The Diplomat

The life and legacy of David Holbrooke

In THE DIPLOMAT, David Holbrooke attempts the seemingly insurmountable: capturing the legacy of his larger—than—life father, Ambassador Richard Holbrooke, to “get to know him better in death,” David says, “than I ever did in life.” With insights from an impressive array of dignitaries, including Kofi Annan, Ashraf Ghani, Madeleine Albright, David Petraeus, and Bill and Hillary Clinton, David considers America’s position as international policeman and diplomatic exemplar and gauges just how much the burden of those roles shifted from the Pentagon to the White House in the nearly fifty years Holbrooke worked at State.

At the same time, THE DIPLOMAT is a frank portrayal of Richard Holbrooke’s relationships with his sons. It offers a lens to judge Holbrooke’s public persona—a single—named celebrity in certain circles, the “diplomatic hope of a generation”—against the man his sons struggled to know. Ultimately, David Holbrooke creates a sensitive portrait of fatherhood weighed against ambition, celebrity, legacy, and the force required to affect change throughout the world.