A complete biography of a prominent figure of Human Rights in the US.
Genre: autobiography
The synopsis
Alyssa Gardner hears the whispers of bugs and flowers—precisely the affliction that landed her mother in a mental hospital years before. This family curse stretches back to her ancestor Alice Liddell, the real-life inspiration for Lewis Carroll’s Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland. Alyssa might be crazy, but she manages to keep it together. For now.
When her mother’s mental health takes a turn for the worse, Alyssa learns that what she thought was fiction is based in terrifying reality. The real Wonderland is a place far darker and more twisted than Lewis Carroll ever let on. There, Alyssa must pass a series of tests, including draining an ocean of Alice’s tears, waking the slumbering tea party, and subduing a vicious bandersnatch, to fix Alice’s mistakes and save her family. She must also decide whom to trust: Jeb, her gorgeous best friend and secret crush, or the sexy but suspicious Morpheus, her guide through Wonderland, who may have dark motives of his own.
The review
I did not know Samantha Power before one Booktuber recommended her autobiography. She said it was really easy to read and that is true, since Samantha Power was a journalist before being a diplomat. Consequently, her style of writing is incisive, brief, and straight to the point. We follow her from her childhood home in Dublin to the apogee of her career as the US youngest ambassador to the UN.
Between these two points, Power tells us what shapes her, and the main event that made her realise that she had the power to change things. I discovered a lot of geopolitical facts since she was part of the war in Serbia as a war correspondent, and lived other major event of the 20th and 21st centuries from the outspread of Ebola to the 11/11 and its consequences. Thanks to her narration, the reader learns what is happening behind the scenes and realises that the different decision-making processes are much complex than you think. This fact along with the different games of power explain why some decisions taken seem irrational to us, who do not belong to the system. This book also reminds us that humans are the one in charge, with their weaknesses, bias, and moral struggles.
In brief: a complete and absorbing book about the life of an impressive woman, that is proving to everyone that no matter your past experiences or your gender, you can have impact if you really want it.
My rating: 5/5
A Book by the Fire 
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