Tough Love: My Story of the Things Worth Fighting For by Susan Rice | Goodreads

Tough Love: My Story of the Things Worth Fighting For by Susan Rice | Goodreads




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Tough Love: My Story of the Things Worth Fighting For

by
Susan Rice
4.42 · Rating details · 12 ratings · 4 reviews
Recalling pivotal moments from her dynamic career on the front lines of American diplomacy and foreign policy, Susan E. Rice--National Security Advisor to President Barack Obama and U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations--delivers an inspiring account of a life in service to family and country.

Although you may think you know Susan Rice--whose name became synonymous with Benghazi following her Sunday news show appearances after the deadly 2012 terrorist attacks in Libya--in Tough Love, the author reveals the truth of her surprising story with unflinching honesty. Often mischaracterized by political opponents, Rice emerges as neither a villain nor victim, but a strong, compassionate leader.

Mother, wife, scholar, diplomat, and fierce champion of American interests and values, Rice connects the personal and the professional. Taught early, with tough love, how to compete and excel as an African American woman in settings where people of color are few, Susan shares wisdom learned along the way.

Laying bare the family struggles that shaped her early life in Washington, D.C., she also examines the ancestral legacies that influenced her. Rice's elders--immigrants on one side and descendants of slaves on the other--had high expectations that each generation would rise. And rise they did, but not without paying it forward--in uniform and in the pulpit, as educators, community leaders, and public servants.

Susan too rose rapidly. She served throughout the Clinton administration, becoming one of the nation's youngest assistant secretaries of state and, later, one of President Obama's most trusted advisors.

Rice provides an insider's account of some of the most complex issues confronting the United States over three decades, ranging from "Black Hawk Down" in Somalia to the genocide in Rwanda and the East Africa embassy bombings in the late 1990s, to Libya, Syria, a secret channel to Iran, the Ebola epidemic, and the opening to Cuba during the Obama years. With unmatched insight and characteristic bluntness, she reveals previously untold stories behind recent national security challenges, including confrontations with Russia and China, the war against ISIS, the struggle to contain the fallout from Edward Snowden's leaks, the U.S. response to Russian interference in the 2016 election, and the surreal transition to the Trump administration.

Intimate, sometimes humorous, but always candid, Tough Love culminates with an appeal to the American public to bridge our dangerous domestic divides in order to preserve our democracy and sustain our global leadership. (less)

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Hardcover, 496 pages
Published October 8th 2019 by Simon & Schuster
ISBN
1501189972 (ISBN13: 9781501189975)
Edition Language
English

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Women in Diplomacy and Foreign Policy

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2019 NPR Recommendations

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Oct 08, 2019Karen rated it it was amazing
I have read many autobiographies through the years. There were some that I truly enjoyed reading, and in all honesty, I will admit there were a few that I just could not get into and never finished reading. However, I have never read one that completely captured my attention throughout the entire book...an autobiography that pulled me in from the opening prologue and held my attention to the point that I read the entire book in one sitting. That all changed when I read Tough Love: My Story of the Things Worth Fighting For by Susan Rice.

The prologue takes place during the last few hours of the Obama administration, and is perfectly titled Farewell to the Moral Universe. Sadly, that title still fits today's divided political climate. She relays her skepticism on that day, as well as her hope that the new administration will be successful. She talks about the sadness she feels, as well as looking forward to the next chapter in her life.

Of course, there are some people that will never give this book a chance, and that is truly unfortunate. This book discusses politics, but the overall substance of this autobiography is so much more than just politics. Many people only know who Susan Rice is due to her appearance on the Sunday news shows back in 2012 regarding Benghazi, and her role within the Obama administration...they do not know about the journey she went through to get to there. Some people might be surprised to learn that in addition to her B.A, from Stanford University, she was a Rhodes Scholar and received her master's degree and doctorate from Oxford University. In this book, Susan Rice highlights in great detail how she became the woman she is today, and the important role her family played throughout her life.

Her family history is truly fascinating...one side descendants of slaves...one side immigrants...but all deeply devoted to family and all striving to become the best they can possibly be. At a time when race could hold a person of color back, her family overcame the obstacles and used their drive and determination to excel. She tells their stories with an openness that truly brings her intriguing family history to life. She is brutally honest as she relays their triumphs as well as their struggles, and how tough love was taught early on in all of their lives.

Susan covers just about every aspect of her life, and there is no hesitation to discuss her achievements as well as her failures. She beautifully weaves together every thread of her life, and in the end, gives the reader a captivating look into her personal life as well as her political life. Tough Love is definitely an autobiography worth reading!

I would like to thank Susan Rice, Simon & Schuster, and NetGalley for allowing me the opportunity to read and review Tough Love: My Story of the Things Worth Fighting For. My views are my own, and are in no way influenced by anyone else. (less)
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Oct 07, 2019Donna Hines rated it liked it · review of another edition
Shelves: arc, netgalley
'There's a lot of hate out there'...we must allow the ability to hear each other and voice our differences in a meaningful and insightful way.
What exists today didn't arrive on our doorstep overnight yet we know that the tactic being used by DT may be 'brilliant yet devious' in using his greatest weakness of corruption by using it to his advantage with sweetheart deals for his kids, to licenses for clothing lines,& we the American public are paying the price through his own personal and political interests.
Deny, Deflect, and Lie is part of the 'new norm' while our democracy falters.
'We have a President of the United States whose not pursuing the American interests'....with adversaries like China to get involved in his election campaign to try to exonerate Russia to play ball with his extortion to remain in our good graces.
An interesting background that led to today's heightened awareness of the dangers we face as a country.
Tough Love was a rather interesting read and for more information on this topic: http://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow/wa... (less)
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Oct 05, 2019Bettie marked it as wish-list · review of another edition
Recommended to Bettie by: Rachel Maddow


Rice: We've been through worse than this and come out stronger: Susan Rice, former U.S. ambassador to the U.N., contrasts Donald Trump's corruption intentions toward Ukraine with Joe Biden's work on internationally supported goals of fighting corruption and encouraging a fledgling democracy in Ukraine, and further notes that as difficult and frightening as the Donald Trump era is, Americans have dealt with bigger problems.
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Oct 09, 2019Cristie Underwood rated it it was amazing
I have read many biographies and memoirs about powerful women, but this one really grabbed my attention. Susan Rice is known for appearing on Sunday shows about Benghazi, but this book thoughtfully and powerfully allows the reader to go on the journey with her to that point in history. She is honest and straightforward when explaining why she made the choices she had to. I found this to be a brilliant read and am hoping we hear more from Susan Rice in the future.
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