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The Secretary
- A Journey with Hillary Clinton from Beirut to the Heart of American Power
- Narrated by: Kate Reading
- Length: 15 hrs and 11 mins
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Publisher's summary
In November 2008, Hillary Clinton agreed to work for her former rival. As President Barack Obama's secretary of state, she set out to repair America's image around the world - and her own. For the following four years, BBC foreign correspondent Kim Ghattas had unparalleled access to Clinton and her entourage, and she weaves a fast-paced, gripping account of life on the road with Clinton in The Secretary.
With the perspective of one who is both an insider and an outsider, Ghattas draws on extensive interviews with Clinton, administration officials, and players in Washington as well as overseas, to paint an intimate and candid portrait of one of the most powerful global politicians. Filled with fresh insights, The Secretary provides a captivating analysis of Clinton's brand of diplomacy and the Obama administration's efforts to redefine American power in the twenty-first century.
Populated with a cast of real-life characters, The Secretary tells the story of Clinton's transformation from popular but polarizing politician to America's envoy to the world in compelling detail and with all the tension of high stakes diplomacy. From her evolving relationship with President Obama to the drama of WikiLeaks and the turmoil of the Arab Spring, we see Clinton cheerfully boarding her plane at three in the morning after no sleep, reading the riot act to the Chinese, and going through her diplomatic checklist before signing on to war in Libya-all the while trying to restore American leadership in a rapidly changing world.
Viewed through Ghattas's vantage point as a half-Dutch, half-Lebanese citizen who grew up in the crossfire of the Lebanese civil war, The Secretary is also the author's own journey as she seeks to answer the questions that haunted her childhood. How powerful is America really? And, if it is in decline, who or what will replace it and what will it mean for America and the world?
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- Length: 10 hrs and 34 mins
- Unabridged
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Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall! President Ronald Reagan's famous exhortation when visiting Berlin in 1987 has long been widely cited as the clarion call that brought the Cold War to an end. The United States won, so this version of history goes, because Ronald Reagan stood firm against the USSR; American resoluteness brought the evil empire to its knees. Michael Meyer, who was there at the time as a Newsweek bureau chief, begs to differ.
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Great book about a great year for democracy.
- By Susan on 11-24-09
By: Michael Meyer
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Berlin 1961
- Kennedy, Khrushchev, and the Most Dangerous Place on Earth
- By: Frederick Kempe
- Narrated by: Paul Hecht
- Length: 20 hrs and 5 mins
- Unabridged
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A former Wall Street Journal editor and the current president and CEO of the Atlantic Council, Frederick Kempe draws on recently released documents and personal interviews to re-create the powder keg that was 1961 Berlin. In Cold War Berlin, the United States and the Soviet Union stand nose to nose, with the possibility of nuclear war just one misstep away.
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I am scared in retrospect
- By theenglishmajor on 06-26-11
By: Frederick Kempe
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In My Time
- A Personal and Political Memoir
- By: Dick Cheney, Liz Cheney
- Narrated by: Edward Herrmann, Dick Cheney
- Length: 20 hrs
- Unabridged
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In his unmistakable voice and with an insider's eye on history, former Vice President Dick Cheney tells the story of his life and the nearly four decades he has spent at the center of American politics and power. In My Time is truly the last word about an incredible political era, by a man who lived it and helped define it - with courage and without compromise.
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Great Book
- By reader on 09-05-11
By: Dick Cheney, and others
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Three Days in Moscow
- Ronald Reagan and the Fall of the Soviet Empire
- By: Bret Baier, Catherine Whitney
- Narrated by: Bret Baier
- Length: 12 hrs and 37 mins
- Unabridged
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In Three Days in Moscow, Baier explores the dramatic endgame of America’s long struggle with the Soviet Union and President Ronald Reagan’s central role in shaping the world we live in today. On May 31, 1988, Reagan stood on Russian soil and addressed a packed audience at Moscow State University, delivering a remarkable - yet now largely forgotten - speech that capped his first visit to the Soviet capital.
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Amazing!
- By Brian W. Barton on 05-20-18
By: Bret Baier, and others
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Nixon and Mao
- The Week That Changed the World
- By: Margaret MacMillan
- Narrated by: Barbara Caruso
- Length: 15 hrs and 18 mins
- Unabridged
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Margaret MacMillan brings her extraordinary gifts to two of the most important countries today, the United States and China, and one of the most significant moments in modern history: Richard Nixon's week in China in February 1972, which opened relations between America and China (closed since the communists came to power in 1949).
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Incisive
- By Roy on 08-23-10
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Lessons from the Edge
- A Memoir
- By: Marie Yovanovitch
- Narrated by: Marie Yovanovitch
- Length: 17 hrs and 11 mins
- Unabridged
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By the time she became US Ambassador to Ukraine, Marie Yovanovitch had seen her share of corruption, instability, and tragedy in developing countries. But it came as a shock when, in early 2019, she was recalled from her post after a smear campaign by President Trump’s personal attorney and his associates—men operating outside of normal governmental channels, and apparently motivated by personal gain. Her courageous participation in the subsequent impeachment inquiry earned Yovanovitch the nation’s respect, and her dignified response to the president’s attacks won our hearts.
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Heroic patriot's amazing story
- By Victoria Eriksson on 03-19-22
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The Accidental President
- Harry S. Truman and the Four Months That Changed the World
- By: A. J. Baime
- Narrated by: Tony Messano
- Length: 14 hrs and 21 mins
- Unabridged
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The dramatic, pulse-pounding story of Harry Truman's first four months in office, when this unlikely president had to take on Germany, Japan, Stalin, and the atomic bomb, with the fate of the world hanging in the balance.
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Exceptional
- By Jean on 11-14-17
By: A. J. Baime
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The Netanyahu Years
- Translated by Ora Cummings
- By: Ben Caspit
- Narrated by: George Guidall
- Length: 17 hrs and 47 mins
- Unabridged
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A portrait of the current Israeli prime minister, one of Israel's more noticeable leaders in recent decades. Benjamin Netanyahu is currently serving his fourth term in office as prime minister of Israel, the longest serving prime minister in the country's history. Now Israeli journalist Ben Caspit puts Netanyahu's life under a magnifying glass, focusing on his last two terms in office.
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weak
- By kay on 06-11-18
By: Ben Caspit
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War on Peace
- The End of Diplomacy and the Decline of American Influence
- By: Ronan Farrow
- Narrated by: Ronan Farrow
- Length: 10 hrs and 53 mins
- Unabridged
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American diplomacy is under siege. Offices across the State Department sit empty while abroad, the military-industrial complex has assumed the work once undertaken by peacemakers. We're becoming a nation that shoots first and asks questions later. In an astonishing account ranging from Washington, DC, to Afghanistan, Pakistan, and North Korea in the years since 9/11, acclaimed journalist and former diplomat Ronan Farrow illuminates one of the most consequential and poorly understood changes in American history.
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Well Timed and Authoritative:
- By JC on 04-24-18
By: Ronan Farrow
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Confront and Conceal
- Obama's Secret Wars and Surprising Use of American Power
- By: David E. Sanger
- Narrated by: Robertson Dean
- Length: 15 hrs and 3 mins
- Unabridged
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Three and a half years ago, David Sanger’s book The Inheritance: The World Obama Confronts and the Challenges to American Power described how a new American president came to office with the world on fire. Now, just as the 2012 presidential election battle begins, Sanger follows up with an eye-opening, news-packed account of how Obama has dealt with those challenges, relying on innovative weapons and reconfigured tools of American power to try to manage a series of new threats.
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Sobering reminder on what the presidency requires
- By Marilyn on 09-03-12
By: David E. Sanger
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When the World Seemed New
- George H. W. Bush and the End of the Cold War
- By: Jeffrey A. Engel
- Narrated by: Bob Souer
- Length: 20 hrs and 7 mins
- Unabridged
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The end of the Cold War was the greatest shock to international affairs since World War II. In that perilous moment, Saddam Hussein chose to invade Kuwait, China cracked down on its own pro-democracy protesters, and regimes throughout Eastern Europe teetered between democratic change and new authoritarians. Not since FDR in 1945 had a US president faced such opportunities and challenges. As the presidential historian Jeffrey Engel reveals in this hard-to-pause history, behind closed doors, George H. W. Bush rose to the occasion brilliantly.
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The Right Man at the Right Time in the Right Job
- By A. M. on 09-12-18
By: Jeffrey A. Engel
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The Assassins' Gate
- America in Iraq
- By: George Packer
- Narrated by: Richard Poe
- Length: 19 hrs and 43 mins
- Unabridged
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The Assassins' Gate, so dubbed by American soldiers, is the entrance to the American zone in the city of Baghdad. In 2003, the United States blazed into Iraq to depose dictator Saddam Hussein. But after three years and unknown thousands killed, that country faces an escalating civil war and an uncertain fate. How did it get to this point?
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Highly Recommended
- By Drapeau on 02-01-07
By: George Packer
What listeners say about The Secretary
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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- Vic P
- 10-20-15
Unbiased narrative
Equally liked the narrators reading and content.
The content was truly fascinating.
Highly recommend to modern history buffs interested in international relations
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- scmccarty
- 07-08-13
Was Looking for Something Different
I truly wanted to like this book. Kate Reading did a great job performing the text but the text itself was fairly poor. I felt that this book focused more on Ghattas than about Clinton.I was looking for something more about Clinton's focus on policy and her relationship(s) within the State Department, the White House and across the world. Instead, I felt that the book was more about Ghettas and her experiences and Clinton was more of a backdrop and convenient cover to promote herself by using her close proximity to Clinton as a BBC Reporter. Towards the end of the audiobook, I was really looking for it to end.
If Ghattas focused more on the actual foreign policy and on Clinton herself then I would have enjoyed this audiobook much more.
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1 person found this helpful
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- Geraldine
- 04-12-13
Enlightening and Powerful
Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?
This is such an important book, as it skillfully interweaves the author's autobiographical account of middle east events, a detailed history of the region and its players, as well as educating us about the complex interconnections between middle eastern countries and their relationships with the U.S. Gives us a true appreciation of Hillary Clinton, her superior job as Secretary of State, and her importance in world history.
What was the most compelling aspect of this narrative?
After hearing the "bonus" interview of the author at the end of the narration, realized how similar the narrator's voice was to the author's. Enjoyed this added dimension to the narration. Also liked the change in character and voices throughout the book.
Which character – as performed by Kate Reading – was your favorite?
The author herself, as well as Hillary's voice (which was sometimes humorous!).
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- Jean
- 03-31-13
Informative & enlightening book
If you are looking for a scholarly biography of Hillary Clinton this in not the book. This is a story of a BBC foreign correspondent who was attached to the State Department (U.S.). She has an office in the press section at the Harry Truman building in Washington and flies every where with Clinton on the Secretary's plane. Kim Ghattas was born in Lebanon (half Lebanese/Dutch) during the civil war and the occupation by Syria. She grew up wondering why the U.S. didn't help them. Kim provides a thoughtful commentary of the varied trips, with insight brought from her own life while growing up in Lebanon during the civil war. I found it interesting to have behind the scene look at what the travelling group of reporters face during trips such as, unexpected changes in itinerary, running out of food, no place to sleep, sudden changes in weather etc. It is also interesting that Clinton and her staff faced many of the same problems. It was apparent that Ghattas admired Clinton but that did not stop her from covering mistakes made by Clinton. Ghattas makes it clear from the beginning with an interview with Clinton what the goal of her term as Secretary of State was. To rebuild American relationships with all countries and improve the image of America. She set off on trips to visit heads of states but unlike other Secretaries she went out to meet the people of the country and held town hall meeting with students, and women. She answered all questions and "listened" to what the had to say. I really liked her response to complaints by the Pakistan student who complained America was controlling them by giving them money. She told him they did not have to take the money. That set them back a bit and they had no response to that. In the book she faced many challenges such as China, Israel/Palestine and Netanyahu; sinking of South Korean naval corvette Cheonan by North Korea, Wiki-leaks (that causes enormous work by Clinton and her staff detailed in the book) Arab Spring (Tunis, Egypt, Libya, Yemen, Bahrain, and Syria), Japanese Fukushima reactor melt down. In her interviews with Clinton Ghattas said Clinton was implementing "Smart diplomacy" and this had not been tried before. The book shows the dedication and hard work of the thousands of people in our diplomatic corp around the world. It also demonstrated from an inside view how hard the staff around Clinton work so she could have all the latest information and taking care of every minute of every day of her work life. The key item in the book is that the view point is from an outsider looking in at America, she provides comments and insight into the feelings and view points of the people Clinton visited that an American would not have. Makes it interesting indeed. The test of all her work with China came to ahead with the blind lawyer seeking asylum in the U.S. Clinton handled it quietly and expertly so relationship with China was not effected and human rights applied. Kate Reading did a good job narrating the book Regardless of your personal or political opinion of Hillary Clinton, the Obama administration or America's current military involvement this book is worth reading on several levels. .
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9 people found this helpful
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- patricia
- 09-18-13
Too Long and Too detailed
Would you try another book from Kim Ghattas and/or Kate Reading?
Not in the near future
What did you like best about this story?
The insights into starting out in such a demanding position.
What did you like about the performance? What did you dislike?
Did not like the drone of the narrator. Liked some of the intimate details about being in Hillaryland.
Do you think The Secretary needs a follow-up book? Why or why not?
No
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- lvtotravl
- 05-04-13
What a fascinating perspective
I've always admired Hillary Clinton and was interested in hearing about her role as Secretary of State. The story was told from the perspective of the Lebanese-born journalist, Kim Ghattas. Because of Ms. Ghattas' background, the story was even more interesting. The detailed narrations of world events over the last few years was memorable -- and the insights into Hillary's role in these events makes my respect for her soar. The author yearned for more than 20 years to understand the role of the United States in the Lebanon/Syrian war. Yet, she glosses over the final chapter in Hillary's role as Secretary of State: Libya. The families of those who were killed in Libya and the rest of us caring Americans will agonize for the rest of our lives over actions that could have been taken to prevent their deaths. Had Ms. Ghattas spoken honestly about this unfortunate episode, I would have given her a 5++ for the book.
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- Christie
- 02-14-16
Insight on Hillary Clinton
If you could sum up The Secretary in three words, what would they be?
Interesting insight
Would you be willing to try another book from Kim Ghattas? Why or why not?
Definitely, I enjoyed her non-biased account and excellent thoughts and writing skills.
Which scene was your favorite?
Description of how she viewed Hillary Clinton's behavior / thoughts on what Clinton wanted to achieve as Secretary of State
Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?
No, it did; however, change my view of Clinton's attempts to be successful in her role as Secretary of State. Not that I would vote for her but I see Clinton as less of an evil dictator type of politician.
Any additional comments?
None
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- K
- 05-09-14
A nuanced insider / outsider perspective
I found this audiobook fascinating: It reinforced for me that not only are politics local, they're personal as well. It's not possible to successfully negotiate with another party (whether it be an individual or a country's ambassador) without truly listening to the other party and sincerely responding to their concerns... Kim Ghattas's book indicates Hillary Clinton understood this need as Secretary of State.
Ghattas provides a unique insider / outsider perspective as a BBC correspondent who grew up in Lebanon and became part of the press contingent accompanying Secretary of State Hillary Clinton around the globe. Ghattas contrasted her perspective as a child growing up in war-torn Lebanon against insights she gained by speaking "on background" with Clinton and other U.S. officials, and how she began to realize that foreign policy frequently engendered difficult decisions not lightly made nor easily executed. Clinton is an interesting public figure but Ghattas's insider / outsider perspective makes this book even more interesting and nuanced. Kate Reading's narration was enjoyable and she easily transitioned from the author's perspective to voicing Hillary's broad midwestern accent. I enjoyed this audiobook and recommend it to anyone interested in learning more about U.S. foreign policy during Clinton's tenure as Secretary of State.
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- Mel
- 04-17-13
Never got to the heart...
...unless the author is using this as a metaphor, saying that Hillary Clinton has such a heart...I don't know; I'm confused.
A more fitting title may have been THE BBC CORRESPONDENT: flights with Hillary Clinton. The title, as is, seems misleading, adding to my confusion--and I'm blaming the author. With her childhood recollections of growing up in war torn Lebanon (and her subsequent disappointment in America) sandwiched between information we already know regarding Clinton's political trips, and banal info about the condition of the plane, the food, the bad schedules, Clinton's cheerful group sits, her toe nail polish choices...Ghattas didn't seem to have a clear flight plan, so to speak. I wasn't expecting to hear so much about Ghattas and her views on America's decline in power and popularity, and so little about Clinton's views on the heart of American Power. (That decline aspect would have been an interesting book providing the premise was well supported and not just Ghattas' opinion.)
I'd like to have heard about Clinton's milestones during her time as the Secretary of State; what were her initial goals and what she felt she accomplished; what did she see as the biggest deterrents to achieving the priorities she had; her experience with No. Korea, and her opinions of where the current situation there is going; and I'd like to have had an *inside look" at her assessment of Obama; how she developed a relationship with her opponent; her plans for the future...I could come up with a whole legal pad list of things I'd like to have learned from this book--and not one of them would have been the color of Clinton's toenails, (something I'd expect to be left to Barbara Walters as additional ammunition to besmirch the office of the Secretary of State). There was nothing of substance (new), especially when held up to a current portrait of America, or even the possible America of the future. Anything of political importance, we've read already; anything that may have been an *insider-only look* at Clinton... can be summed up in the first 6 letters of the word Secretary (still). I still haven't figured out exactly the intention of this book . It was at times interesting, Ghattas perspective was fresh, and it was a harmless 2 1/2 star listen. (And I'd love to read a review on this by Hillary Clinton.)
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22 people found this helpful
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- Annette Leck
- 04-07-13
Worst book I have listened to
This book wasn’t for you, but who do you think might enjoy it more?
No one
Author has no talent. She was a minor player on Hillary's team. Was not privy to any real meetings. Why did she think she could tell a story about what she did not know about.
What could Kim Ghattas have done to make this a more enjoyable book for you?
Not write it
What do you think the narrator could have done better?
Nothing
What reaction did this book spark in you? Anger, sadness, disappointment?
Disappointment
Any additional comments?
Kour book club chose it, so I read it.other wise I would have turned the audio off and called it you win some you lose some
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2 people found this helpful