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Condi: The Condoleezza Rice Story
As Secretary of State and a close confidant of President George W. Bush, Condoleezza Rice is the most influential woman in the history of the United States government, and perhaps one of the most famous black women in the world. Her latest stint in Washington, D.C., follows her role as National Security Advisor to the President and a distinguished career as scholar, professor, provost, and foreign policy advisor that has taken her from Birmingham, Alabama, to Denver, Colorado, to Palo Alto, California, to the White House—all by the age of 50.
But just who is this powerful woman who has experienced firsthand some of our nation's darkest and brightest moments, who was a key player in the government's response to the September 11 tragedies, and who some believe will likely be a future governor, senator, vice president, or even president?
Drawing from exclusive interviews with dozens of relatives, colleagues, friends, and teachers and from scores of previously published interviews and articles, Antonia Felix gives us the first biography of this extraordinary American—a poised, immensely appealing, fiercely loyal, and deeply religious woman, whose passions include music, football, and Russia.
Her remarkable story is founded on a compelling family legacy. With ancestors on both sides who were white slave owners and slaves, Condoleezza Rice comes from two lineages, the Rices and the Rays, devoted to education and achievement. She was born in segregated Birmingham in 1954 and grew up in the upwardly mobile, high-achieving, black middle-class enclave of the city. Her music-loving parents, both educators, named her after a musical term, con dolcezza—to play "with sweetness."
The Rices started their only child on piano lessons at age three and filled her childhood years with ballet, figure skating, tutoring in French and Spanish, football viewing, and a constant flow of books at her bedside table, setting forth a standard of excellence that would give her the "twice as good" edge necessary to be on an even standing with her white peers in the segregated South.
While in training to become a concert pianist (a dream she eventually cast aside), Rice graduated from high school at 16 and from the University of Denver at 19. She ultimately found her career calling from her professor there, Josef Korbel, former Central European diplomat and father of former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright, who sparked her passion for Soviet studies. After receiving a Ph.D. at age 26, Rice became an assistant professor of political science at Stanford, starting on the path that led to her becoming the youngest-ever provost at Stanford, the youngest and first-ever female national security advisor, and the first black, female secretary of state.
The story of her path to excellence is an inspiration to all, regardless of politics. Ms. Felix's book, Condi, not only gives us the first comprehensive portrait of the person who has the president's ear perhaps more than anyone else in his administration—a black woman who has risen to the top in a field traditionally dominated by white men—but also a greater understanding of and insight into the workings of the White House.
But just who is this powerful woman who has experienced firsthand some of our nation's darkest and brightest moments, who was a key player in the government's response to the September 11 tragedies, and who some believe will likely be a future governor, senator, vice president, or even president?
Drawing from exclusive interviews with dozens of relatives, colleagues, friends, and teachers and from scores of previously published interviews and articles, Antonia Felix gives us the first biography of this extraordinary American—a poised, immensely appealing, fiercely loyal, and deeply religious woman, whose passions include music, football, and Russia.
Her remarkable story is founded on a compelling family legacy. With ancestors on both sides who were white slave owners and slaves, Condoleezza Rice comes from two lineages, the Rices and the Rays, devoted to education and achievement. She was born in segregated Birmingham in 1954 and grew up in the upwardly mobile, high-achieving, black middle-class enclave of the city. Her music-loving parents, both educators, named her after a musical term, con dolcezza—to play "with sweetness."
The Rices started their only child on piano lessons at age three and filled her childhood years with ballet, figure skating, tutoring in French and Spanish, football viewing, and a constant flow of books at her bedside table, setting forth a standard of excellence that would give her the "twice as good" edge necessary to be on an even standing with her white peers in the segregated South.
While in training to become a concert pianist (a dream she eventually cast aside), Rice graduated from high school at 16 and from the University of Denver at 19. She ultimately found her career calling from her professor there, Josef Korbel, former Central European diplomat and father of former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright, who sparked her passion for Soviet studies. After receiving a Ph.D. at age 26, Rice became an assistant professor of political science at Stanford, starting on the path that led to her becoming the youngest-ever provost at Stanford, the youngest and first-ever female national security advisor, and the first black, female secretary of state.
The story of her path to excellence is an inspiration to all, regardless of politics. Ms. Felix's book, Condi, not only gives us the first comprehensive portrait of the person who has the president's ear perhaps more than anyone else in his administration—a black woman who has risen to the top in a field traditionally dominated by white men—but also a greater understanding of and insight into the workings of the White House.
304 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2002
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466 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 72 reviews
March 30, 2015
"إذا وجدتم أنفسكم في صحبة أناس يوافقونكم على آرائكم، فاعلموا أنكم برفقة الأشخاص غير المناسبين لكم"
كونداليزا رايس.
كوندي، كوندي، كوندي…المعروفة عند الشعب العربي بصاحبة الفوضى الخلاقة وفكرة النظام العالمي الجديد وإلخ وهي سيدة مشروع الأوسط الجديد الذي أطلقته إدارة بوش في مارس 2004..لم أكن أعلم أي شيء عن كوندي…سواء أنها صاحبة مشروع الفوضى الخلاقة..وأيضٍا قرأت وسمعت بعض المقالات وتصريحات الوزير على ليبيا …قرأت مرة مقال منسوب إلى كوندي
تقول وزيرة الخارجية السابقة كونداليزا رايس فى إحدى تعليقات لم أشعر بالإهانة فى حياتى كلها الا عندما رفض معمر القذافى مصافحتى..وهذه حصيلة معرفتي بالعبقرية كوندي….لاشك أنها مكرووهة ولكن قراءة سيرتها ذاتية أشبه بالمعجزة..عبقرية لاتوصف..ذكاء، تفوق، عقيدة طموح، شيء عجيب…حققت كوندي المُستحيل في عالم السياسة
أحببت كوندليزا رايس تلك الشخصية ماقبل 2001..وكرهت كونداليزا رايس بعد وصولها لمنصب وزارة الخارجية..سيرة ذاتية جيدة..سببت لي القهر بسبب الاختلاف في التحصيل العلمي بين الشعوب العربية والأمريكية....
كونداليزا رايس.
كوندي، كوندي، كوندي…المعروفة عند الشعب العربي بصاحبة الفوضى الخلاقة وفكرة النظام العالمي الجديد وإلخ وهي سيدة مشروع الأوسط الجديد الذي أطلقته إدارة بوش في مارس 2004..لم أكن أعلم أي شيء عن كوندي…سواء أنها صاحبة مشروع الفوضى الخلاقة..وأيضٍا قرأت وسمعت بعض المقالات وتصريحات الوزير على ليبيا …قرأت مرة مقال منسوب إلى كوندي
تقول وزيرة الخارجية السابقة كونداليزا رايس فى إحدى تعليقات لم أشعر بالإهانة فى حياتى كلها الا عندما رفض معمر القذافى مصافحتى..وهذه حصيلة معرفتي بالعبقرية كوندي….لاشك أنها مكرووهة ولكن قراءة سيرتها ذاتية أشبه بالمعجزة..عبقرية لاتوصف..ذكاء، تفوق، عقيدة طموح، شيء عجيب…حققت كوندي المُستحيل في عالم السياسة
أحببت كوندليزا رايس تلك الشخصية ماقبل 2001..وكرهت كونداليزا رايس بعد وصولها لمنصب وزارة الخارجية..سيرة ذاتية جيدة..سببت لي القهر بسبب الاختلاف في التحصيل العلمي بين الشعوب العربية والأمريكية....
March 16, 2008
I love this woman. She is one of my role models. This book helped me understand how she started out and what kind of a background she has. She is an amazing woman and is grounded. Her faith in God is one of a kind.
October 27, 2013
Born in Birmingham, Alabama in 1954, as a black child Condoleezza Rice witnessed discrimination first hand. Through guidance her well educated parents provided her with a solid foundation full of religion, education and overall confidence as a path forward. Beginning at an early age the multi-talented and gifted Rice was consumed with determination, hard work and regimented practice to perfect her skills.
Her core beliefs and basic grounded principles were simple. While most intellects in the field of education were aligned with the Democratic Party, Dr. Rice comfortably followed a different path becoming a member of the Republican Party noting:“I really am a small government person. I don’t think every solution is in Washington”.
Dr. Rice known as a world-renowned security intellect, served as America’s leading national security advisor under President George W. Bush during 9/11/2001. She remains a highly accomplished pianist, figure skater, respected football analyst, successful educator as provost of Stanford University and senior member of the Hoover Institution, Russian language and history expert, savvy businesswoman, and one that gives back to society through community volunteer service. By walking the walk, she has garnered respect as a mentor and role model to many. This book was published prior to Dr. Rice becoming the 66th Secretary of State and because she has not yet turned 60 years of age her career and accomplishments continue on.
Her core beliefs and basic grounded principles were simple. While most intellects in the field of education were aligned with the Democratic Party, Dr. Rice comfortably followed a different path becoming a member of the Republican Party noting:“I really am a small government person. I don’t think every solution is in Washington”.
Dr. Rice known as a world-renowned security intellect, served as America’s leading national security advisor under President George W. Bush during 9/11/2001. She remains a highly accomplished pianist, figure skater, respected football analyst, successful educator as provost of Stanford University and senior member of the Hoover Institution, Russian language and history expert, savvy businesswoman, and one that gives back to society through community volunteer service. By walking the walk, she has garnered respect as a mentor and role model to many. This book was published prior to Dr. Rice becoming the 66th Secretary of State and because she has not yet turned 60 years of age her career and accomplishments continue on.
December 31, 2008
It was really good!!! I knew Condi had/has accomplished a lot however this book really dug significantly deeper into this talented lady's life.
FYI-The writing style can get a bit 'thick'.
FYI-The writing style can get a bit 'thick'.
July 23, 2017
Got to know this fascinating lady, politician, and intellectual.
She is a down to earth individual who is worthy of being president of the United States.
She is truly a silent American hero whose contributions have brought our country forward.
She is a down to earth individual who is worthy of being president of the United States.
She is truly a silent American hero whose contributions have brought our country forward.
March 12, 2008
Did you know she was in church down the road in 63 and heard the bombs go off? You think John McCain has an amazing life story.....
June 18, 2008
A child from the Jim Crow south, Condoleezza Rice became one of the most influential women in politics in modern history. Her biography is well written...
December 1, 2016
A very nice revisit and new insights to this very talented, incredibly smart person of politics.
October 15, 2016
Despite being based on a memoir, this book is surprisingly a well balanced take on her life.
She is a living proof that all you need in life to shine, despite legal oppression by the state (by not giving voting rights, enforced segregation), are strong parents who refuse to give up on you and right to bear arms. These two had saved a small girl's psych from the inferiority complex and state sponsored riots in Alabama several times.
She is the perfect example of why Republican ideas are the best for prosperity of any oppressed communities. A truly inspirational tale especially because she rarely described the events with a feminist lens and even explained that nobody cares if you are a woman as long as you demonstrate the competence of the work you are doing. Much needed lesson that many feminists fail to understand about human behavior.
She is a living proof that all you need in life to shine, despite legal oppression by the state (by not giving voting rights, enforced segregation), are strong parents who refuse to give up on you and right to bear arms. These two had saved a small girl's psych from the inferiority complex and state sponsored riots in Alabama several times.
She is the perfect example of why Republican ideas are the best for prosperity of any oppressed communities. A truly inspirational tale especially because she rarely described the events with a feminist lens and even explained that nobody cares if you are a woman as long as you demonstrate the competence of the work you are doing. Much needed lesson that many feminists fail to understand about human behavior.
June 9, 2009
I had no idea how talented she is; it's inspiring to see what a person can do. A very positive book, it makes me want to be better at what I do.
June 10, 2009
An amazing woman with parents who provided the atmosphere for her greatness.
June 27, 2012
I really admire her. This book was great.
April 8, 2014
kind of interesting, not the greatest story but it does explain.
July 24, 2019
Beautifully written story of the life of Condoleeza Rice
November 26, 2014
The biography covers the life of Condoleezza Rice from birth to her role as the first woman National Security Advisor. The story is well written and well researched and mostly covers the basic facts of her life.
Condi’s father, John Rice was a Presbyterian minister and academic, her mother was a pianist and teacher. She was born in segregated Birmingham Alabama in 1954. Felix explores Condi’s passions from football to music, weight training to Russia. The author covers Condi’s role as the first black woman and youngest person to become Provost of Stanford University. I found the fact that when Rice was a student of international affairs and Russian language at the University of Denver her mentor was professor Josef Korbell, the father of the first woman Secretary of State, Madeleine Albright most interesting.
The author in her research of the book included interviews with family, friends and colleagues of Rice but the major downside of the book in my opinion was that Felix did not interview Rice. What the book did was provided me with the desire to learn more about Condoleezza Rice. The author narrated her own book.
Condi’s father, John Rice was a Presbyterian minister and academic, her mother was a pianist and teacher. She was born in segregated Birmingham Alabama in 1954. Felix explores Condi’s passions from football to music, weight training to Russia. The author covers Condi’s role as the first black woman and youngest person to become Provost of Stanford University. I found the fact that when Rice was a student of international affairs and Russian language at the University of Denver her mentor was professor Josef Korbell, the father of the first woman Secretary of State, Madeleine Albright most interesting.
The author in her research of the book included interviews with family, friends and colleagues of Rice but the major downside of the book in my opinion was that Felix did not interview Rice. What the book did was provided me with the desire to learn more about Condoleezza Rice. The author narrated her own book.
March 18, 2010
I admire Ms. Rice greatly, and enjoyed learning about her life. I wish the timeline of major events in her life had been in the front of the book instead of in the back--I didn't know it was there until I had finished the book. It would have been a helpful reference while I read, because the author did not write the biography in a sequential format.
That is really my only criticism of the book; it was hard to keep the progress of Condi's life straight in my head when the author jumped back and forth so much, illustrating the points she wanted to make. Condoleezza Rice is an amazing person, one of the few public figures I'd love to meet. I wish she was leading our nation today!
That is really my only criticism of the book; it was hard to keep the progress of Condi's life straight in my head when the author jumped back and forth so much, illustrating the points she wanted to make. Condoleezza Rice is an amazing person, one of the few public figures I'd love to meet. I wish she was leading our nation today!
January 19, 2014
A mixture of events involving Rice during the administrations of both President Bush's where she held several jobs and her life story from childhood though the end of her term as Secretary of State. An interesting read about an interesting woman. The author portrays in a positive light. Easy to read.
April 23, 2010
this was an amazing story, though end before she was appointed as secretary of state. will have to read more on this amazing lady. i can't believe how inspiring I found this. I only read it because my husband asked me to read it for him and give him the summary
October 17, 2008
Only goes until 9/11 (2001) and I was left wanting more of the last 6 years. Suppose I should look for another book to bridge that gap.
September 25, 2008
Condi is now one of my secret (guilty) pleasures. What a woman!
August 12, 2013
I knew more about her. A pianist, almost ballerina, Figure Skater, Diplomat, Politician . . . and many more ...
She's perfect. Unfortunately, she has never been a mom.
She's perfect. Unfortunately, she has never been a mom.
July 16, 2010
This book helped me to get to know Condoleeza for more than just her public persona and to learn more about the history of Stanford University. Very insightful
December 13, 2010
Incredible book. Didn't know that she was a concert pianist nor a competitive figure skater.
September 5, 2011
Really interesting biography about Condolezza Rice. Didn't realize her full background and how much she's accomplished. Very easy read. Recommend it!
September 10, 2012
Good Read, Informative and interesting. Written well
April 19, 2012
Inspirational story - listened to it as an audio book - walked longer on the treadmill daily while listening to this one!
August 28, 2012
Very interesting life story. Only written at about an 8th grade level. I finished it in less than a week.
February 9, 2013
Enjoyed learning more about Condoleezza Rice
April 6, 2013
Poorly written but glad I read it.
April 19, 2016
I was able to hear Condoleezza Rice speak and she was fantastic. It was great to read about her background and what she has accomplished.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 72 reviews