Nonfiction

The Education of an Idealist: A Memoir

The Education of an Idealist: A Memoir

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  • Create Date：2021-03-25 11:40:07
  • Update Date：2025-09-06
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  • Author：Samantha Power
  • ISBN：0062820702
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Summary

A  NEW YORK TIMES， WALL STREET JOURNAL ， AND  USA TODAY  BESTSELLER

An intimate， powerful， and galvanizing memoir by Pulitzer Prize winner， human rights advocate， and former US Ambassador to the UN Samantha Power。 Named one of the best books of the year:

The New York Times  • National Public Radio • Time • The Economist • The Washington Post • Vanity Fair • Christian Science Monitor • Publishers Weekly • Audible

“Her highly personal and reflective memoir 。 。 。 is a must-read for anyone who cares about our role in a changing world。”—President Barack Obama

Includes an updated afterword

Tracing her distinctly American journey from immigrant to war correspondent to presidential Cabinet official， Samantha Power’s acclaimed memoir is a unique blend of suspenseful storytelling， vivid character portraits， and shrewd political insight。 After her critiques of US foreign policy caught the eye of Senator Barack Obama， he invited her to work with him on Capitol Hill and then on his presidential campaign。 When Obama won the presidency， Power went from being an activist outsider to serving as his human rights adviser and， in 2013， becoming the youngest-ever US Ambassador to the United Nations。 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， offering a compelling and deeply honest look at navigating the halls of power while trying to put one’s ideals into practice。 Along the way， she lays bare the searing battles and defining moments of her life， shows how she juggled the demands of a 24/7 national security job with raising two young children， and makes the case for how we each can advance the cause of human dignity。 This 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 

“Truly engrossing…A pleasure to read。”—RACHEL MADDOW

“A beautiful memoir about the times we’re living in and the questions we must ask ourselves…I honestly couldn’t put it down。” —CHERYL STRAYED， author of Wild

“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， author of Just Mercy

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Reviews

Dana Mccloskey ，

Inspirational。 Educational。 Good historical review of periods in our international diplomacy up close。

Ellen ，

Here's a case of "Immigrants - we get the job done！" to quote "Hamilton。" Samantha Power's Irish immigrant childhood was not easy， but she was idealistic， fearless， and ambitious and managed to have it all as a woman - a career that made a positive difference throughout the entire world and a loving family。 This book also opens a window into the workings of the United Nations， where she served as U。S。 Ambassador during the Obama administration。 She concludes by recommending that we invest more i Here's a case of "Immigrants - we get the job done！" to quote "Hamilton。" Samantha Power's Irish immigrant childhood was not easy， but she was idealistic， fearless， and ambitious and managed to have it all as a woman - a career that made a positive difference throughout the entire world and a loving family。 This book also opens a window into the workings of the United Nations， where she served as U。S。 Ambassador during the Obama administration。 She concludes by recommending that we invest more in diplomacy than in the military。 。。。more

Amalia Ordonez ，

I found this book by chance at a store and didn't know a thing about Samantha Power， now， a few weeks later， I have read her memoir， listened to every interview she's given and read numerous posts and articles she's written。Reading these reviews， I've realized that I was blindly liking everything about the book and her career without thinking about some points that have been raised here， as the Yemen war。 However， I do think she gives a compelling account of what it is to be a diplomat and what I found this book by chance at a store and didn't know a thing about Samantha Power， now， a few weeks later， I have read her memoir， listened to every interview she's given and read numerous posts and articles she's written。Reading these reviews， I've realized that I was blindly liking everything about the book and her career without thinking about some points that have been raised here， as the Yemen war。 However， I do think she gives a compelling account of what it is to be a diplomat and what a career in foreign policy looks like， albeit from the American perspective， which is obviously very different from that of other countries。 I've found this book， and Power herself， tremendously inspiring， and though with reservations， I think she is someone to look up to。 The book is beautifully written and definitely a pageturner。 I totally recommend it to anyone interested in knowing more about women in powerful positions， and about the world itself。 。。。more

Lladroluv ，

From her birth in Dublin to the UN & beyond—an enjoyable book。

Jessica Teets ，

I liked the behind-the-scenes picture of US diplomacy。

Veronica ，

The title of this book lured me to read it。 The Education of an Idealist。 What does it mean to be an idealist？ How does an idealist get educated？ Who educates the idealist？ How does one become an idealist？ How does one achieve the ideas of an idealist？ I hadn't known of Samantha Power before reading this book。 She came from humble backgrounds。 Her mother's influence played a big role in forging her to become an idealist。 She was in constant pursuit to find resolutions to injustice。 Her memoir di The title of this book lured me to read it。 The Education of an Idealist。 What does it mean to be an idealist？ How does an idealist get educated？ Who educates the idealist？ How does one become an idealist？ How does one achieve the ideas of an idealist？ I hadn't known of Samantha Power before reading this book。 She came from humble backgrounds。 Her mother's influence played a big role in forging her to become an idealist。 She was in constant pursuit to find resolutions to injustice。 Her memoir didn't discriminate。 It was honest and personal。 It showed us her wins and her failures。 At times it made me laugh so much！ I love the scene with her husband at the Waldorf-Astoria。 I admired her strength， her stamina， her perseverance faced at home and at work。 I will cherish her story for a long time。 。。。more

Manuel Castro ，

Incredible journey from growing up in Ireland， to covering war torn countries as a journalist， to national security meetings with President Obama， and balancing parenting， self doubt， and vulnerabilities。 One of the best books I’ve ever read by one of the most inspiring people that exist。 A true public servant， thought leader， and dream boss。 Reading this will enrich whoever takes the plunge。

Michelle Lehmer chiafulio ，

Such an important overview on genocide， US foreign policy， and human rights advocacy but written with such intimate insight into her own personal path as a woman navigating career， power and relationships。 I highly encourage reading this book！！

April Knapp ，

What an inspirational woman！ I learned so much。

Meredith ，

This book was amazing and so inspiring。 It is honestly mind-blowing to see how much of an impact Samantha Power has been able to make in her life so far。 And I am in awe of her methods （ranging from 'tweaking the truth' to get a UN press badge in order to become a war correspondent in Bosnia and Herzegovina to chasing down a government official across a hotel lobby and trapping him in the elevator so they could talk） and it was cool to learn how much work she has put into advancing human rights， This book was amazing and so inspiring。 It is honestly mind-blowing to see how much of an impact Samantha Power has been able to make in her life so far。 And I am in awe of her methods （ranging from 'tweaking the truth' to get a UN press badge in order to become a war correspondent in Bosnia and Herzegovina to chasing down a government official across a hotel lobby and trapping him in the elevator so they could talk） and it was cool to learn how much work she has put into advancing human rights， and especially LGBT rights， both in the UN and in the Obama Administration。This book took me a little while to get through since memoires aren't really my thing， but it was so worth it to read！！ 。。。more

Tanya ，

This may be my new favorite book。

Susan ，

While this book is very long， 22 hrs of audio， it was worth it。 She has lead a life of challenges faced and chances taken but yes， has always been an idealist。 As US ambassador she faced a lot of criticism for staying as US policy forced her to support actions she spoke loudly against all of her earlier career。 Her explanation of her rationale lets you into the inner workings and mindset of many in government and diplomacy and the tough choices they make every day。 I never doubted that she was d While this book is very long， 22 hrs of audio， it was worth it。 She has lead a life of challenges faced and chances taken but yes， has always been an idealist。 As US ambassador she faced a lot of criticism for staying as US policy forced her to support actions she spoke loudly against all of her earlier career。 Her explanation of her rationale lets you into the inner workings and mindset of many in government and diplomacy and the tough choices they make every day。 I never doubted that she was doing her best for humanity even if I might disagree with how she did it。 She is the embodiment of an advocate。 I certainly would love to have Samantha Power in my corner。 。。。more

Jacy Thoman ，

I thoroughly enjoyed this。 I found her reflections and self awareness honest and endearing， and her explanations and navigation of US foreign policy harrowing but somewhat hopeful。 This book serves as a reminder that the US needs to engage with the world， not retreat， and that progress is made up of many small steps。

Holiztic ，

If I were not already who I am， an idealist very much like Samantha Power， this book would have changed my life。 Instead， it's affirmed it。 Highly recommend。 If I were not already who I am， an idealist very much like Samantha Power， this book would have changed my life。 Instead， it's affirmed it。 Highly recommend。 。。。more

Diana Kajtezovic jovic ，

Mrs。Power is a true embodiment to the saying 'women belong where decisions are made '。 She is truly one of a kind。 Mrs。Power is a true embodiment to the saying 'women belong where decisions are made '。 She is truly one of a kind。 。。。more

Kerry ，

This autobiographical account was interesting for me on several fronts。 First of all， I like learning about her childhood， although there are some dark and tough parts to it。 Then it is curious to see how she begins a career in journalism and how her path leads her into international affairs and eventually being the Ambassador to the UN。 Especially the guts it took to brave the atmosphere of covering a genocide。 Her drive and ambition certainly come to the foreground in this part of the book and This autobiographical account was interesting for me on several fronts。 First of all， I like learning about her childhood， although there are some dark and tough parts to it。 Then it is curious to see how she begins a career in journalism and how her path leads her into international affairs and eventually being the Ambassador to the UN。 Especially the guts it took to brave the atmosphere of covering a genocide。 Her drive and ambition certainly come to the foreground in this part of the book and show how she developed her passion for preventing genocide and promoting human rights。 I learned a good deal about that role and how it differs from other ambassadorships。 Also， all of Ms。 Power's accounts from the Obama administration touched on events from a different perspective than I had， but are in the not so distant past。 It was interesting to know what was happening in the inner circles。 Also， the book sheds light on the challenges and difficulties and advantages of a big bureaucracy and what kind of a complicated dance is required to advance issues in the US government and UN alike。 I like the combination of personal account from her own life and her work experience which blurred， much like I am sure her real life intertwined those parts as well。 。。。more

Spamko ，

THIS REVIEW is divided into three sections， because of that you will see as it follows。 The FIRST part:Lets begin this review by confessing， that I as a reader never read memoirs。 Regarding that， this book is definitely a revelation for me。 I am admitting this， not only because of the author but because of the attractive mindfulness that a Memoir like this bears。 For this reason I will try to push myself forward， and read more memoirs in future for sure。 Thank you Samantha Power for that！ :）The THIS REVIEW is divided into three sections， because of that you will see as it follows。 The FIRST part:Lets begin this review by confessing， that I as a reader never read memoirs。 Regarding that， this book is definitely a revelation for me。 I am admitting this， not only because of the author but because of the attractive mindfulness that a Memoir like this bears。 For this reason I will try to push myself forward， and read more memoirs in future for sure。 Thank you Samantha Power for that！ :）The SECOND part of this review is dedicated to the book。I feel that a book has a huge message。 My intent is not to appoint specific events that took place during author's career as a journalist， activist， public or civil officer。 Accordingly， those events happened and it was quite hard to avoid horrors， terrors and calamities described in the book。 The biggest influence on me had the fact that the author shows what a single person can do， how it can affect others。 Moreover， it appoints a specific thing that is often overlooked and that is， I will try to quote the author from what I remember:" One cannot change the whole world and universe， but it can change many single universes by helping someone in trouble"。 It shows that an action is never useless。 I praise that！The THIRD part is dedicated to the author:Although， I cannot agree with author on some actions or opinions， I believe that she as a person shows how someone can act in order to achieve highest aims one has。 Also， if you want to really understand and educate yourself， again the author shows how committed， dedicated and willing you must be in order to truly understand a certain problem。 Lastly， I LOVED the feel of the book（but I need to say that I listened it as an audiobook， maybe I would not feel like that if I read physical copy） especially that during the whole story author basically screams at you， her tone and encouragement aimed to the reader， as in case if you want to change the world put your jacket on and do it！ I would rate this book - 4，5/5。 Definitely I would recommend this book， especially if you are interested in Human rights。 Try it out， you will not regret it。 。。。more

Irene Lee ，

A multi-layered， lived-out answer to the simple question， "Can one person change the world？" Her life overall helped me reflect on my own life even though I'm nowhere close to being a UN Ambassador。 A multi-layered， lived-out answer to the simple question， "Can one person change the world？" Her life overall helped me reflect on my own life even though I'm nowhere close to being a UN Ambassador。 。。。more

Diana Fink ，

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 I will go back a re-read this book， I'm sure。 Met an amazing woman who shared her life and all its ups and downs。Hopefully she'll be back in the political/social justice warrior scene soon。 I will go back a re-read this book， I'm sure。 Met an amazing woman who shared her life and all its ups and downs。Hopefully she'll be back in the political/social justice warrior scene soon。 。。。more

Jillian Terrell ，

I admire Power’s veracity and doggedness to better the world， having followed her since 2005 when I first read The Problem from Hell， but the tone of the book drastically shifts during her White House years。 One understands that this is likely due to a combination of loyalty， better understanding of diplomacy and perhaps some censorship but it lacked the vitality of earlier pages。 The lack of criticism of our own country in the later chapters doesn’t align， as Baldwin stated “I love America more I admire Power’s veracity and doggedness to better the world， having followed her since 2005 when I first read The Problem from Hell， but the tone of the book drastically shifts during her White House years。 One understands that this is likely due to a combination of loyalty， better understanding of diplomacy and perhaps some censorship but it lacked the vitality of earlier pages。 The lack of criticism of our own country in the later chapters doesn’t align， as Baldwin stated “I love America more than any other country in the world and， exactly for this reason， I insist on the right to criticize her perpetually。” Someone so passionate should have opinions about things that don’t always agree， they sprouted up here and there but perhaps because Power had served earlier as an altruistic compass， it seems a bit disheartening to find few outright criticisms of America。 You can take it as a sign of maturity or a sign of better understanding of the ways in which diplomacy work but for this reader it read a bit like someone who had sipped a bit too much of the imperialist soup。 。。。more

Zaiyi ，

The longest memoir I’ve ever read（listened） haha。 Fascinating stories inside the UN/ White House。

Erin ，

By far one of the most important and influential books I’ve read！

AM ，

It's easier to throw stones at a glass house than to build one。 It's easier to throw stones at a glass house than to build one。 。。。more

Randolph Breschini ，

I really enjoyed this book。。。I love reading about people， their challenges， and their decisions。。。Samantha describes her time as an immigrant to the USA， her schooling， her working in trouble zones around the world as a reporter， meeting Barrack， working for Barrack the Senator， working on Barracks’s presidential campaign， working in the White House， and then working as UN ambassador。She is direct， passionate， and understands the world。 She advanced so many causes while UN ambassador。 President I really enjoyed this book。。。I love reading about people， their challenges， and their decisions。。。Samantha describes her time as an immigrant to the USA， her schooling， her working in trouble zones around the world as a reporter， meeting Barrack， working for Barrack the Senator， working on Barracks’s presidential campaign， working in the White House， and then working as UN ambassador。She is direct， passionate， and understands the world。 She advanced so many causes while UN ambassador。 President Obama came to seek her out and respect her opinions。And now just recently President Biden has appointed her as Director of USAID， a position for which I believe she is perfect。If only we had more Samantha Power’s in the world。This is a 10/10 book🙏🏻 。。。more

Angela ，

This was a bit of a slower read in my opinion。 She is an excellent story teller and really seemed to know the facts of situations she was describing。 This book in many ways felt like a brief history of American politics from the last 30 years but in a very interesting way。 It does go into deep detail about her first hand experiences in Bosnia， the Obama White House， and her time serving on the United Nations。 Sometimes it felt like the stories were dragging on a little bit， but obviously they we This was a bit of a slower read in my opinion。 She is an excellent story teller and really seemed to know the facts of situations she was describing。 This book in many ways felt like a brief history of American politics from the last 30 years but in a very interesting way。 It does go into deep detail about her first hand experiences in Bosnia， the Obama White House， and her time serving on the United Nations。 Sometimes it felt like the stories were dragging on a little bit， but obviously they were apart of her story and helped you understand why she is the person she is today。 Her experiences as an immigrant and a woman trying to make the world a better place seemed endearing and heartfelt。 I never felt like her beliefs or efforts were bullshit。 The first half of this book spoke mostly on her experience in Bosnia and then writing her book， A Problem from Hell， about genocide and the United States' response。 It reminded me a lot of a class I took in college that was supposed to be comparing and reviewing the history of mass murder and genocide （exciting， I know）。 I remember being ultimately disappointed by the class because the professor was an expert in Jewish studies and the Holocaust and he somehow always managed to make every class a discussion on the importance and effect of the Holocaust。 While obviously a deeply important topic， it bothered me that he seemed to gloss over some of these more recent occurrences like Rwanda， Bosnia， Darfur， Rohingya， or even the Armenian genocide because they weren't "the genocide"。 Atrocities are obviously still being committed on a regular basis and much like Samantha Power， it has bothered me that we can't seem to do more about it。 I appreciated that something so heartbreaking and difficult could be the basis of a lifetime of work in public service and education。 The most important takeaways are the reminder that sometimes better is enough and the world is always connected。 Everyday there are tragedies and policies that we might disagree with but as long as we can make the effort to try to improve it， no matter how small， we are doing our best。 Also that our world is deeply intertwined。 No matter how much politicians and other conservatives in this country want to insist that America is the greatest country in the world and that we will be better in isolation， that simply is not possible in our global society。 We can have our sovereign nations but the actions of other countries still have an effect on ours。 Global warming， poverty， and mass violence in one country will one day or already have a direct impact on our lives here that we cannot ignore。 。。。more

Judith ，

Having read Power's book on genocide years ago， I wanted this memoir as soon as I read about it。At the start， Power says "Some may interpret this book's title as suggesting that I began with lofty dreams about how one person could make a difference， only to be 'educated' by the brutish forces that I encountered。 That's not the story that follows。" She's right。In this personal memoir， Power doesn't make excuses。 She tracks her rise from child in Ireland to doctoral candidate to writer of A Proble Having read Power's book on genocide years ago， I wanted this memoir as soon as I read about it。At the start， Power says "Some may interpret this book's title as suggesting that I began with lofty dreams about how one person could make a difference， only to be 'educated' by the brutish forces that I encountered。 That's not the story that follows。" She's right。In this personal memoir， Power doesn't make excuses。 She tracks her rise from child in Ireland to doctoral candidate to writer of A Problem from Hell to her position as ambassador to the UN under Barack Obama。 In this trip she went from outside observer of human rights violations to a position where she could influence the actions of the US。 Challenged to put her money where her mouth was， Power stood up。In case after case， Power's voice did not diminish。 She was not always successful in bringing about the larger changes or actions but she did not lose her focus。 For me， reading about Power's commitment to what is often considered "weakness" is inspiring。 Further， the glimpse into the presidency of Barack Obama is equally meaningful。 I take away his advice: "don't admire the problem"。 He wanted solutions， not hand-wringing。 He was willing to hear points of view at odds with his own， and at the same time did not back down when he believed he made the right choice。I came away refreshed and willing to believe once again that for some politicians integrity means something。 。。。more

Ophelia Alderton ，

Samantha Power is a former war correspondent in Bosnia and then US Ambassador to the United Nations and she sounded like a woman I would love to know more about when I heard her interviewed。Irish born and moving to the US during her childhood she provides not only a really interesting memoir but superb insight into how difficult it can be being an outsider turned insider。 For many years she reported from harrowing wars to try to get the world to notice and care and then she actually became one o Samantha Power is a former war correspondent in Bosnia and then US Ambassador to the United Nations and she sounded like a woman I would love to know more about when I heard her interviewed。Irish born and moving to the US during her childhood she provides not only a really interesting memoir but superb insight into how difficult it can be being an outsider turned insider。 For many years she reported from harrowing wars to try to get the world to notice and care and then she actually became one of the key foreign policy makers and shapers for the US。This was one big fat book and a biography so credit to her as I found it absolutely fascinating。 If you are interested in geopolitics this would be a great one to read。 。。。more

Paige Kilian ，

4。5

Pallu ，

I think back to being a teacher and asking the kids to dream big and lofty。 Then promptly sending them out into the world with little guidance of how these dreams become reality or how reality can complicate even the best laid plans and intentions。 I enjoyed the insights into policy and government （I know so little about so much of it！） but more so Power’s insights and stories of how she navigated it from facing her anxieties （bats in her head） and to her support networks （family， women groups。。 I think back to being a teacher and asking the kids to dream big and lofty。 Then promptly sending them out into the world with little guidance of how these dreams become reality or how reality can complicate even the best laid plans and intentions。 I enjoyed the insights into policy and government （I know so little about so much of it！） but more so Power’s insights and stories of how she navigated it from facing her anxieties （bats in her head） and to her support networks （family， women groups。。。）。 She makes the argument that many of us want change， but how many of us are willing to change ourselves to make it happen。 Power is smart， dry， and a relentless champion of human rights。 。。。more

Amanda ，

A rich， eyeopening read about both the rise of a humanitarian star （humbly told）， her time in the Obama Administration， and the complex role America plays in the world。 Relatable while also clarifying， Samantha’s story compels one to act — because “better is good。” I couldn’t put it down。

Reference

google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=The Education of an Idealist: A Memoir

hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=The Education of an Idealist: A Memoir&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft

The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,The Education of an Idealist: A Memoir&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0