Already feeling nostalgic for Hillary Clinton’s time as secretary of state? Ease the sting for a couple of hours with Kim Ghattas, author of The Secretary: A Journey with Hillary Clinton from Beirut to the Heart of American Power (Times Books, $27). Ghattas, a BBC reporter, speaks about her new book at Politics and Prose tomorrow at 7 p.m.
The Secretary examines Clinton’s time as the nation’s top diplomat, starting when she first accepted the position offered by her former rival for the presidency. At that point, the failed candidate arguably had two public images to restore: the country’s and her own. Many would say she did both fairly quickly and gracefully, becoming a popular, respected, and enthusiastic diplomat. Her evolving relationship with President Obama, addressed by Ghattas, would make for compelling book fodder on its own.
Ghattas relays an account based on her own coverage as the BBC’s State Department correspondent, and on many interviews with Clinton and other top officials in D.C. and overseas. As a member of Clinton’s travelling press contingent, covering 40 countries and 300,000 miles, she assesses Clinton’s successes from the perspective of an “insider.” Their proximity revealed some of the characteristics that defined Clinton as an individual and equipped her to be secretary of state.
However, The Secretary is unique because of Ghattas’ clear “outsider” vantage point as well. Half-Dutch and half-Lebanese, the author grew up in Beruit, Lebanon during the civil war there. Her close familiarity with the issues and U.S. reactions create personal stakes within the book. In fact, Ghattas’ story drives the narrative almost as much as Clinton’s. Ghattas seeks to answer her own childhood questions about America’s true power and leadership, and who or what could potentially displace it.
Foreign policy over the past four years, including specific events and policy decisions, gets reviewed in detail as Ghattas touches on Clinton’s distinct roles in Syria, the Middle East, Iran, Afghanistan and South Korea. The Secretary was completed before the killing of four Americans in Libya last September, but this book event will offer a chance for comment on that. Ghattas does not shy away from sharing her own opinions and suggested solutions, adding another dimension to the portrait of Clinton.
Ghattas studied political science at the American University of Beirut and interned at an English-language newspaper. After reporting for the Financial Times and the BBC from Beirut, she moved to D.C. in 2008 to her current post for the British public television station.
Further wistfulness for Clinton may be appeased with an on-site book purchase. The talk will be free and open to the public, and followed by a question-and-answer session and signing.
