A Different Kind of Power
Professor Bruce Lloyd listened to the audio version of Jacinda Ardern’s Memoirs, published in 2025. Using ChatGPT, he wrote the following prompt.
Summarise and critique ‘A Different Kind of Power’ by Jacinda Ardern
Here’s a summary of A Different Kind of Power by Jacinda Ardern, followed by a critique—what works well, what doesn’t, and what questions it raises. If you like, I can also compare it to other recent political memoirs.
Summary
- Author & Context
Jacinda Ardern was Prime Minister of New Zealand from 2017 to 2023. The memoir was published in June 2025. PenguinRandomhouse.com+2Wikipedia+2 - Chronological structure
The book traces her life from her childhood—growing up in rural New Zealand in a Mormon family—through entry into politics, becoming Labour Party leader, major national crises (Christchurch mosque shootings, volcanic eruptions, COVID-19, etc.), to her decision to step down in 2023. Wikipedia+2The Guardian+2 - Key themes
- Kindness, empathy, and compassion as political virtues: Ardern argues that leadership needn’t be about brute power; it can draw strength from caring, humanity, and emotional openness. SheThePeople+3PenguinRandomhouse.com+3The Washington Post+3
- Vulnerability: she shares moments of self-doubt, “thin-skinnedness”, the struggle with confidence, balancing motherhood and public office. Wikipedia+2SheThePeople+2
- Crisis leadership: how she responded to unexpected major events—terror attack in Christchurch, pandemic, etc.—and how her values shaped those responses. The Washington Post+2The Guardian+2
- Redefining power: suggesting that power does not have to be coercive or domineering; instead, it can be relational, caring, and even humble. PenguinRandomhouse.com+1
- Notable revelations
- She was pregnant during coalition negotiations. Wikipedia+1
- A health scare: in late 2022 a lump was discovered (though not cancer). Wikipedia+1
- The personal toll of leadership: the memoir does not hide the emotional cost. The Washington Post+2ketebooks.co.nz+2
- Goals/Audience
Ardern seems to aim not only to tell her own story, but to offer a model of leadership that others might emulate, especially those who believe that politics is better done with compassion. PenguinRandomhouse.com+1
Emotional honesty & narrative voice: Ardern is open about her fears, her personal life, and her vulnerabilities. This gives the memoir warmth, relatability, and credibility. Many reviewers praise this. ketebooks.co.nz+2The Washington Post+2
Limited depth in policy critique: Some critics say the book glosses over or omits serious evaluation of what didn’t work—e.g. housing, inflation, public discontent in later years. The Guardian+2SheThePeople+2
Is kindness enough?: The book raises the question of whether empathy + compassion are sufficient for political leadership, especially in complex, resource-scarce, high-stakes contexts. Critics worry that style may overshadow substance. SheThePeople+2The Times+2
Crisis management: The descriptions of how she handled the mosque attack, volcanic eruption, COVID-19 are vivid and show a leader making difficult decisions under pressure, trying to balance different kinds of harms. The Washington Post+1
Idealisation and narrative framing: Some reviewers argue that the memoir sometimes leans toward idealising her leadership, framing her decisions in a favorable light without fully exploring counterarguments or downsides. The Times+2SheThePeople+2
Audience & tone: The style is deeply personal and sometimes reflective rather than analytically rigorous. That’s fine for a memoir, but it means the book may not satisfy readers who want detailed policy analysis or political history.
Breaking norms: Her balancing of motherhood and leadership, leading with empathy, being transparent about self-doubt—all help challenge conventional expectations of what political leaders “should” be. That itself is a contribution. The Guardian+1
Lack of sustained critical self-analysis: While she admits doubts and misgivings, there are few passages showing her engaging in a deep post-mortem of policy decisions that had negative outcomes or strong public criticism. SheThePeople+1
Legacy & impact: It’s still early to measure how much of her model of “kind leadership” can produce long-term structural change. Reviewers debate whether her legacy will be symbolic or substantive.
Readable, engaging storytelling: The memoir is praised for being well written, emotionally engaging, sometimes humorous, and able to humanise large political decisions. ketebooks.co.nz+1
Simplification for narrative coherence: To make the story flow, some complexity is smoothed over. Some issues are less explored (e.g. detailed tensions within her party, trade-offs made under political constraints). SheThePeople
Global vs local expectations: Because she has international visibility, some parts of the book seem aimed at a global audience (e.g. emphasis on leadership, values). This raises tension: what works for New Zealand’s political context may not transfer so well elsewhere.
Overall Impressions & Reflections
- A Different Kind of Power is a powerful memoir in the sense that it articulates a vision of politics tempered by humanity, showing that leadership is possible without sacrificing compassion. For many readers, this in itself is inspiring and perhaps overdue.
- But there’s a gap between inspiration and governance. While the book shows what values she held and how she tried to live them in office, it offers less on how to resolve certain trade-offs, how to deal with critics, how to measure when empathy isn’t enough, or how to scale best practice in difficult structural systems.
- The book is strongest as a personal narrative. If you approach it expecting deep policy analysis or detailed political strategy, you’ll likely be somewhat disappointed. But if what you want is insight into a modern leader’s moral framework, the psychological pressures of office, and what it looks like to try to lead differently, then it does well.
- One risk is that the portrayal of “kindness” and “compassion” becomes stylised or simplified: i.e. the virtues get highlighted, but the harder messiness of politics—where seemingly kind actions can have unintended consequences—is less fully explored.
