The Education of an Idealist: A Memoir - Softcover

“This is a wonderful book....The interweaving of Power’s personal story, family story, diplomatic history and moral arguments is executed seamlessly―and with unblinking honesty.”
(THOMAS L. FRIEDMAN, The New York Times Book Review )

“[Power] is a very good writer, which makes it more fun and truly engrossing to read a memoir about a former U.S. official....A pleasure to read.” (RACHEL MADDOW, MSNBC)

“Power writes movingly about everything...and she delivers one of the best-written political memoirs of recent years.” (FAREED ZAKARIA, CNN  )

“Power writes with heart about her upbringing ― in Ireland, Pittsburgh and Atlanta ― and she is especially poignant when recounting a few traumatic episodes... Still, the book is suffused with humor, and [President Obama] furnishes the funniest anecdotes that don’t come from her charming children...The Education of an Idealist is a moving account of how to serve righteously, or at least how to try.” (The Washington Post)

“Amid the flood of memoirs from Obama administration veterans, Power’s stands out as worth reading. For starters, she’s a better writer than a lot of them—she was a Pulitzer Prize–winning journalist and author long before she got into government. She’s also done more that’s worth reading about. Like the best journalists, Power has a gift for finding the perfect anecdote to illustrate a larger idea or theme, and this is the rare political memoir where you definitely shouldn’t skim the “early years” chapters. (Slate)

“Engaging....Power’s memoir is an insider’s account of foreign-policy-making, and an intensely personal one.” (The Economist)

“Lively...and strikingly personal...[Power] writes vividly and lucidly here about her turn in the international spotlight.” (Vogue)

"Power is a master story-teller . . . a brilliant self-portrait of an outsider turned insider, who is forced to grapple with the challenges that brings, and does so honestly."  (The Independent (Ireland))

"A uniquely personal and absorbing account of [Power's] time at the heart of US foreign policy . . . Power's book gives a riveting fly-on-the wall insight into the Obama administration's foreign-policy decision-making and the inner workings of the United Nations."  (The Irish Times )

“In this gripping and revelatory memoir, Power chronicles, with vibrant precision and stunning candor, her best and worst moments navigating the obstacle courses within the White House and the UN, daunting global crises, and personal struggles. She is utterly compelling in her eye-witness accounts of violence and political standoffs and shrewdly witty in her tales about balancing diplomacy and motherhood.” (Booklist, starred review )