Preview
  • Tough Love

  • My Story of the Things Worth Fighting For
  • By: Susan Rice
  • Narrated by: Susan Rice
  • Length: 22 hrs and 41 mins
  • 4.7 out of 5 stars (836 ratings)

Prime logo Prime members: New to Audible?
Get 2 free audiobooks during trial.
Pick 1 audiobook a month from our unmatched collection.
Listen all you want to thousands of included audiobooks, Originals, and podcasts.
Access exclusive sales and deals.
Premium Plus auto-renews for $14.95/mo after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Tough Love

By: Susan Rice
Narrated by: Susan Rice
Try for $0.00

$14.95/month after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Buy for $26.24

Buy for $26.24

Pay using card ending in
By confirming your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions of Use and Amazon's Privacy Notice. Taxes where applicable.

Publisher's summary

A 2020 Audie Award Finalist

Recalling pivotal moments from her dynamic career on the front lines of American diplomacy and foreign policy, Susan E. Rice - national security advisor to President Barack Obama and US ambassador to the United Nations - reveals her surprising story with unflinching candor in this New York Times best seller.

Mother, wife, scholar, diplomat, and fierce champion of American interests and values, Susan Rice powerfully connects the personal and the professional. Taught early, with tough love, how to compete and excel as an African American woman in settings where people of color are few, Susan now shares the wisdom she learned along the way. Laying bare the family struggles that shaped her early life in Washington, DC, she also examines the ancestral legacies that influenced her. Rice’s elders - immigrants on one side and descendants of slaves on the other - had high expectations that each generation would rise. And rise they did, but not without paying it forward - in uniform and in the pulpit, as educators, community leaders, and public servants.

Susan too rose rapidly. She served throughout the Clinton administration, becoming one of the nation’s youngest assistant secretaries of state and, later, one of President Obama’s most trusted advisors. Rice provides an insider’s account of some of the most complex issues confronting the United States over three decades, ranging from “Black Hawk Down” in Somalia to the genocide in Rwanda and the East Africa embassy bombings in the late 1990s, and from conflicts in Libya and Syria to the Ebola epidemic, a secret channel to Iran, and the opening to Cuba during the Obama years. With unmatched insight and characteristic bluntness, she reveals previously untold stories behind recent national security challenges, including confrontations with Russia and China, the war against ISIS, the struggle to contain the fallout from Edward Snowden’s NSA leaks, the US response to Russian interference in the 2016 election, and the surreal transition to the Trump administration.

Although you might think you know Susan Rice - whose name became synonymous with Benghazi following her Sunday news show appearances after the deadly 2012 terrorist attacks in Libya - now, through this audiobook, you truly will know her for the first time. Often mischaracterized by both political opponents and champions, Rice emerges as neither a villain nor a victim but a strong, resilient, compassionate leader. Intimate, sometimes humorous, but always candid, Tough Love makes an urgent appeal to the American public to bridge our dangerous domestic divides in order to preserve our democracy and sustain our global leadership.

©2019 Susan Rice (P)2019 Simon & Schuster
activate_Holiday_promo_in_buybox_DT_T2

What listeners say about Tough Love

Average customer ratings
Overall
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    644
  • 4 Stars
    142
  • 3 Stars
    28
  • 2 Stars
    11
  • 1 Stars
    11
Performance
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    552
  • 4 Stars
    102
  • 3 Stars
    41
  • 2 Stars
    12
  • 1 Stars
    7
Story
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    551
  • 4 Stars
    112
  • 3 Stars
    28
  • 2 Stars
    7
  • 1 Stars
    9

Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.

Sort by:
Filter by:
  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Really enjoyed Tough Love

Fascinating book- loved the behind the scenes perspective of so many events in the last 20 years. No matter your politics you will learn something.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

5 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

exceptional

This memoir is suitable for a book discussion. It's insightful, caring, well named and written.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Great Story

This is a wonderful book and outstanding story told by an outstanding public servant. I believe the author, Susan Rice, is one of the smartest people in US Government

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Touch love

I grew up with it as number 7 of 9 in a big Irish Catholic family. We had many childhood situations as you described. I am now almost a 78 yr old Grandma and retired RN. Growing up with tough love had endured those lessons to me and will take me to my flight with Angels as a gift as you spoke of the lasting love. I am a card-carrying Union Democrat and still work in the elections! GREAT STORY, WELL PRESENTED!
Maggie AldingerRN

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Very Insightful and Interesting

I absolutely enjoyed learning more deeply about Susan Rice, her education, family life, political career and her contributions to our United States of America. Thank you for sharing yourself!

Monique S.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Enjoyed Every Minute

Fascinating life. I was a fan of the incomparable Susan Rice, but now I’m a raving fan. What a brilliant, confident and tough as nails woman. I love that she is the narrator of her exquisite work. I sincerely hope she re-enters the public service realm. We need persons of her intellect and character.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

not surprised

Everyone deserves a chance freedom, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. There are many talented people in the world & we deserve a chance to share in their awesomeness.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Cut To The Chase

This book gave a personal and candid voice to the reality of balancing personal life, family life as an executive cabinet member. With this additional information one can also better understand just one element of one person's stressors and efforts to be part of making our country truly a democracy.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Exceptional




Loved the book and to have Susan Rice narrate her story was special.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

An awesomely interesting book

An awesomely interesting book and wonderful author shares her life with us. Provides great insight into how our government works well under dedicated, intelligent and rational presidents. Author does an excellent job reading her own life story. I have enjoyed listening to this book immensely, one of the best I can remember.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

1 person found this helpful