Customer Reviews

Half-Life of a Zealot

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

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!

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.

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.

We heard Swanee talk about and read from her book "Half Life of a Zealot", in November in Denver. We recommend it to every American, male or female! Swanee speaks from the heart in telling her story. She's experienced success and failure, and she tells it exactly the way she felt about both her successes and her failures - and what she did to make the most of both. Her zeal for life and for helping others is a true inspiration. She lives that inspiration, and as my husband and I have said to each other, "reading her book is motivation to re-invent ourselves yet again." Her passion for life and her dedication to helping others, while staying the course of being all that she can be, makes it a "must read" for you and those you care about. We challenge you to pick up the book, begin reading anywhere in the beautiful pages, and then try to put it down. Thank you, Swanee, for being who you are and for sharing that incredible you. Mary and George Sissel, Denver, Colorado

Every person has multiple life themes, but few have so many, in such extreme form, so publicly exposed, and over time so effectively integrated into a life of service and beauty; fewer still are able to tell their story with such candor, vulnerability, generosity and hope.

The externals of Swanee Hunt's life are worthy topics for a library of works: growing up in a family which merged great wealth, religious conservatism, and anti-communist fervor; finding her own gifts as a theologian, composer, philanthropist, civic leader, author and diplomat; learning to trust her instincts and voice to shape a life of radical compassion; engaging the full range of her gifts and resources to lift up the needs and tremendous capabilities of women throughout the world. These stories are well-told and compelling and would be an exceptional work if they were told in the third person.

But this book is at its core the story of one woman's life journey as she has come to terms with those externals and with the joys and challenges of her own complex inner life, with family relations and responsibilities, with her loneliness and love, and with a deep awareness of her own strengths and searching. By revealing the inner and outer complexities of her life so boldly and honestly, Ambassador Hunt has created a work which will resonate deeply in the lives of many others.

I believe this work will have a lasting value, as the expression of a remarkable life, and as a witness and invitation to all who read it to live with similar passion and intentionality for a better world. By sharing her life, Swanee Hunt has helped blaze a pathway for countless other women and men. We can be very grateful for her wisdom and courage.

I am just one-half way through this book but must say, at this point, it is probably one of the "best" books I have ever encountered. The factors contributing to this assessment are readibility, candor, lessons learned that I might use, subject matter and on and on. The author has led an unusual life, not just because she could because of her fortune and fame,but equally because she had the drive and desire to explore, explore and explore so many untested avenues and, in doing so, strengthened her own confidence in pushing even further. At one point she said that she was determined to take on one new challenge every year. She tends to defy the odds--pervailing all along. She climbed in Nepal, ran a marathon while not really in great shape, overcame her fears regarding being in leadership positions, etc., etc. To this point, her life gives me an inspiration that I have not gained from any other reading. I can't recommend it enough. I anticipate reading the section dealing with her diplomatic career. I was at the high end of my mid level employement at the State Department during that period. I am curious to see how we agree, or not, with situations at that time.

"Swanee Hunt has taken a phenomenal journey through life and written all about it in her new book and autobiography called 'Half-Life of a Zealot.' I found this book one of the most revealing autobiographies I have ever read. It takes an incredible amount of courage to strip herself bare the way she did so much of the time in this book, and I value that because I really felt I had an opportunity to get to know her. It was not just some kind of political exercise and that's rare -- particularly in politics." -- Barry Gordon on the progressive talk radio show "Barry Gordon From Left Field" (for which I am the producer)

I thoroughly enjoyed this book and can't rave enough about it! Swanee, through her life's work, is an incredible inspiration.

Half-Life of a Zealot is a remarkable book, and Swanee Hunt is a remarkable person. In her introduction, the author quotes Jill Ker Conway who wrote: "The woman autobiographer...cannot depart too dramatically from popularly accepted stereotypes, which affirm the man of action and the suffering or redemptive female. To do so is to risk losing persuasive power." A statement Ms. Hunt agrees with, but; she writes, "rather than feel reluctant about showing my vulnerability, I've wondered if it's safe to show strength." In those two sentences, Ms. Hunt beautifully sets the book's tone of the dualities of her life, one that was lived in isolation, and the other in public; one where love was given freely by her gentle mother, the other often held at bay by her powerful, famous father. With razor sharp intellect, openness, and candor, Ms. Hunt weaves her many lives as politician, daughter, sister, wife, mother, and peace maker into a wonderfully complex tapestry that pulls readers in deeper with each flip of the page. For even with her family's enormous wealth, Half-Life is a universal tale of a child's longings for family, love, and acceptance; and a triumphant story of a woman who grew into her own power and self-worth. Written in a casual and easy to read narrative, Half-Life is filled with unforgettable characters, fascinating events, and enough twists and turns that both mend and break the hearts to make it an engaging read.

Wish that there had been more mentioned of relationship with daughter Lillian. Mothers of children with mental illness needed that and this book could have helped fill that gap. Know Swanee Hunt's name and story will continue to be seen in connections with worthwhile projects and the political scene. Her son encourages her to run for US President and she would be qualified, no doubt about it. Professor and diplomat seem more valuable in terms of Giving. Her growth through mentors speaks volumes for strong people taking time to be mentors for all ages. One can only hope that this book does not become another Giant movie. There has been too much gossip and misunderstanding of a family that deserves privacy and respect.