The Education of an Idealist by Smantha Power

For those of you who know, on some level, who Samantha Power is, the above picture could be both informational and brilliant or absolutely confusing. Most recently, Ms. Power gained notoriety for being the Ambassador to the UN for the United States. She served from 2013-2017, preceding Governor Haley, and for the Obama administration.  However,  she began her career as a journalist covering the war in the Balkans.  This book, her fourth and most recent, is a memoir about her life beginning during her childhood in Ireland and ending with her last days as the United States Ambassador to the United Nations.

Sometimes, I don't know why I pick up autobiographies written by politicians because I find parts of them to be completely and utterly boring and self serving.  Nothing changed with this particular memoir/autobiography.  The most trying parts of the book involved Power's description of political theory, use of statistics and attempts to justify the steps that were taken by the political administration that she was serving during her career.  I already understand the theories and the maneuvering and could have done without the additional education.  It was trying and skimmable.

I found myself immensely intrigued by her descriptions of trips to various parts of the world, her attempts and struggles to balance work, life and being a mother and her descriptions of her life in Ireland, as an immigrant, her education in college and then her time as a journalist.  I really wanted to learn more about her as a person and in this area, Ms. Powers delivered a home run (baseball is her favorite sport!).  Ms. Powers is a very intelligent and driven woman that is someone to look up to based upon how her life has developed.  I really enjoyed these parts of her book. I found that she was very open and vulnerable and honest, which was impressive considering what she was putting out there.  The feelings that she admitted having are ones that are all too familiar to me and are, perhaps, also very familiar to other people as well - anxiety, self doubt, shame - and she puts it out there.  I also admire that she was and is still very driven.

So, while I absolutely wish that I had just skipped the political theory sections, I enjoyed the rest of the book tremendously and hope that one day, I may meet Ms. Powers.  SHe seems like someone that I could have a few beers with and laugh with.