Two Women. One Improbable Mission. And a Friendship that Changed a Continent.
The Book
From Washington's Back Rooms to Monrovia's Front Lines.
Three attempts. One civil war. And a friendship that outlasted all of it.
For anyone who has ever wondered what it costs to fight for a worthy cause—and what you find when you finally do—this is that story. Beyond its inspirational narrative arc, Riva’s book is a manual of how Washington, D.C. works; it is a look behind the curtain of what it really takes for a bill to become a law, and for a vision of the future to be formalized into policy and executed across interagency. Riva’s memoir accomplishes all of this with a narrative style that reads like a geopolitical thriller, making it an unputdownable read.
50% of the book proceeds support Afrobarometer, a pan-African, nonpartisan survey research network that provides reliable data on African experiences and evaluations of democracy, governance, and quality of life.
K. Riva Levinson
Riva is the President and CEO of KRL International, a Washington-based strategic advisory firm focused on emerging markets, with unparalleled experience in Africa. She is the long-time advisor to Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, Africa's first woman President, and has managed complex policy engagements across Africa, Latin America, the Middle East, and South Asia. Today, her firm remains at the cutting edge of the evolution of U.S. Africa and U.S foreign policy, from developing economic corridors across the continent, which open supply chains and industrialize a continent, to helping to build alliances and partnerships that unlock the potential of nations and their capacity to deliver economic opportunity for their people.
Her work has been featured in Forbes, Fortune, The New York Times, the Financial Times, The Washington Post, and NPR’s All Things Considered. She holds degrees from Tufts University and Georgetown University, and an Honorary Doctor of Law from the University of Ghana.
Speaking Engagements
Bring Riva's Story to Your Audience
From university campuses to policy summits, Riva speaks to how the lessons of Choosing the Hero apply today. The 2016 release marked a milestone for democratic progress and the alignment of Western democracies. This 2026 edition, however, arrives amid deep cynicism toward international institutions. Levinson argues that the book’s relevance has shifted from celebrating what happened to dissecting how it was done, offering an unfiltered look at the grit required to move the needle of progress.
Riva brings four decades of lived experience in the rooms where U.S. foreign policy was made. She sat across the table from heads of state and navigated Washington's most complex corridors of power. Her talks combine the credibility of a Washington insider with the accessibility of a gifted storyteller, drawing audiences from policy professionals to students who see themselves in her journey.