No Higher Honor: A Memoir of My Years in Washington

Condoleezza Rice has done Americans a huge favor, both in her service to her country and in writing this memoir of her time as National Security Advisor and Secretary of State. No Higher Honor provides an extraordinary look behind the scenes of Washington during the early years of the War on Terror, from Bush's initial desire to vastly expand and improve our relations in Central and South America, Mexico in particular, through the attacks of September 11th which changed everyone's priorities, to the outbreak of fighting in South Ossetia. Rice does a wonderful job of writing step-by-step what she was thinking and doing during the Bush administration. She writes in depth of meetings with national and international leaders including interesting snippets of conversation and her personal impressions during those meetings. This gives the effect of a detailed recounting of global events and the background for what was going on at the time. Rice does a masterful job of keeping a personal touch here as she records how her experiences, particularly being a young black girl in the segregated south, informed her compassion for those around the world who are oppressed either because they are an ethnic minority or female. Her background as an expert on the Soviets gives her insight into the Russians today the added flavor of one who is in awe of the change that has taken place balanced with a knowledge of history that make her thoughts of putin and medvedev intriguing. She writes of long hours, unrelenting travel, and the occassional vacation (often interrupted) which, as NSA or Secretary of State, become a way of life. Many of her meetings with foreign leaders are fascinating, sometimes foreshadowing what has happened and too often only a shadow of what could have been. This is particularly true of the situation between Israel and the Palestinians. There was such an opportunity for positive progress. Some of this progress continues in a stuttering way as the Palestinians try to build more democratic institutions but are incessantly interrupted by hamas frustrating any efforts at peace. Rice's meeting with mubarak toward the end of her term, and as it turned out his as well, is quite interesting. mubarak took a very personal interest in Rice including calling her pets names. Meanwhile Rice is warning him that the needs to allow more freedoms for his people or he will face consequences of his own making. The interplay of administration personalities with Rice, such as Cheney, Rumsfield, Powell, are telling. There were certainly tense moments, some of misunderstanding and some of conflicting ideas, that Rice records and does well in not casting blame on either side of an issue. She does very well giving credit where credit is due, especially applauding the heroic efforts of those state employees in harms way in places like Afghanistan and Iraq as they try to forge a lasting peace between sects of such divided societies. Dr. Rice's close relationship with Bush is evident throughout the narrative and proves to be very beneficial due to their mutual trust. Anyone who takes an interest in foreign policy and diplomacy should read this book. No Higher Honor is not a whitewash of history, nor a glowing portrayal of the author. She stumbles and makes mistakes that she is very forthright about. The reader sees how she internalizes both victory and defeat and what her actions have meant on the world stage. No Higher Honor is a great account of how individuals can make a huge positive difference in the world. Strongly Recommended.

I found this to be a very long and detailed book, sometimes rather tedious, but it is a "must read" for any serious student of the Bush administrations either for or against. Here Condoleezza Rice, first National Security Adviser and then Secretary of State details the entire eight years in almost 800 pages. No one should condemn Bush without reading this enlightening account first. To me this book lacks the personal charm of her first book about growing up in segregated Birmingham, AL, but considering the weighty matters she is dealing with -- 9/11,WMD, Iraqui war, Russian/USA relations, Israel/Palestine relations, the new countries formed from the former Soviet Union, N. Korea, etc.-- it is no wonder that the book is a bit heavy as well. The surprising thing is that a little girl from black, segregated Alabama could rise to this height. She shows amazing toughness and wisdom in carrying out her duties. With a PhD in Russian studies and fluency in the Russian language, Condi was uniquely suited to dealing with Putin and other Russian officials. While showing compassion and gentleness in many relationships, especially when dealing with HIV victims in Africa, Condi showed amazing toughness when the occasion demanded. So, even though tedious at times, I give it 5 stars.

This book, by a loyal and dedicated American citizen, details what went on behind the scenes in this Bush presidency. Of particular interest to this reader were the stories of how the speeches, some of which produced gasps around the world, were crafted. Apparently the team missed how Bush's Texas accent and pugnacious delivery would punctuate their words and send unintended signals to friends and foes alike. A slow, but interesting read. Her remarks about our democracy and process, when asked about the election of Obama by reporters toward the end of her term as Secretary of State, are patriotic and inspiring.

Libro interessante per gli appassionati del genere, con molti commenti sui tempi in cui la Dott. Rice lavorava nella governo di Bush. Libro un poco lungo, alla lunga inizia ad annoiare per il numero di dettagli non tutti forse indispensabili.

Dr. Rice is indeed a remarkable lady and perhaps one of the most capable US Secretaries of State. Her memoir detailing her rise from humble beginnings to US Sec. of State is inspiring. I highly recommend it.

ブッシュ政権の裏側が詳細に描かれてあって、面白く、読めた。文のセンスがうまいなと感心する箇所がところどころにみられ、ライスさんのあふれる才能に感服した。彼女の以外な私生活の素顔もみられて、興味深い作品だった。

Very interesting and well written book, which gives many good insights into the policies of G. W. Bush that did not receive much publicity behind the fog of Iraq war. But, as you would expect from this kind of a book, it is overburdened with credits to many people that you wouldn't really care about.

Highly informative and recommended.