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4.27 AVERAGE
4.27 AVERAGE
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
I find Angela Merkel fascinating and binged this audiobook. Its not a particularly fast paced book, really captivating, or even structured that well timeline-wise, but because I know so little about Angela Merkel, I found the whole thing fascinating. There is so little known about her entire life prior to politics, and then so little known about her personal life after politics, and that is reflected in this book. I did see (after I started this book), that Angela Merkel herself is writing an autobiography that is supposed to come out later this year. I will definitely be reading that to see if she pulls back the curtain on her early years, since so little is known about that.
Angela is a former physicist who grew up and lived in Eastern Germany until the fall of the Wall. She transitioned to politics shortly after and quickly rose the ranks to become a minister in the German government in the early 90s. Her ascension to Chancellor and subsequent 16 years in power are detailed in the book. She is a careful, thoughtful leader that worked to accomplish true pluralism in government. That is, she understood that a key part of democracy is compromise with those you disagree with and that getting your way 100% of the time is not possible. Her popularity within her own country waxed and waned, but she ended with a high popularity rating due to her handling of the COVID-19 pandemic.
One thing that I found interesting: during Trump’s presidency, the mantle of leader of the Western world or most powerful political figure, was thought to be held by her because of Trump’s inability to be effective in diplomacy and the embarrassment other countries regarded him with. Very interesting as an American to hear that, since I certainly never heard here “Angela Merkel, defacto leader of the Western World”. Angela actually intended to retire from politics in 2017, but Obama reportedly convinced her to run for a 4th term when Trump won the presidency, since it was apparent before he even came to power that Trump would be an unstable leader and Brexit was changing the European political landscape. Leaving the leading Western nations without a strong and principled figurehead could have been disastrous.
Angela is a former physicist who grew up and lived in Eastern Germany until the fall of the Wall. She transitioned to politics shortly after and quickly rose the ranks to become a minister in the German government in the early 90s. Her ascension to Chancellor and subsequent 16 years in power are detailed in the book. She is a careful, thoughtful leader that worked to accomplish true pluralism in government. That is, she understood that a key part of democracy is compromise with those you disagree with and that getting your way 100% of the time is not possible. Her popularity within her own country waxed and waned, but she ended with a high popularity rating due to her handling of the COVID-19 pandemic.
One thing that I found interesting: during Trump’s presidency, the mantle of leader of the Western world or most powerful political figure, was thought to be held by her because of Trump’s inability to be effective in diplomacy and the embarrassment other countries regarded him with. Very interesting as an American to hear that, since I certainly never heard here “Angela Merkel, defacto leader of the Western World”. Angela actually intended to retire from politics in 2017, but Obama reportedly convinced her to run for a 4th term when Trump won the presidency, since it was apparent before he even came to power that Trump would be an unstable leader and Brexit was changing the European political landscape. Leaving the leading Western nations without a strong and principled figurehead could have been disastrous.
informative
fast-paced
emotional
informative
inspiring
reflective
slow-paced
4 stars for a well-written, though very biased, biography. I knew very little about Merkel before this book, but walked away feeling much more informed.
The author does a great job of describing Merkel's rise to power in the context of historical time and place.
Merkel is a strong woman and an accomplished leader. My admiration for her grew with each word written. Living a private, almost secretive life, Merkel ruled without bluster. Though she didn't profess to be a feminist, her accomplishments spoke far louder than those who make such professions without doing the actions to back any of that up. Perhaps my favourite part of this book is that there were no uncovered secrets or surprises. Those hoping to get a peek behind the curtain will be disappointed: what you see is what you get with this extraordinary woman.
The author does a great job of describing Merkel's rise to power in the context of historical time and place.
Merkel is a strong woman and an accomplished leader. My admiration for her grew with each word written. Living a private, almost secretive life, Merkel ruled without bluster. Though she didn't profess to be a feminist, her accomplishments spoke far louder than those who make such professions without doing the actions to back any of that up. Perhaps my favourite part of this book is that there were no uncovered secrets or surprises. Those hoping to get a peek behind the curtain will be disappointed: what you see is what you get with this extraordinary woman.
The term 'remarkable' is well deserved - I knew little of Angela Merkel, only that she seemed to have a good hold of reality. Reading this book was really enlightening, she is really inspiring, so down to earth and clever.
informative
inspiring
fast-paced
informative
inspiring
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
As I reside in Germany, it's only natural that I want to learn more about the country. Typically, I begin with an overview kind of book when exploring a country. I can't recall why this book took precedence since I've never been a fan of biographies. But, what can I say? I ended up enjoying it more than I expected. What particularly intrigued me were the relationships Merkel had with other world leaders. This book made me appreciate Merkel's unique style of exerting power as a woman, despite lacking role models in her becoming.
This book is ideal for those seeking to understand why Merkel's achievements as the Chancellor of Germany are often overlooked and offers an alternative perspective on power in a world dominated by strongman politics.
This book is ideal for those seeking to understand why Merkel's achievements as the Chancellor of Germany are often overlooked and offers an alternative perspective on power in a world dominated by strongman politics.