Welcome to Litsy!

Very long but very good! She talks about her experiences working as a journalist and activist, for the White House, and the UN during conflicts in Bosnia, Syria, and much more. I especially liked the times when she described mistakes or disagreements. It‘s a reminder that even such accomplished people are only human.

As we got up to say good night I heard myself whisper in [the unnamed foreign minister‘s] ear, “Any chance you would like to come see the [rainbow] crosswalk?”We had never talked about his personal life. At 12:30 AM, on a breezy September night, the minister walked slowly across rainbow crosswalk toward the UN...He bore a look I had not seen before: relief, delight, and a deep calm. It was the look of someone being fully himself.

Now on to my next book from @Amandajoy ‘s list! I have had this book forever and its inclusion on her #NewYearWhoDis list gives me a good reason to pick it up. The author is in the news because she was just nominated by Joe Biden to lead the U.S. Agency for International Development. This also fills some prompts on my reading challenges for 2021.

@monalyisha

Some things I‘m grateful for:

1. Samantha Power. What a fighter for those in need. Just a brilliant woman.
2. That Power wrote her memoir
3. That Obama put this on his reading list which then inspired me to find it
4. That my library had both the audio and hardback copy
5. That after 3 years of on and off again knitting I FINALLY finished knitting and piecing together my blanket.
6. I‘m grateful to find things to be grateful for.

Via detailed walkthroughs of UN diplomatic efforts and overarching philosophies woven throughout the memoir, I gained great understanding and respect for a woman I previously knew little about. I appreciated the back story, and the candid nature with which she discusses family. There‘s still some part of me - despite believing how well-deserved her post was - that wonders if she grasps how fortunate she is to be a part of this moment in history.

I wasn‘t expecting that Power would talk so much about Obama. She had known him before he ran for President and it‘s delightful to hear of all the ways he supported and encouraged her. (I haven‘t even made it to his victory yet!) She captures his kindness perfectly. I‘m not even going to go on about how often she brings tears to my eyes when she speaks of him.

Wait a second ... this amazing woman‘s best friend is the current Mayor of Burlington, Vermont? I chose to quit the job I loved in government rather than work for this developer-turned-Mayor. A guy who has negatively changed the feel of the city by letting his developer pals build, build, build? Of course I‘ll keep reading the book because she clearly made different choices than he did. But still... okay, rant over.

Really just incredibly amazing and inspiring. A true leader for a more gracious time. Also, a very readable book for everyone from the uninformed to experts. Deeply human, as well.

It‘s a long book...552 pages. I‘ve got 100 more to go. I wasn‘t so sure at first but I liked what Thomas L Friedman wrote in the NYT, “It‘s an unusual combination of autobiography, diplomatic history, moral argument ...” It‘s the book of an outsider who became an insider and who offers practical insight, honesty, and hope about the complex realities of navigating politics and geopolitical issues while trying to stand up for human rights.

Up next....so many great authors already! #txbookfest

Excellent memoir of a fiercely smart human rights advocate. Beyond telling her extraordinary life story, it shows how very hard the work and high the stakes are for professional diplomats/foreign policy leaders - especially those who demand that their decisions and actions be truly informed by a constant awareness of the real human lives affected. (Painfully timely!) Many Obama stories, and a good mix of attention to her inner and outer lives.