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Diplomacy and Diamonds: My Wars from the Ballroom to the Battlefield
She's been dirt poor; she's been filthy rich. Rich was more fun. She married three times, divorced twice, found her true love, and lost him to cancer. At twenty-one, she was told she would soon die. She lived. Doctors said she'd never be able to have children. She had 'em. She's bargained with God, dictators, and Democrats. She's partied with princes, presidents, premiers, Barbara Walters, Anwar Sadat, Margaret Thatcher, Tom Hanks, and Francisco Franco . . . though not all at the same time. She captivated powerful men with her feminine charm, and then persuaded them toward unlikely political alliances through her formidable intelligence. She waltzed with Prince Philip in Buckingham Palace, dressed in men's clothes and smuggled herself in a barrel across the Pakistani border, threw a Roman-themed party so extravagant it was featured in Life magazine, and survived a Soviet gunship attack in the mountains of Afghanistan.
Joanne Herring, the Houston socialite portrayed by Julia Roberts in the film Charlie Wilson's War, is far more colorful, funny, and likable than any screenwriter could have guessed. The former Texas television anchor is known for her improbable fight with the mujahideen against the former Soviet Union. But her full story-with all its God, guns, and Gucci glory-has never been told. Born in the man's world of Texas in a time when women had limited choices, Joanne Herring blazed a trail with allies as unlikely as Charlie Wilson, Pierre Cardin, and President Ronald Reagan . . . and in so doing forged new paths for women in Pakistan, Afghanistan, and America.
Joanne Herring, the Houston socialite portrayed by Julia Roberts in the film Charlie Wilson's War, is far more colorful, funny, and likable than any screenwriter could have guessed. The former Texas television anchor is known for her improbable fight with the mujahideen against the former Soviet Union. But her full story-with all its God, guns, and Gucci glory-has never been told. Born in the man's world of Texas in a time when women had limited choices, Joanne Herring blazed a trail with allies as unlikely as Charlie Wilson, Pierre Cardin, and President Ronald Reagan . . . and in so doing forged new paths for women in Pakistan, Afghanistan, and America.
336 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2011
13 people are currently reading
153 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
April 6, 2012
This book was painful to get through. Instead of talking about her political achievements and work in the Middle East, King Herring spends the majority of the book bragging about how much money she has and all the celebrities she knows.
August 9, 2020
Awful, just plainly awful. I drag myself thru 67 pages with hope it get better. Well it didn’t, in fact, it got worse. Imagine the book preview as a table full of flavored of beef stock. Now water that down with ten gallons of rain water. You get the pictures.
June 25, 2013
This book is a delightful, easy, entertaining read. Joanne King Herring is one of those unique characters, full of life, able to laugh at herself and see the joy in her life as well as open the door on how she processed grief in her own way. This is not the kind of book I usually read, but I couldn't put it down and recommended it to lots of friends. Almost every day I've read it in it, I told my wife new and crazy stories from Diplomacy and Diamonds. It's just that fun.
The author has moved in the highest circles (Charles and Diana, Henry Kissinger and James Baker -- Mushaharraf of Pakistan recommends the book!). She had and lost fortunes. She could easily be mistaken for a materialistic person, and on some levels she might admit to it, but the things she owns do not own her. She was famous for her parties, but she made the guests work at making the party enjoyable, and never lost sight of what she wanted to achieve from the gathering, the connections she needed to forge for her husband or for Afghanistan. (Julia Roberts played her in Charlie Wilson's War.)
She could be accused of being a hypocritical Christian. She never mentions church as part of her life, yet her relationship with the Lord guides her actions and reactions.
She is a Democrat, but treasures her relationships with Republicans and gives many of them credit for things she was able to accomplish. She was the first woman talk show host, from a family that would have considered working "vulgar."
In other words, this lady, a Texan, doesn't fit any stereotype! I don't remember who recommended the book to me, but they had it right. I don't give 5 stars to a lot of books, and this wasn't great literature, but it is an amazing story about an unforgetable woman told in the most entertaining way. Five stars for this Lone Star lady with the big heart!
The author has moved in the highest circles (Charles and Diana, Henry Kissinger and James Baker -- Mushaharraf of Pakistan recommends the book!). She had and lost fortunes. She could easily be mistaken for a materialistic person, and on some levels she might admit to it, but the things she owns do not own her. She was famous for her parties, but she made the guests work at making the party enjoyable, and never lost sight of what she wanted to achieve from the gathering, the connections she needed to forge for her husband or for Afghanistan. (Julia Roberts played her in Charlie Wilson's War.)
She could be accused of being a hypocritical Christian. She never mentions church as part of her life, yet her relationship with the Lord guides her actions and reactions.
She is a Democrat, but treasures her relationships with Republicans and gives many of them credit for things she was able to accomplish. She was the first woman talk show host, from a family that would have considered working "vulgar."
In other words, this lady, a Texan, doesn't fit any stereotype! I don't remember who recommended the book to me, but they had it right. I don't give 5 stars to a lot of books, and this wasn't great literature, but it is an amazing story about an unforgetable woman told in the most entertaining way. Five stars for this Lone Star lady with the big heart!
November 4, 2020
This book is more about a 1% wealthy pretentious woman patting herself on the back than it is about anything else.
She drops names throughout the book for no apparent reason other than to booster herself.
It is ridiculous that she calls herself poor when she gets an insecure million loan to bailout her lavish lifestyle and has to move into a smaller house giving up her mansion. She was certainly not poor, but broke.
She divorces her first husband when money got tight under the guise of her need to travel and him wanting to be a home body, and marries the richest guy around. All while using the tired “it is God’s will”... yeah, The Bible is full of passages that state you should be a gold digger.
Because,of her looks, she becomes consul to two Muslim countries, but does little to fully understand the culture of either and is dismayed that her push for capitalism never materializing.
Honestly, very little of this book covers the US involvement of the Afghanistan invasion of Russia and doesn’t cite a single source of her distorted facts.
I would love love love to read the real facts of “Charlie’s War” to see how much of her self righteous account of events are really true.
She drops names throughout the book for no apparent reason other than to booster herself.
It is ridiculous that she calls herself poor when she gets an insecure million loan to bailout her lavish lifestyle and has to move into a smaller house giving up her mansion. She was certainly not poor, but broke.
She divorces her first husband when money got tight under the guise of her need to travel and him wanting to be a home body, and marries the richest guy around. All while using the tired “it is God’s will”... yeah, The Bible is full of passages that state you should be a gold digger.
Because,of her looks, she becomes consul to two Muslim countries, but does little to fully understand the culture of either and is dismayed that her push for capitalism never materializing.
Honestly, very little of this book covers the US involvement of the Afghanistan invasion of Russia and doesn’t cite a single source of her distorted facts.
I would love love love to read the real facts of “Charlie’s War” to see how much of her self righteous account of events are really true.
March 28, 2016
Joanne King Herring sounds like a very interesting person, (I think another reviewer's comparison to the life of Forest Gump was bang on) but this book, well, it isn't what I was expecting.
It’s mostly a bunch of short, fluffy stories spun from her life. The stories are mostly just name dropping with the occasional mildly veiled barb thrown in for good measure. And a few of the glaring contradictions had me raising an eyebrow. But, that being said, there are some very interesting tidbits in this book, and it does provide an interesting look at her social life. By the end, you really do feel as if you've sat down and talked with her for an afternoon or two.
I'd love to read a book about her that had more sustenance, since, as I mentioned before, her life does sound very interesting, but books like this have there place as well.
It’s mostly a bunch of short, fluffy stories spun from her life. The stories are mostly just name dropping with the occasional mildly veiled barb thrown in for good measure. And a few of the glaring contradictions had me raising an eyebrow. But, that being said, there are some very interesting tidbits in this book, and it does provide an interesting look at her social life. By the end, you really do feel as if you've sat down and talked with her for an afternoon or two.
I'd love to read a book about her that had more sustenance, since, as I mentioned before, her life does sound very interesting, but books like this have there place as well.
December 21, 2011
I love to read historical novels - often the fictionalized stories of women engaging with power and wealth. While a few of the best writers can take commoners and produce gripping tales, most writers tell the dramatic stories of princesses, or perhaps the beautiful but impoverished aristocrat or actress who catches the king's eye.
(As a liberal with absolute belief in the goodness of fairness, solidarity, and the importance of the middle class and safety nets, I can't explain why I and so many like me love the royalty so much!)
Joanne King Herring is the modern-day equivalent of those princesses and impoverished aristocrats. She caught the eye of several kings - and counts, dukes, CEOs, presidents - and she impacted world history. Julia Roberts played Herring in Charlie Wilson's War, and a better title for that might have been Joanne Herring's War. Herring was the impetus behind that story, just as Helen was the impetus behind the Trojan war - except far better, because Herring was master of her own fate; she believed in arming the Afghans, and made it happen.
She's not only smart but also beautiful, caring, and able to pass along some of her values and tactics. She's savvy enough to have written her memoir with a co-writer, probably part of why it's so well done. Diplomacy and Diamonds and Herring are both winners - this reader was left thinking how great it would be to be counted among her friends and fantasizing about living her life - despite disagreeing with much of what she did politically (I disagree with arming the Afghan rebels back during the 1980s) and knowing that my values wouldn't play with either the high society or the Texas oil Republicans she hobnobs with. That hasn't taken away one whit from my enjoying this book. Her story is worth reading.
(As a liberal with absolute belief in the goodness of fairness, solidarity, and the importance of the middle class and safety nets, I can't explain why I and so many like me love the royalty so much!)
Joanne King Herring is the modern-day equivalent of those princesses and impoverished aristocrats. She caught the eye of several kings - and counts, dukes, CEOs, presidents - and she impacted world history. Julia Roberts played Herring in Charlie Wilson's War, and a better title for that might have been Joanne Herring's War. Herring was the impetus behind that story, just as Helen was the impetus behind the Trojan war - except far better, because Herring was master of her own fate; she believed in arming the Afghans, and made it happen.
She's not only smart but also beautiful, caring, and able to pass along some of her values and tactics. She's savvy enough to have written her memoir with a co-writer, probably part of why it's so well done. Diplomacy and Diamonds and Herring are both winners - this reader was left thinking how great it would be to be counted among her friends and fantasizing about living her life - despite disagreeing with much of what she did politically (I disagree with arming the Afghan rebels back during the 1980s) and knowing that my values wouldn't play with either the high society or the Texas oil Republicans she hobnobs with. That hasn't taken away one whit from my enjoying this book. Her story is worth reading.
May 7, 2015
I remember watching Joanne King's television shows in Houston in the 60's and 70's and thought she was such an interesting and caring lady. Now I know she was far more than that. With a deep belief in God she has overcome financial problems, tragedy and personal loss. She also helped Texas congressman Charlie Wilson and a rogue CIA agent conspire to arm the Afghanistan people in their Cold War battle against Russia. To this day she is still helping Afghanistan with her civilian aid organization in hopes of transforming a totalitarian dictatorship into democratic allies by introducing clean water, food, health care, schools and jobs. I salute her! The Cold War adventure was made into a book by George Crile, "Charlie Wilson's War" and later a movie with Julia Roberts play Joanne part and Tom Hanks as Charlie Wilson. The late Phillip Seymour Hoffman was the perfect rogue CIA agent! This is not a dry boring book. It is full of gossip, world travel and the ups and downs of life.
March 6, 2013
I wish it would have been more about Afghanistan, but it was okay. She had sort of a Forrest Gump kind of life. It seems like she was a part of so many things and just happened to be in the right place at the right time with all the "right" people. It was entertaining even if a bit too "name dropping" and trivial. I respect Mrs. Herring for all she has overcome, accomplished, learned, and given through out her life.
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October 3, 2011Won in goodreads giveaway. Review soon
January 23, 2012
She is truly something!
Read
January 28, 2016Very interesting views on life & War in the Middle East
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews