckland， to a university education at St。 Andrews in Scotland， to a PhD。 at Harvard， into positions within the State Department， and finally to a national spotlight on American television testifying in the first set of impeachment hearings of the former President Trump。 Hill， whose expertise lies in all things Russian， makes quite a few insightful （as well as scary and depressing） observations about the similarities between Brexit， Trumpism， and the rule of Russia's dictator， Vladimir Putin。 In all three cases， she believes that the movement towards populist， authoritarian rule has been built on the decline of opportunity: economic， social， educational。 Indeed， she consistently points out the similarities between her home town and the parts of the United States where the former president was most popular。 The thing that I didn't like about the book was that the first few chapters， which recounted her life story， at times felt a little "whiny" as she told of her experiences with class and gender bias in both the UK and U。S。 And the gender bias that she faced， while obviously still a very serious impediment in both nations， did not fit into the over thesis of the book， which was primarily about Trump's populist appeal。 （I doubt that too many women who faced professional bias in their lives were drawn to Trump。） Hill's book related a few stories of the former president's narcissism， impulsiveness， and ignorance， which， considering the pile of books written by others on these things， didn't shed any new light on his level of competence in the position to which he was elected。 She also presented a number of useful suggestions for creating more widespread opportunities for those being left behind， but， again， many sounded similar to what others have proposed in their own books。 And these suggestions usually tend to strike me as simple howling at the moon， in a nation where every suggested government program that helps someone else （especially if they don't look like you） is dismissed as "socialism。" Hill wrote the book during some of the free time that she found herself with during the original pandemic lockdown。 It's too bad that this insightful Russian expert did not write the book a couple of years later so that she could have weighed in on the current crisis in Ukraine。 Here's hoping that she is gathering material for her next undertaking。 。。。more
Christine
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Brilliant writing and incites of class， upbringing and glass ceilings。
Barbara
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I initially thought this book was a memoir， and the beginning seems to go that way。 But it becomes clear it's about economics - the haves vs the have nots - and what the difference is between the two。 Ms Hill discusses what she's seen， heard， and experienced across the UK， Russia， and the US and the parallels amongst them。 Not only does she draw on her personal experiences， but she gives examples of what works in creating a strong， equitable economy and housing for all。 She stresses the reason w I initially thought this book was a memoir， and the beginning seems to go that way。 But it becomes clear it's about economics - the haves vs the have nots - and what the difference is between the two。 Ms Hill discusses what she's seen， heard， and experienced across the UK， Russia， and the US and the parallels amongst them。 Not only does she draw on her personal experiences， but she gives examples of what works in creating a strong， equitable economy and housing for all。 She stresses the reason we must change our approach is to save democracy and avoid populists stepping in and taking control。 。。。more
Kathy
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Sometimes it was more like a thesis than a concise description of the events she studied。 would still recommend it。
Helen
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This book is a must read/listen for so many reasons。 Fiona Hill’s personal story is fascinating。 She grew up in poverty in northern England where the coal mines had closed， and her father advised her that “there is nothing for you here。” She documents how she managed an educational path that would take her to Moscow， Harvard and eventually to work for three U。S。 Presidents。 She learned to speak Russian， became an expert on Russia and， after moving to the U。S。， has the insight to compare the indu This book is a must read/listen for so many reasons。 Fiona Hill’s personal story is fascinating。 She grew up in poverty in northern England where the coal mines had closed， and her father advised her that “there is nothing for you here。” She documents how she managed an educational path that would take her to Moscow， Harvard and eventually to work for three U。S。 Presidents。 She learned to speak Russian， became an expert on Russia and， after moving to the U。S。， has the insight to compare the industrial crises and trajectory of populism in all three countries。 She was hired to be an expert on Russia in the Trump administration so can document what it was like to be both an expert and a female in that setting。 She earns the label “Russia bitch。” The book ends with specific suggestions for things that each of us can do to “help break down barriers and even the playing field。” It is a hopeful and helpful follow-up to a serious look at how our path of political polarization is damaging our democracy。 Last but not least – Fiona Hill reads the book！ Always a bonus。 。。。more
Christi
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Mostly an interesting read， she has had a fascinating life and has a global perspective。 It got a little rambly toward the end， she gave some credit， to he who shall not be named， for holdover successes from the Obama administration and also threw in a reference to JD Vance which was makes me think she is conservative rather than apolitical。 Read this if you follow politics。。。
Bob Edwards
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There is Nothing for you Here by Fiona Hill is a great must read book for those who want to understand that the USA is at a crossroads。 We are all either going to chose to be a part of problem or a part of the solution。 Born and educated in the UK， an expert on Russia and now an American citizen， Hill offers a unique， well educated perspective on how all three countries face similar post industrial problems。 Inequality must be acknowledged and rectified; the educational and opportunity playing f There is Nothing for you Here by Fiona Hill is a great must read book for those who want to understand that the USA is at a crossroads。 We are all either going to chose to be a part of problem or a part of the solution。 Born and educated in the UK， an expert on Russia and now an American citizen， Hill offers a unique， well educated perspective on how all three countries face similar post industrial problems。 Inequality must be acknowledged and rectified; the educational and opportunity playing field must be leveled and we must all do what we can help others find inclusion or we risk an even bleak future than our current demise。 。。。more
Sanjay Banerjee
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The author was a former White House Aide （Director - NSA in charge of Europe and Russia） in the Trump Administration and one of the key witnesses testifying to the Senate Committee during Trump’s 1st impeachment。 Even as it is meant to be in the form of her autobiography and also provides an insight into the Trumpian world as a President， the book provides excellent insight into the reasons for the rise of Populism in UK， US and Russia and its origin。 She also provides - in my opinion - a practi The author was a former White House Aide （Director - NSA in charge of Europe and Russia） in the Trump Administration and one of the key witnesses testifying to the Senate Committee during Trump’s 1st impeachment。 Even as it is meant to be in the form of her autobiography and also provides an insight into the Trumpian world as a President， the book provides excellent insight into the reasons for the rise of Populism in UK， US and Russia and its origin。 She also provides - in my opinion - a practical approach that State and Society can take to address the malady giving rise to this。 An excellent book recommended for reading to those interested in this subject。 。。。more
Echo
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"Life is a team sport。" This is a deep look into the US， UK， and Russian response to post-industrialization that runs alongside her own personal narrative and lived experience in all 3 countries， making it very accessible。 It is also a look at her experience in the Trump White House which reads like another book almost。 And in the end it gives an outlook on how the US can shape its future away from populist leadership with much effort focused on opportunities， especially through education reform "Life is a team sport。" This is a deep look into the US， UK， and Russian response to post-industrialization that runs alongside her own personal narrative and lived experience in all 3 countries， making it very accessible。 It is also a look at her experience in the Trump White House which reads like another book almost。 And in the end it gives an outlook on how the US can shape its future away from populist leadership with much effort focused on opportunities， especially through education reform and particularly in places that may have been "forgotten"。 。。。more
Nancy
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A solid five stars， and probably the best book I read about The Former Guy--mostly because TFG was merely the biggest and most garish evidence that something is very wrong in the United States， and the UK， as well。 Both are former world powers now subject to emotion-based populism and policy-making designed to increase the growing and dangerous gap between the haves and have-nots。It's a book about finding opportunity， more than the First Impeachment or Hill's childhood in poverty。 Hill is a thor A solid five stars， and probably the best book I read about The Former Guy--mostly because TFG was merely the biggest and most garish evidence that something is very wrong in the United States， and the UK， as well。 Both are former world powers now subject to emotion-based populism and policy-making designed to increase the growing and dangerous gap between the haves and have-nots。It's a book about finding opportunity， more than the First Impeachment or Hill's childhood in poverty。 Hill is a thorough writer--she leaves no thought or assertion unexamined or unsupported。 That makes for a dense text （and lots of endnotes）， but the narrative arc makes sense， taken as a whole。 Look， she says--I had a childhood in deep poverty， but ambitious and encouraging parents and a boatload of government and charitable programs gave me （and many others） opportunity。 Those opportunities have dried up。 And we will all lose。When it comes to Trump， Fiona Hill has his number。 Her in-the-room descriptions of Trump's narcissism， laziness and lack of preparation are new material around familiar characteristics。 There were some pretty ghastly stories about her tenure （Reince Priebus calling her the 'Russia Bitch，' for example）--but Hill reports what she saw without a lot of division or self-pity。 Other than a couple of minor functionaries， she respected most of the people who were on the carousel at the same time she was， as fellow public servants。The book is not a tell-all。 It's important analysis of where we're headed and why--and Trump's role in accelerating it。 Beautifully written， and spot-on。 Fiona Hill is a hero。 We're lucky to have her。 。。。more
Dido
，
I am blown away by the brutal honesty and astounding amount of constructive policy suggestions in Fiona Hill's memoir， which takes its title from her Dad's advice to her to get out of Bishop Auckland in Northeast UK due to lack of economic opportunities and social mobility。I found the first part of the book which details the trials and tribulations of post-war industrial decline in UK， US and USSR （e。g。， gutting of coal mining and with it， the industrial towns such as Northeast UK， Rust Belt in I am blown away by the brutal honesty and astounding amount of constructive policy suggestions in Fiona Hill's memoir， which takes its title from her Dad's advice to her to get out of Bishop Auckland in Northeast UK due to lack of economic opportunities and social mobility。I found the first part of the book which details the trials and tribulations of post-war industrial decline in UK， US and USSR （e。g。， gutting of coal mining and with it， the industrial towns such as Northeast UK， Rust Belt in USA， flailing infrastructure of Moscow）， along with the unintended consequences of Reagan and Thatcher's market-driven policies in the 1980's in US and UK very enlightening and a must read。。。The second part of the book， where Fiona Hill talks about her time in the Trump WH and systemic sexism that exists in academia and the government （e。g。， too much focus on what women wear， women are chronically underpaid in their positions as compared to similarly qualified male counterparts in both the government as well as academia！） are equal parts unnerving and enlightening。The last part of the book however， is my absolute favorite - Fiona Hill's recommendations to create opportunities for the people in rural American and British towns so they have access to education， healthcare and are able to migrate domestically as needed to pursue economic opportunities。 Fiona's Marshall Plan for the US - and its brilliant because she is a product of this broken system but was able to avail some opportunities e。g。， merit scholarships， chance mentors etc。 This is one of the most inspiring reads and I highly recommend this book to be read by any and everyone - we all have a part to play in reducing systemic inequities so that everyone has access to economic and social opportunities to be happy and fulfilled in life！ Absolutely brilliant book， written by a very accomplished and thoughtful person！！ 。。。more
Lori
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Eye openingThis book was comforting， disturbing， dense， and hopeful。 A straightforward analysis of the U。S。 And UK social and economic struggles over the last 5 decades。 It should be read by everyone in "flyover country" who feels "they" are the problem and are looking to government to fix things。 This book explains why our current leaders won't and gives strategies for fixing things ourselves。 Eye openingThis book was comforting， disturbing， dense， and hopeful。 A straightforward analysis of the U。S。 And UK social and economic struggles over the last 5 decades。 It should be read by everyone in "flyover country" who feels "they" are the problem and are looking to government to fix things。 This book explains why our current leaders won't and gives strategies for fixing things ourselves。 。。。more
Richard
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