A review by holtfan
No Higher Honor: A Memoir of My Years in Washington by Condoleezza Rice
5.0
Being an ambitious and overly-confident 8-year-old, I used to feel quite jealous of Condoleezza Rice. I had set my eyes on becoming the first female president and my family supported that ambition. But occasionally, my Dad would say he hoped Condoleezza Rice would become the first female president. Obviously this was defection of the highest order. But now that I'm older, wiser, and not White House inclined, I have to agree with him. Dr. Rice is an incredible woman and would make a fantastic president. Her story is inspiring and No Higher Honor, despite its nearly 800 pages, definitely left me wanting more.
I've been eyeing this intimidatingly long memoir for a while now but it took Jeremiah's recommendation to get me to finally pick it up. And am I glad I did! This was an unexpectedly enjoyable read. It breaks into a general but through overview of the foreign policy that defined the 8 years of George W. Bush's presidency. At least in the circles I run in, I tend to think of those years mainly for the legacy of No Child Left Behind or maybe in a pinch the war in Iraq. But a lot happened internationally, including the seeds of the Arab Spring, and it is eye-opening to be reminded of it all. My own political awareness only started really burgeoning in 2008, but nevertheless the moments described in this book defined much of my childhood, and I found it striking to read about them from the perspective of someone who lived and influenced much of what happened.
My biggest complaint is that I wanted more Condoleezza Rice. This is not a memoir where the writer gets in the way of her subject. At the same time, it made the occasional stories and glimpses of Dr. Rice's experience all the more precious. Here she was, a single, black woman changing history as Secretary of State. And sometimes, she does reference the unique role that gave her, mentioning meetings very traditional Islamic rulers or her role in responding to the race issue in Hurricane Katrina. But more often, she tells the tale of sweeping revolutions and social machinations without making it about her perspective. She just lets it shine through, without needing to bring special attention to it. And because of that, I found I listened closer to see how she engaged with her male colleagues or dealt with confrontation or handled being a single woman in politics.
Definitely a new favorite and one to explore again in the future.
I've been eyeing this intimidatingly long memoir for a while now but it took Jeremiah's recommendation to get me to finally pick it up. And am I glad I did! This was an unexpectedly enjoyable read. It breaks into a general but through overview of the foreign policy that defined the 8 years of George W. Bush's presidency. At least in the circles I run in, I tend to think of those years mainly for the legacy of No Child Left Behind or maybe in a pinch the war in Iraq. But a lot happened internationally, including the seeds of the Arab Spring, and it is eye-opening to be reminded of it all. My own political awareness only started really burgeoning in 2008, but nevertheless the moments described in this book defined much of my childhood, and I found it striking to read about them from the perspective of someone who lived and influenced much of what happened.
My biggest complaint is that I wanted more Condoleezza Rice. This is not a memoir where the writer gets in the way of her subject. At the same time, it made the occasional stories and glimpses of Dr. Rice's experience all the more precious. Here she was, a single, black woman changing history as Secretary of State. And sometimes, she does reference the unique role that gave her, mentioning meetings very traditional Islamic rulers or her role in responding to the race issue in Hurricane Katrina. But more often, she tells the tale of sweeping revolutions and social machinations without making it about her perspective. She just lets it shine through, without needing to bring special attention to it. And because of that, I found I listened closer to see how she engaged with her male colleagues or dealt with confrontation or handled being a single woman in politics.
Definitely a new favorite and one to explore again in the future.