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lisathebookdragon 's review for:
A Different Kind of Power
by Jacinda Ardern
inspiring
medium-paced
Dear Jacinda,
I wanted to start by saying thank you. Thank you for being the empathetic leader we needed during the pandemic. Thank you for doing everything that you did. For leading with kindness and empathy. For sharing experiences that resonate with us all.
We’ve met before. You did an office walk-through when I worked on the Unite Against COVID-19 campaign. You signed my wooden figurine and said I was easy to please. I was just trying to hold it together. To not cry. To not fan girl. To not embarrass myself. There was so much I wanted to say to you. But I couldn’t get the words out. And there wasn’t time. In a way, it paralleled to your experience when meeting Helen Clark.
I don’t think I have cried so much while reading an autobiography before. I think it’s mostly because the events talked about were events that I remembered, that I played a part in too. March 15. Whakaari / White Island. The pandemic.
I remember where I was for these things, too. Sitting on the couch in our rented apartment in New York, watching CNN, while half a world away, terror ripped through the streets of Christchurch. Sitting at my desk at ACC in Wellington, saying to my colleagues, “Oh, looks like White Island has erupted.” Followed by… “There were people there.” Working on the Unite Against COVID-19 campaign, communicating all your decisions to New Zealanders. Things hit home.
But it was from the moment you described the Queen’s death that the tears flowed and didn’t stop. I lost my own grandmother just 3 days later. I found out half an hour before you were set to do a press conference announcing the end of all restrictions. I compartmentalised. And hit go on the livestream.
In a way, it was cathartic to hear you describe these events. To hear your experiences. To know that my feelings and grief around these events were shared. And to hear more about your decisions and the reasons why. Especially in stepping down. It could not have been easy. You are the leader we, New Zealanders, needed, and still need. But I get it.
I listened to the audiobook from the library. It makes it so much more emotional to hear you speak the words. I did, however, buy a copy from Kmart. Legit.
Yours sincerely, a public servant who worked tirelessly.
I wanted to start by saying thank you. Thank you for being the empathetic leader we needed during the pandemic. Thank you for doing everything that you did. For leading with kindness and empathy. For sharing experiences that resonate with us all.
We’ve met before. You did an office walk-through when I worked on the Unite Against COVID-19 campaign. You signed my wooden figurine and said I was easy to please. I was just trying to hold it together. To not cry. To not fan girl. To not embarrass myself. There was so much I wanted to say to you. But I couldn’t get the words out. And there wasn’t time. In a way, it paralleled to your experience when meeting Helen Clark.
I don’t think I have cried so much while reading an autobiography before. I think it’s mostly because the events talked about were events that I remembered, that I played a part in too. March 15. Whakaari / White Island. The pandemic.
I remember where I was for these things, too. Sitting on the couch in our rented apartment in New York, watching CNN, while half a world away, terror ripped through the streets of Christchurch. Sitting at my desk at ACC in Wellington, saying to my colleagues, “Oh, looks like White Island has erupted.” Followed by… “There were people there.” Working on the Unite Against COVID-19 campaign, communicating all your decisions to New Zealanders. Things hit home.
But it was from the moment you described the Queen’s death that the tears flowed and didn’t stop. I lost my own grandmother just 3 days later. I found out half an hour before you were set to do a press conference announcing the end of all restrictions. I compartmentalised. And hit go on the livestream.
In a way, it was cathartic to hear you describe these events. To hear your experiences. To know that my feelings and grief around these events were shared. And to hear more about your decisions and the reasons why. Especially in stepping down. It could not have been easy. You are the leader we, New Zealanders, needed, and still need. But I get it.
I listened to the audiobook from the library. It makes it so much more emotional to hear you speak the words. I did, however, buy a copy from Kmart. Legit.
Yours sincerely, a public servant who worked tirelessly.