Ten Minutes from Normal
by Karen Hughes

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Book Reviews of Ten Minutes from Normal

Book Review: A Long Way from Normal
Summary: 5 Stars

Rushing against fleeing traffic from Washington to an evacuated White House in order to make a statement of reassurance to our hysterical and dumbfounded country that the government was still functioning, she met met with a surreal scene of White House lawns covered with men in black brandishing weapons.

She portrays an eerie tale as she steps into an empty WH and is led downward through a maze of tunnels and hallways, impenetrable doors slamming closed behind her, before finally entering the secret bunker where dramatic action was already being coordinated by the vice president, national security adviser and others in response to the largest, most viscous attack ever on American soil.

The most negative and pessimistic comment this unusually upbeat and positive woman made was on September 12th, when the White House was under serious threat of attack, and President Bush declared that he (along with the senior staff, of which she was one) was NOT leaving. Under the stress he abandoned his salad diet and sent a mess steward scurrying to bring him a quick hamburger. Karen added with a sinking heart that he "might as well add the cheese."

Highly intriguing are the up-close and truly personal looks at both President Bush and some of the "inner circle" principals (Andy Card, Condi Rice, Karl Rove, Colin Powell and others) of an administration that is turning out to be one of the most critical in America's young history.

Before this book becomes a page-turner, beginning chapters swing humorously through her life-shaping experiences of childhood as an "army brat" who sometimes changes countries but clearly has a foundation that doesn't shift. An early adult career in news reporting further weaves into the fabric of her being the tools necessary for her crucial role in WH communications.

As a woman who really knows who she is, and that work is "what you do and not who you are" she refused to play the games of the Washington scene or be sucked under in its negative political landscape. She didn't vie for the usual power grabs or even the highly coveted and now famous "Stephanopoulos" office space. She kept her identity intact and in no way elevated herself simply because she had the listening and attentive ear of the leader of the most powerful nation on earth. she uses her unusual platform to exhort and encourage individual every day Americans to understand their personal worth in the "larger scheme of things."

Included in some powerful pages of this book are inadvertent lessons in how to discern "the truth" while being barraged by the darker subtext of biased newspaper headlines, and avoid the pitfalls of edited television clips taken out of context. Only a person like Ms. Hughes who has been a media player herself, could report so effectively "to the media" with honesty, yet not void of some clever Republican strategy.

As counselor to the president she was one of the few individuals of high integrity in constant contact with him, except of course, for that brief moment crystallized in history when communication was cut off from Air Force One.

It's a comfort to know that the current president of th United States of America selects and surrounds himself with wise counselors and is in no danger of falling into the pit of those who don't embrace the blessing outlined in Psalm 1:1.

There's only one word to describe the potential effect this book could have on its readers: life-changing.

Summary of Ten Minutes from Normal

Yet the move from Texas to Washington was hard on her family, and in a controversial, headline-making decision that reverberated across America, she chose to place family first and quit the nation?s capital to return to Austin. There, Hughes continues to advise the president, where the kitchen wall calendar marks the State of the Union message side by side with her son?s orthodontist appointments.

In this disarmingly down-to-earth, warm, often funny, and frank book, Hughes looks at her unique career in George W. Bush?s inner circle and the universal concerns of balancing work and family. Ten Minutes from Normal?the title comes from the campaign trail??is a remarkable blend of the story of a ?normal? woman who rose to great heights and an insightful look at American politics and America?s forty-third president.

This is a book for the legions of women and men everywhere who are seeking new inspiration for how to remember their priorities and achieve balance in their lives. Most important, in a post-9/11 world, Hughes redefines the very notion of what is ?normal? as something special and precious, never to be taken for granted in America again.

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