Swanee Hunt’s life has lived up to her Texas-size childhood. Daughter of legendary oil magnate H. L. Hunt, she grew up in a household dominated by an arch-conservative patriarch who spawned a brood of colorful offspring. Her family was nothing if not zealous, and that zeal—albeit for more compassionate causes—propelled her into a mission that reaches around the world.
Half-Life of a Zealot tells how the girl who spoke against “Reds” alongside her father became a fierce advocate for progressive change in America and abroad, an innovative philanthropist, and Bill Clinton’s Ambassador to Austria. In captivating prose, Hunt describes the warmth and wear of Southern Baptist culture, which instilled in her a calling to help those who are vulnerable. The reader is drawn into her full-throttle professional life as it competes with critical family needs.
Hunt gives a remarkably frank account of her triumphs and shortcomings; her sorrows, including a miscarriage and the failure of a marriage; the joys and struggles of her second marriage; and her angst over the life-threatening illness of one of her three children. She is candid about the opportunities her fortune has created, as well as the challenge of life as an heiress.
Much of Swanee Hunt’s professional life is devoted to expanding women’s roles in making and shaping public policy. She is the founding director of Harvard’s Women and Public Policy Program at the Kennedy School of Government, chair of the Initiative for Inclusive Security, and president of the Hunt Alternatives Fund.
Swanee Hunt’s autobiography brims over with strong women: her mother, whose religious faith and optimism were an inspiration; her daughter, who fights the social stigma of mental disorders; the women of war-torn Bosnia, who transformed their grief into action; and friends like Hillary Clinton, who used her position as First Lady to strengthen the voices of others.
Hunt is one more strong woman. Half-Life of a Zealot is her story—so far.
“For a dozen years I’ve watched Swanee Hunt transform her resources into possibilities for others. This book shows the creative nexus of personal values, political savvy, and global reform that has made hers a life well lived.”—George Soros
“Swanee Hunt is the woman behind the women, supporting their leadership throughout the world. Through them, she touches millions who will never have the privilege of browsing in a bookstore. This beautiful book tells why and how.”—Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf, President of Liberia
“Swanee Hunt’s life reads like a novel. Born into a powerful, conservative, and patriarchal American family, a young girl grows up to use her part of that power to support the powerless and to encourage peace and women’s leadership around the world. To discover the fascinating story in between, you must read Half-Life of a Zealot.”—Gloria Steinem
About the Author
Swanee Hunt is the founding director of the Women and Public Policy Program at the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University, chair of the Initiative for Inclusive Security (formerly Women Waging Peace), president of the Hunt Alternatives Fund, and a member of the U.S. Council on Foreign Relations and the boards of the International Crisis Group and Amnesty International. The U.S. Ambassador to Austria from 1993 until 1997, she is the author of the award-winning book This Was Not Our War: Bosnian Women Reclaiming the Peace, also published by Duke University Press. She has written hundreds of articles for American and international print media, including a nationally syndicated column for the Scripps Howard News Service. She has two masters degrees and a doctorate in theology.
Product Details
Hardcover: 424 pages
Publisher: Duke University Press Books (September 13, 2006)
Swanee Hunt is Eleanor Roosevelt Lecturer in Public Policy, founder of the Women and Public Policy Program, core faculty at the Center for Public Leadership, and senior advisor to the working group on modern-day slavery at the Carr Center for Human Rights, all at Harvard's Kennedy School of Government.
An expert on domestic policy and foreign affairs, Hunt is president of Hunt Alternatives Fund, a private foundation working to support leaders of social movements, combat the demand for purchased sex, achieve political parity for women in high-level positions (in the US and globally), strengthen youth arts organizations, and increase philanthropy. She also chairs the Washington-based Institute for Inclusive Security (including the Women Waging Peace Network), which conducts research, training, and advocacy to integrate women into peace processes.
Her seminal work in this area began when, as the US Ambassador to Austria from 1993 to 1997, she hosted negotiations and international symposia focused on stabilizing the neighboring Balkan states and encouraging women leaders throughout Eastern Europe. Building on her extensive work with US non-governmental organizations, she became a specialist in the role of women in post-communist Europe.
Raised in a corporate family in Dallas, Texas, Hunt made her mark as a civic leader and philanthropist in her adopted city of Denver, where for two decades she led community efforts on issues such as public education, affordable housing, homelessness, women's empowerment, and mental health services for two mayors and the governor of Colorado.
Hunt is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations; she has authored articles for Foreign Affairs, Foreign Policy Magazine, International Herald Tribune, Chicago Tribune, Boston Globe, Dallas Morning News, Huffington Post, et al. Her first book, This Was Not Our War: Bosnian Women Reclaiming the Peace, won the 2005 PEN/New England Award for non-fiction. Her memoir, Half-Life of a Zealot, was published in 2006. Her third book with Duke University Press, Worlds Aparts: Bosnian Lessons for Global Security, was released in September 2011. She is currently writing Rwandan Women Rising.
Hunt has had more than a dozen one-woman shows of her photographs in five countries. Her musical composition, "The Witness Cantata," for five soloists and chorus, has had nine performances in six cities. Hunt holds two masters degrees, a doctorate in theology, and three honorary degrees. She was married for 25 years to Charles Ansbacher, international conductor and founder of the Boston Landmarks Orchestra, who passed away in 2010. Her world includes their three children, and a menagerie of cat, parrot, horses, bison, and grandchildren.
This review is from: Half-Life of a Zealot (Hardcover)
I picked this book up and started reading in the middle. I literally couldn't put it down and realized immediately I would have to start from the beginning. Though some may say 'Well, give me all that money and see what I could do with it,' but that would demean the passion and commitment behind Swanee Hunt's dedicated public service and focused philanthropy. I am from Texas myself, and I saw first-hand how the archconservatives down there try to denigrate anyone who doesn't agree with their agenda. Thank goodness there are people like this firebrand who are determined to make the world a better place. I found myself very moved reading this woman's story. Why do more people not know of her work? If ever the producers of '60 Minutes' are looking for a great candidate for a full profile, have I got a girl for you! Oops -- a person for you!
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This review is from: Half-Life of a Zealot (Hardcover)
Swanee Hunt's story is deeply moving. Her father, H.L. Hunt, has been called the richest man in America. But much of Hunt's early years is spent in an emotionally impoverished family. Her spirited memoir is a story of transformation. Brought up as a conservative Southern Baptist fighting communism alongside her eccentric father, Hunt evolves into a dynamic advocate for women in conflict areas, women waging peace, and women on the campaign trail. As a citizen of the world, Hunt is appointed Ambassador to Austria and becomes a passionate philanthropist. She is astonishingly candid, vulnerable, and endearing. Hunt bares her soul and shows how Southern grit, hard work, and zeal (along with wealth) can help change the world. The journey of how she becomes who she is today is a spellbinding tale.
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This review is from: Half-Life of a Zealot (Hardcover)
Swanee Hunt's book, Half-Life of a Zealot, is wonderful!! Very empowering and a fun read. She has a gift for expressing complicated matters - personal, professional and political - in simple terms, and she manages to do it without losing the complexities and nuance that make this such a full-bodied story.
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First Sentence:
"This is a once in a lifetime moment. Read the first pageKey Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
United States, White House, New York, State Department, Hunt Oil, First Baptist, Fort Worth, President Clinton, Hunt Alternatives Fund, Oval Office, Swanee Hunt, Colorado Springs, Eastern Europe, Little Rock, Second World War, Queen Noor, Southern Baptist, Soviet Union, East Texas, Outward Bound, United Nations, West Wing, Bill Clinton, Carol Edgar, Granny Ruth
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