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Edward J. Perkins

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Mr. Ambassador: Warrior for Peace Hardcover – April 10, 2006

by Edward J. Perkins (Author), Connie Cronley (Author), David L. Boren (Preface),

4.7 25 ratings

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“Apartheid South Africa was on fire around me.”

So begins the memoir of Career Foreign Service Officer Edward J. Perkins, the first black United States ambassador to South Africa. In 1986, President Ronald Reagan gave him the unparalleled assignment: dismantle apartheid without violence.

As he fulfilled that assignment, Perkins was scourged by the American press, despised by the Afrikaner government, hissed at by white South African citizens, and initially boycotted by black South African revolutionaries, including Archbishop Desmond Tutu. His advice to President-elect George H. W. Bush helped modify American policy and hasten the release of Nelson Mandela and others from prison.

Perkins’s up-by-your-bootstraps life took him from a cotton farm in segregated Louisiana to the white elite Foreign Service, where he became the first black officer to ascend to the top position of director general.

This is the story of how one man turned the page of history.

Print length

576 pages
Language

English
Publisher

University of Oklahoma Press
Publication date

April 10, 2006
Dimensions

7 x 1.4 x 10 inches
ISBN-10

0806137673
ISBN-13

978-0806137674
See all details

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Edward J. Perkins, now retired as a U.S. Ambassador, is William J. Crowe Professor of Geopolitics and Executive Director of the International Programs Center at the University of Oklahoma.

Connie Cronley is the author of three books of essays—Sometimes a Wheel Falls Off, Light and Variable, and Poke a Stick at It—and coauthor with the late Edward Perkins of Mr. Ambassador: Warrior for Peace. She is an enrolled citizen of the Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma and lives in Tulsa.

George P. Shultz is former Secretary of State of the United States.

A Rhodes Scholar, David Boren has served as President of the University of Oklahoma (1994–2018), U.S. Senator from Oklahoma (1979–1994), and Governor of Oklahoma (1975–1979) and chaired the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence from 1987 to 1993. He is the author of A Letter to America.

Product details

Publisher ‏ : ‎ University of Oklahoma Press; First Edition (April 10, 2006)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 576 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0806137673
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0806137674
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 2.55 pounds
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 7 x 1.4 x 10 inches

Best Sellers Rank: #511,677 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #275 in Educator Biographies
- #320 in International Diplomacy (Books)
- #1,634 in Black & African American Biographies

Customer Reviews:
4.7 25 ratings

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Customer reviews

25 global ratings

5 star
92%
4 star
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3 star
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2 star
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1 star
8%

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Customers say

Customers find the book enjoyable, excellently written, and easy to read. They appreciate the exposure of intrigue, danger, and opportunities. Readers describe the book as a valuable resource, educational, and enlightening. They also mention that the book is paced well.

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Enjoyment Narrative quality Value for money Pacing

5 customers mention "Enjoyment"5 positive0 negative

Customers find the book enjoyable and excellently written. They also say it's about an amazing life.

"I found this book extremely enjoyable and current members of the Foreign Service and anyone interested in foreign affairs, and the accomplishments..." Read more

"Excellently and eloquently written. So proud of Ambassador Perkins. He is the son of my father's uncle in Texas...." Read more

"An amazing life and even more amazing man. Should be on every bookshelf." Read more

"Really enjoyed the book. Great story. Author incoroporates lessons from the Art of War well into his own life situations." Read more

5 customers mention "Narrative quality"5 positive0 negative

Customers find the narrative quality great, eloquently written, and easy to read. They appreciate the exposure of intrigue, danger, and opportunities.

"...be read by a broad audience, regardless of color, for its exposure of the intrigue, danger, and opportunities to advance the values of our domestic..." Read more

"Excellently and eloquently written. So proud of Ambassador Perkins. He is the son of my father's uncle in Texas...." Read more

"Great narrative, insight, and history." Read more

"Easy read ! Had a great insight !" Read more

5 customers mention "Value for money"5 positive0 negative

Customers find the book a valuable resource, easy read, and educational. They say it has great insights into the intrigue, danger, and opportunities to advance values.

"...of color, for its exposure of the intrigue, danger, and opportunities to advance the values of our domestic and international worlds." Read more

"...It is very thorough, educational and enlightening...." Read more

"Great narrative, insight, and history." Read more

"Easy read ! Had a great insight !" Read more

4 customers mention "Pacing"4 positive0 negative

Customers find the pacing of the book amazing. They say the man is a scholar, diplomat, and wonderful human being. Readers also mention that the book is about a true American hero.

"...This outstanding African American is a scholar, diplomat, and wonderful human being...." Read more

"Excellently and eloquently written. So proud of Ambassador Perkins. He is the son of my father's uncle in Texas...." Read more

"...He is a true American hero." Read more

"An amazing life and even more amazing man. Should be on every bookshelf." Read more

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Robert W. Brown

and we had the good fortune of having Ambassador Perkins as our guest

Reviewed in the United States on August 15, 2015

Verified Purchase

I selected this book for my Men's Book and Gourmet Group, and we had the good fortune of having Ambassador Perkins as our guest. This outstanding African American is a scholar, diplomat, and wonderful human being. This book should be read by a broad audience, regardless of color, for its exposure of the intrigue, danger, and opportunities to advance the values of our domestic and international worlds.

One person found this helpful

Helpful

C. Jeffery

Outstanding book

Reviewed in the United States on January 10, 2022

Verified Purchase

I found this book extremely enjoyable and current members of the Foreign Service and anyone interested in foreign affairs, and the accomplishments (against the odds) that Ambassador Perkins made can find an amazing amount of guidance through this text. I already owned a paperback and ordered this one to have a hardcover book.

Reviewed in the United States on July 11, 2012

Verified Purchase

Excellently and eloquently written. So proud of Ambassador Perkins. He is the son of my father's uncle in Texas. Had no idea that he was such an influence. I am keeping this book as a family moment for the Perkins' family.

3 people found this helpful

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Fay G.

A valuable resource

Reviewed in the United States on October 2, 2014

Verified Purchase

This book should be recommended reading for every history class taught in high school. It is very thorough, educational and enlightening.
This book gives you a perspective that cannot be gleaned from the typical classroom school book.

One person found this helpful

Helpful

Herky82

An amazing rags to diplomacy story

Reviewed in the United States on June 1, 2014

Verified Purchase

An amazing story of an African American raised on a cotton farm in Louisiana who managed to get an education and joined the army that took him to Japan. From there he transitioned into civilian support work in Taiwan and from there he joined the US Foreign Service. He rose to four ambassadorships. President Reagan sent him to South Africa inn 1986 when that country was under white minority rule in the apartheid system. As the first Black Ambassador there, he helped turn the tide, leading to black majority rule in 1990. He is a true American hero.

2 people found this helpful

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Kuba

Five Stars

Reviewed in the United States on September 13, 2016

Verified Purchase

Great narrative, insight, and history.

Reviewed in the United States on November 9, 2020

Verified Purchase

Great book overall but the print job was horrible! There were 10-20 pages missing from the book. Pages were simply blank. Wish I purchased from a different seller.

One person found this helpful

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Ike

Easy read! Had a great insight

Reviewed in the United States on May 5, 2015

Verified Purchase

Easy read ! Had a great insight !

One person found this helpful

Helpful