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A review by kathywadolowski
The Education of an Idealist: A Memoir by Samantha Power
informative
reflective
slow-paced
3.5
Samatha Power is, no doubt, a force and an inspiration. Her life story is well worth the read, as are her insights into the unrelenting effort it takes to generate impactful change. I was gripped by many of her accounts of major world events through the lens of her role as US ambassador to the UN—the handling of the Ebola outbreak and her repeated clashes with the Russian ambassador were particularly interesting to me—and it was strangely relatable to see how her perspective necessarily shifted from her journalist days in Bosnia to being in the position to affect the same policies she'd previously been able to question and criticize from a distance.
However, I thought the book was a bit too long and spent some unnecessary time/effort tracing details that weren't all that interesting. There were even times I felt like I was reading a history textbook rather than a personal testimonial; though facts are OF COURSE important in a book of this nature, I did also speed through some drier sections to hear more of her unique intel about given situations and events.
I also found Power to be a little preachy and judgmental from time to time. She did recognize her privileged position often, and acknowledged when she was being hypocritical; but even with all her international experience, I was sometimes put off by the presumption that she could really understand the nuances of other countries' situations and policies. For instance, she mentioned that when she visited other countries, she often met with survivors of various types of violence before meeting with country leaders so she could lecture them about the suffering happening on their watch. Though the goal sounds noble, it *feels* patronizing to presume that leaders don't know or care about such issues... and felt a bit illustrative of America's inflated ego on the world stage.
Though to counter-point myself, it's also clear from Power's experiences that America's posturing can be either bolstering or devastating, depending on our decision to act or not. And though this realization made me nervous given all the nationalism/isolationism that flooded the country in a Trumpian world, I was also heartened to know that many American diplomats remained committed to their cause no matter the administration in charge.
Though at times Power got on my nerves during this read, she is also a clear champion for the ideals that America was founded on and makes a strong case for the importance of decisive leadership in the interest of helping others. Though the path to that end might not always be obvious and is never easy, the worst thing you can do is just sit by and watch when you have the power to do something.
However, I thought the book was a bit too long and spent some unnecessary time/effort tracing details that weren't all that interesting. There were even times I felt like I was reading a history textbook rather than a personal testimonial; though facts are OF COURSE important in a book of this nature, I did also speed through some drier sections to hear more of her unique intel about given situations and events.
I also found Power to be a little preachy and judgmental from time to time. She did recognize her privileged position often, and acknowledged when she was being hypocritical; but even with all her international experience, I was sometimes put off by the presumption that she could really understand the nuances of other countries' situations and policies. For instance, she mentioned that when she visited other countries, she often met with survivors of various types of violence before meeting with country leaders so she could lecture them about the suffering happening on their watch. Though the goal sounds noble, it *feels* patronizing to presume that leaders don't know or care about such issues... and felt a bit illustrative of America's inflated ego on the world stage.
Though to counter-point myself, it's also clear from Power's experiences that America's posturing can be either bolstering or devastating, depending on our decision to act or not. And though this realization made me nervous given all the nationalism/isolationism that flooded the country in a Trumpian world, I was also heartened to know that many American diplomats remained committed to their cause no matter the administration in charge.
Though at times Power got on my nerves during this read, she is also a clear champion for the ideals that America was founded on and makes a strong case for the importance of decisive leadership in the interest of helping others. Though the path to that end might not always be obvious and is never easy, the worst thing you can do is just sit by and watch when you have the power to do something.