A Survivor's Guide to Washington: How to Succeed Without Losing Your Soul

Torie Clarke has operated at the highest levels in the shark tank of the nation's capital without paying the one price that success in Washington often exacts: her soul. Known for her down-to-earth demeanor, Clarke has built and maintains close friendships on both sides of gaping partisan divides. She's struck a balance between work and family in a town that can demand a choice between the two.

Now, in "A Survivor's Guide to Washington," Clarke explains how she's done it and how others can succeed in the realms of politics and public relations while maintaining their integrity - and sanity - too. Built around a series of questions Clarke has received in private conversations as well as through hundreds of public appearances, the book offers practical advice on topics ranging from handling a boss's over-the-line advances to when it is - and isn't - OK to bolt one Washington job for another. She includes advice she solicited from admired and respected Washington figures. Sprinkled throughout are anecdotes from Clarke's three decades in the back rooms, boardrooms and green rooms of the nation's capital.

FISHER HOUSE FOUNDATION

A portion of the proceeds from book sales will go to Fisher House Foundation, benefiting military families. http://fisherhouse.org

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Torie Clarke is Senior Vice President for Global Corporate Affairs for SAP, a leading multinational software company. Clarke has served in three Administrations, most recently as Assistant Secretary of Defense under Donald Rumsfeld. She is recognized in the private and public sectors as an expert on communications in the age of transparency.

Prior to SAP, Clarke was a Senior Adviser to Comcast NBC Universal, ran the Washington office of Hill & Knowlton, served as Vice President of the National Cable Television Association and was Press Secretary to Senator John McCain. She is the author of "Lipstick on a Pig: Winning in the No-Spin Era by Someone Who Knows the Game." Clarke serves on the Senior Advisory Committee of Harvard's Institute of Politics and is on the Board of Trustees of the Potomac School. She and her husband, Brian Graham, live in Chevy Chase, Maryland with their three children.

PRAISE

"This book is unsparingly candid, smart, funny and real - just like Torie."

- Maggie Williams, Partner Griffin/Willliams and former White House Chief of Staff to Hillary Clinton


"When it comes to our nation's quirky capital, Torie Clarke has seen it all - the good, the bad and the flat-out absurd. Tapping lessons from her own career and others, she has written a warm, funny primer for anyone considering life in Washington."

- David Axelrod, Director, University of Chicago Institute of Politics and former Senior Advisor to President Obama


"If you want to make it in Washington, this is a must read. Torie not only gives survival tips but does it in a way that makes you groan, laugh and beg to live here. I saw Torie up close with Donald Rumsfeld day after day in the Pentagon and marveled at her skills. Anyone who can tell that man what to do is someone you need to listen to."

- Martha Raddatz, ABC News Chief Global Affairs Correspondent


"Torie Clarke brings the sharpest eye and quickest wit to Washington's wicked ways."

- Shelby Coffey, former Executive Vice President of ABC News and editor of the Los Angeles Times






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