We at Casemate have seen some impressive book parties, but few can match for pure spectacle the launch of our newly released Backwards in High Heels at the National Air and Space Museum in Washington, DC on October 4.
At this event, sponsored by the American-Swiss Foundation, the book’s subject, Ambassador Faith Whittlesey, was presented with a lifetime achievement award (a beautiful piece of jewelry) by Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia, and copies of the book were presented to all the guests. In attendance were talk-show host Michael Reagan, the museum director, former Marine General Bill Daley, and a plethora of politicians, scholars, and business people from both sides of the Atlantic.
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Also attending were Casemate’s Director of Operations, Colleen Nolan (pictured here with Amb. Whittlesey), and Editorial Director Steven Smith. The next day Steve, along with Casemate’s Sales Director, Sean Johnston, attended a follow-up event for the book at the Institute of World Politics. The Institute is in a gorgeous Gothic brownstone that used to be a Soviet consulate staffed by the KGB.
Written by Tom Carty, Backwards in High Heels is the long overdue biography of one of the first women to rise to high levels of prominence in politics, business, and world diplomacy. The only female member of Ronald Reagan’s senior staff, Faith Whittlesey went from political office in Pennsylvania to the West Wing, to the ambassadorship of Switzerland (twice), all while a young widow raising three children.
Since pioneering women’s roles in corridors of power, Faith Whittlesey has gone on to play a major role in international affairs, meeting with China’s leadership as well as maintaining close ties to Switzerland and the U.S. political scene. Though disdaining any label as a “feminist,” she has nevertheless proven a role model in that regard.
Full of fascinating insights and heretofore behind-the-scenes controversies, Backwards in High Heels provides a rewarding look at the life of a self-made woman, whose intelligence, energy, and originality helped to open the doors for countless other young people of conviction who aspire to reach their fullest potential.
Backwards in High Heels is now available from Casemate Publishers. Make sure to get your own copy here.
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