“Ten years ago, I praised Riva Levinson’s Choosing the Hero for showing what happens when Washington policy is bipartisan and paired with an inspiring leader. In Misadventures on K Street, she takes us back to where that journey began for her. It is a compelling read and an invaluable look at the raw mechanics of political power in D.C. during the late Cold War era, told with the rare candor and integrity that have defined her career.”
— Chris Coons, U.S. Senator
“I have watched Riva Levinson in action for nearly two decades—at the State Department, the United Nations, and in the heart of a rebuilding Liberia. She is a rare breed in Washington: a strategist with a soul. While many talk about ‘impact,’ Riva has lived it, standing as a fierce and constant advocate for a continent she clearly loves. Misadventures on K Street is a raw, deeply personal account of a woman who refused to stay on the sidelines. It is a story of grit, the complexity of power, and a life spent proving that loyalty is the most powerful currency in diplomacy.”
— Linda Thomas-Greenfield, Former U.S. Ambassador
“Misadventures on K Street is a vivid and engaging account of the strange intersection of Washington lobbying, Cold War geopolitics, and the outsized personalities who shaped both. Riva Levinson pulls back the curtain on a remarkable period when influence on K Street could reach far beyond Capitol Hill and into some of the most volatile conflicts of the late Cold War. Her story moves seamlessly from the boardrooms and back channels of Washington to the rebel capital of Jamba in southern Angola, offering readers an insider’s look at a world few Americans have ever seen. Having lived in Namibia in 1989–90 and even visiting Jamba myself during that period, I was struck by how vividly Levinson captures the atmosphere and stakes of that moment in history. What makes this book especially compelling is the author’s candor about the moral ambiguities, ambitions, and personalities that defined the era. The result is an illuminating and often surprising memoir about power, influence, and the messy realities of politics behind the scenes.”
— Jeff Flake, Former U.S. Senator and U.S. Ambassador to Turkey
“Years ago, Riva Levinson told me that when she would one day tell her own inside story of Black, Manafort, Stone & Kelly, the most infamous lobbying firm of the 1980s. That day finally arrived – and it was worth the wait. In Misadventures on K Street, Levinson does for the dark art of lobbying what I sought to do for the Wolves of K Street – expose the high-stakes machinery of power with unflinching detail. It is a rare, visceral look at the impact of political consultancy in the world’s most dangerous hot spots. History is the judge, but Riva is the ultimate witness.”
— Brody Mullins, Pulitzer Prize-winning investigative reporter and author of THE WOLVES OF K STREET
“Riva Levinson has lived one of the most extraordinary careers in modern Washington. Misadventures on K Street is a uniquely thrilling, cinematic journey that follows a woman daring enough to navigate the high-testosterone world of the 1980s. From smoky rooms she was never meant to enter to active war zones and explosive meetings with a ‘rogue’s gallery’ of clients, Riva’s story is as intellectually provocative as it is pulse-pounding. A crazier-than-fiction account of power, risk, and the woman who survived it all.”
— Blye Faust, Academy Award and Emmy Award-winning Producer of SPOTLIGHT
“As television producers, we were first drawn to Riva Levinson’s unique lens on the genesis of modern politics. But we soon realized her story is something even more compelling: a brilliant coming-of-age tale rooted in the paradox of innocence and ambition. With the grit of The Wolf of Wall Street and the heart of Working Girl transposed to the cutthroat world of K Street, Riva’s evolution from cocktail waitress to Washington power player is an essential, heart-pounding story that deserves to be told.”
— Karyn Usher & Lisa Zwerling Executive Producers and Showrunners, Carpool Entertainment.Creators of PRISON BREAK and THE NEPEAN
“I was pleased to provide the Foreword to Riva’s first book, Choosing the Hero, which chronicled my journey to become president of Liberia and the first woman democratically elected to lead an African nation, as well as Riva’s tireless support for me over the decades. I said then, and I repeat now: there are few people in this world who surprise me, and Riva is one of them. Her brave account of her foundational work in the ‘theater of operations’ during the Reagan Doctrine reminds us of that America’s greatest export has always been its democratic ideals.”
— Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, Former President of the Republic of Liberia; Nobel Peace Prize Laureate
“Riva and I shared a decade of professional partnership that defined our lives; it continues to shape the world we are living in. I always admired her spunk and courage on the frontlines of conflict, but all that pales compared to the bravery of her words in her forthcoming book. She could have sailed off into the sunset of retirement, but that wouldn’t be Riva. I am pleased to have shared my archives with her, and a friendship of 40 years.”
— Peter G. Kelly, Former Partner, Black, Manafort, Stone & Kelly, Former Finance Chair, Democratic National Committee
“Riva was part of our historic struggle against the Soviet Union and communism during the Reagan Doctrine era. After the 1992 elections collapsed and the world turned away from UNITA, she did not. She advocated for my release from a military hospital, an act that helped save my life. In 1996, she returned to Angola to prevent a return to war. We share both a history and a vision for the future of my country. Her recollections of our struggle, and those of my colleagues, are remarkable. Her work represents a crucial missing link in the history of Angola, as well as in the history of the United States.”
— Abel Epalanga Chivukuvuku, President of PRA-JÁ Servir Angola.
“K. Riva Levinson doesn’t just write history—she lived it, shaped it, and survived it. I’ve known Riva for over forty years, and her courage, integrity, and sheer force of will have never ceased to amaze me. Misadventures on K Street is the book Washington never wanted written: raw, unflinching, and essential. Riva was in the room when it mattered most, and now, finally, she’s telling the truth about what happened there. This is not gossip. This is a reckoning.”
— Pete Henderson, Former Stringer for the BBC and NBC News, former CEO of Newsforce, Entrepreneur, and Humanitarian
“Riva Levinson is the real deal. I’ve seen her in action, showing how to get things done in Washington, DC. I always knew she had learned from the best; after reading Misadventures on K Street, we now know she’s also learned from the worst. I built a Riva-like lobbyist character into my Ryker Thriller series, but my fictionalization of her work doesn’t come close to the world she reveals in her book. Netflix, here she comes!”
— Todd Moss, Former Deputy Assistant Secretary of State and author of The Golden Hour and the Ryker Thriller series
“Riva Levinson has a natural instinct for documenting and reflecting on the moments that shape history. In Misadventures on K Street, she draws readers into the personalities and pressures behind modern political influence, offering a vivid and unflinching account of what it means to witness, reckon with, and tell the stories that are difficult to confront, and demand real courage to tell.”
— Riain Ross-Hager, Former Ellen Johnson Sirleaf Project Archivist, Harvard Library
“As in her riveting first memoir, Choosing the Hero, Riva’s emotional truth fills every page of Misadventures on K Street. She once again inspires readers—particularly women—to trust their intuition, cultivate their potential, and never compromise their integrity. As a friend of forty years and BCIU president for thirty, I have watched Riva embody Emerson’s ideal of self-reliance: ‘Insist on yourself; never imitate.’ With determination and courage, she refuses to succumb to the hubris that defines so many of the difficult personalities she has navigated in this important book.”
— Peter Tichansky, President, Business Council for International Understanding (BCIU)
