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The Education of an Idealist

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What to expect

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

THE INTERNATIONAL BESTSELLER

A NEW YORK TIMES NOTABLE BOOK OF THE YEAR

AN ECONOMIST BOOK OF THE YEAR

A TIMES LITERARY SUPPLEMENT BOOK OF THE YEAR

‘What can one person do?’ In this vibrant, galvanizing memoir, human rights advocate and Pulitzer-Prize winning writer Samantha Power offers an urgent response to this question.

As she traces her path from Irish immigrant to war correspondent and activist to eventually becoming the youngest-ever US Ambassador to the United Nations, Power writes with a unique blend of suspenseful storytelling, vivid character portraits and disarming honesty.

Her account illuminates the challenges of navigating the halls of power while trying to put one’s ideals into practice (and raise two young children along the way), and it shows how – even in the face of daunting challenges – each of us can make a difference.

Critics Review

A NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER

AN IRISH TIMES BESTSELLER

AN OBAMA FAVOURITE BOOK OF 2019

A NEW YORK TIMES NOTABLE BOOK OF 2019

AN ECONOMIST BOOK OF THE YEAR 2019

A TIMES LITERARY SUPPLEMENT BOOK OF THE YEAR 2019

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

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

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

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

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

‘Uniquely personal and absorbing … A riveting fly-on-the wall insight.’
Irish Times

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

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

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

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