Why Must Read There Is Nothing For You Here: Finding Opportunity in the Twenty-First Century?

It goes without saying that having become a cable TV addict since 2016, I was well aware of the strong presence and personality of Dr. Fiona Hill, the “Russian expert” whose testimony in the first impeachment hearings of the 45th President was so telling. I was therefore amazed and fascinated when I watched several of Hill's pre-publication interviews on that same cable channel discussing her memoir “There is Nothing for You Here: Finding Opportunity in the 21st Century”. What fascinated me the most was the very different personality that came through at that time. Not only was her hairstyle different, but her entire self-presentation was remarkably warm and humorous, characteristics not evident during her Congressional testimony. Despite the fact that my Kindle budget is stretched thin, I decided I really needed to get to know this woman better. As a memoir, “There Is Nothing for You Here” is warm, insightful, honest, and thoroughly enjoyable. Her intellectual acumen and probing insights on the parallels of the economic and social crises in the UK, the U.S. and Russia from the 1970’s to the present are extraordinarily valuable. Hill was born in 1965, which means she is the same age as my own youngest daughter, and I could not help but reflect on the differences in their career trajectories. My daughter fortuitously found employment right out of high school in a tech firm; opted not to pursue further education; and was able to grow and advance through many changes in management. She is now planning to retire from the same organization. Dr. Hill, as the daughter of a coal miner in Northern England, had to strive for educational opportunities; chose an academic path studying Russian history and language; and became a valued expert. Her appointment to the NSC in the Trump White House was not “political” however, which provided her with the unique ability to be an objective observer. Her objectivity is exceptional, which puts in sharp relief the numerous outrageous assaults on her personality and qualifications to which many of the sycophants of the previous administration have subjected her. The main thrust of Hill’s personal and philosophical reflection, though, may be seen in her subtitle: “Finding Opportunity in the 21st Century.” Her own life, of course, is a saga of seeking opportunity, finding it, and seizing it. Of the many passages in this narrative I’ve bookmarked for myself, this is the one I choose to share: “As citizens of a democracy, we are all responsible for effecting change, especially when doing so will shore up the political system that we have inherited… “Many discriminatory barriers, as I discovered firsthand, are deliberately used by specific groups to reduce competition for scarce resources, including access to elite universities and jobs.”(pp. 408-9) And further on the author continues: “Working- and middle-class Americans need cross-racial and cross-generational coalitions to overcome the existing barriers to opportunity, as well as the long-term effects of disadvantage on their health and well-being, educational attainment, and job prospects.”(p. 409) There is much more I could say in praise of this book, but perhaps the best accolade I can offer is to say that at the point when she mentioned a previous study of Russian President Vladimir Putin which she co-authored, I immediately checked the Kindle Bookstore and – finding it in my price-range – ordered it (reading it is in the future). That this reviewer is willing to spend scarce retirement resources on any author’s work not once but twice is strong endorsement. Dr. Hill’s powerful and probing insight has it.