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Condoleezza Rice writes memoir about her work in the White House

Former U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice wrote a book about her time in Washington. A re-print of her 2010 family memoir also was recently released. Photos courtesy Crown Publishers.

On Nov. 1, Condoleezza Rice (BA political science ’74, PhD international studies ’81) released her second book: No Higher Honor: A Memoir of My Years in Washington (Crown Publishers).

In No Higher Honor, Rice provides an account of her eight years in Washington as part of the Bush administration. She was the nation’s first female national security advisor from 2001–05 and the first black woman to hold the position of U.S. secretary of state from 2005–09. She currently is a professor at Stanford University.

Rice also describes her experience during and following the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001. She also writes about the internal debates that led up to the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq; her appearance before the 9-11 Commission to defend the country’s preparedness for and response to the 9-11 attacks; and details about how top leaders preserved America’s relationships with Iran, North Korea and Libya.

Rice also shares insight into how close the world was to wars in Pakistan and India, Russia and Georgia, and East Africa, and takes readers inside the top-secret White House negotiating rooms where the fates of Israel, Palestine and Lebanon were discussed.

No Higher Honor is available in hardcover, e-book and audio formats.

Rice’s first book — Extraordinary, Ordinary People: A Memoir of My Family (Three Rivers Press) — was re-printed in a paperback format on Oct. 11.

In the memoir, Rice recounts her childhood in Birmingham, Ala., when segregation was rampant. She shares stories about her parents — her dad, John, a minister and her mom, Angelena, a teacher — and their impact on her life. She writes candidly about her humble beginnings, her achievements as an expert on Soviet and Eastern European affairs, her position as Stanford University’s provost and her appointment as national security advisor.

Extraordinary, Ordinary People has received critical acclaim from many publications, including USA Today, which wrote that it’s “a personal, heartfelt memoir.” Publishers Weekly said the book recounts “a thrilling, inspiring life of achievement.”

The book is available in paperback, hardcover, e-book and audio formats.

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