Choosing the Hero

Levinson describes her harrowing adventures working in some of the most dangerous places on earth from Somalia to Iraq, early in her career dispatched by her boss, former Donald Trump campaign manager, Paul Manafort. But it is her efforts on behalf of Ellen Johnson Sirleaf that form the heart of CHOOSING THE HERO. Levinson chronicles her behind-the-scenes lobbying for the exiled Sirleaf in Washington, D.C. as well as her on-the-ground work in Liberia. It took three tries for Sirleaf to finally win the presidency in 2005. President Sirleaf won the 2011 Nobel Peace Prize, and in 2018, she oversaw the first peaceful, democratic transition of presidential power in Liberia in 75 years.
CHOOSING THE HERO can be read on many levels. It is an exciting narrative about Sirleaf's struggle to create a future for Liberia. It's a bird's-eye view of the inner workings of the lobbying and public relations business in Washington, D.C. and the making of U.S. foreign policy. But most of all, it is Riva Levinson's personal story of how she found a hero, fought for a worthy cause, and in the process, discovered her soul.

K. Riva Levinson is a leading strategist on international policy issues, and has managed highly complex projects in Africa, Latin America, the Middle East, South Asia, and Europe. She has served as a chief advisor to Liberia's President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf since 1997. Levinson received her bachelor's degree from Tufts University and holds a master's degree in national security studies from Georgetown University. Now the president and CEO of KRL International LLC, she resides in northern Virginia with her husband and two children. Choosing the Hero is her first book.

"Riva's story reminds us that often the best, most challenging work comes to us when we least expect it and most need it. Her connection with President Sirleaf helped Liberia turn an important page in its history." U.S. SENATOR CHRIS COONS

"Peace and democracy seemed far, far off to Liberians when brutal warlord Charles Taylor ruled. This fast-paced, crisply told story of Liberia's rebirth under Ellen Johnson Sirleaf is inspiring and impressively honest." U.S. REPRESENTATIVE ED ROYCE

"A wonderful book about the extraordinary camaraderie between Africa's first woman president Ellen Johnson Sirleaf and her loyal friend and political ally, Riva Levinson. . . . A must-read for all those interested in Liberia's recent and turbulent history, and the immense power of friendship and loyalty." JOHNNIE CARSON, former U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs

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