No Higher Honor

Rice, Condoleezza.  No Higher Honor: A Memoir of My Years in Washington.  New York: Crown Publisher, 2011.

I first picked up this bulky book at an airport because I ran out of reading materials during a delayed layover. Among the limited options at the newsstand, this one stood out to me, not because of its size, but because the author was a woman who kicks butt.

In No Higher Honor: A Memoir of My Years in Washington, Condoleezza Rice recounts the tenure of her service as the National Security Advisor during President George W. Bush’s first term, and then as the Secretary of State in the second. With 9/11 happening in her first year of service, this 2001-2008 memoir makes one interesting and complex story.

Regardless of whether one agrees or disagrees with her political convictions, the tenacity required of the author in her line of work is quite unbelievable. The fact that such heavy responsibilities can be laid on one person and that she could come out of them alive, sane, and well, is a testament to the human’s high capability of true grit. It is simply admirable.

In spite of its length, the book is incredibly easy to follow, largely because it is extremely well written. I think this is one of the most immaculate books I’ve ever come across, props to the author and her editors. Should you choose to read this book, you don’t have to worry about forgiving the author for sentences that sound weird. They simply don’t exist. The tone is neither casual nor pretentious, combining the seriousness of the author’s roles with the down-to-earthness of simply being a human being, such as having to care for dress code, especially as a woman in public service.

No Higher Honor is edifying for me in more ways than one. First, I read the book during a time when I had to pull 14-hour workdays on average, consistently without any break or weekends. Looking to someone who worked 17 hours everyday for many months after 9/11, whose vacation days were often sabotaged by work over 8 years, and who felt honored by all of the above, was such an encouragement and inspiration. On a less personal note, the book reveals the workings of a complex world, how certain individuals just have massive spheres of influence, how sometimes history simply happens out of anyone’s will, and how there’s much more to reality than what the media portrays.

Basically, this book is a worthwhile read. I wouldn’t necessarily say that you have to read it, although you will learn a lot if you do. After all, it is 784 pages, so you’d have to invest some real time to finish it. I’d recommend reading it during a long travel, since I believe in the merit of reading a memoir/biography in a short period of time.

To conclude, if you have interests in foreign affairs, then this is a must-read. If you want an example on how to bear and face high-pressure situations gracefully, then I believe this is an example of that. And oh, it makes a fine addition to the bookshelf too.

JE