The tEEEvery writer has a memory of the first time they experienced the joy of reading.
Samantha Power’s first reading memories take her back to the basement of a Dublin pub.
Her father would be upstairs at the bar holding court in a seat reserved for him – what they called “The Seat of Power.”
His daughter, Samantha, would go on to hold her own seat of power as an American immigrant.
Listening to highlights of that journey –- from Hartigan’s Pub to The White House -- is entertaining, enlightening, and empowering.
Along the way, we’ll hear about her first job as a young war correspondent in Bosnia, her Pulitzer Prize-winning book on genocide, her hard-earned insights on the power of imagination, and the consequences of failing to imagine the worst.
And we’ll spend time on one of the most powerful speeches you’ll ever hear.
In December 2016, Samantha Power, U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations, gave her “Have You No Shame” speech – a nine minute call for decency – calling out the Assad regime, Russia and Iran – in their presence -- for the “noose” they were tightening around the civilians of Aleppo, Syria.
The speech didn’t have a title going in. But it picked one up as the video of it went viral.
I’ve always wanted to know the background of that speech. Now, on At Home With Authors, Ambassador Power gives us the inside account of what transpired in the President’s inner circle during the days and hours leading up to “Have You No Shame.”
Much of this sounds dark.
But The Education of an Idealist is uplifting. How so?
Here’s a hint that will become clear near the end of this one-hour conversation.
Sixty minutes may seem like a big ask. But not if you come away able to “shrink the change.”
