Madam Secretary

by Madeleine Albright

Overview

“One of the most diverting political bios in recent memory.” — Entertainment Weekly

Revised and updated with a new epilogue, Madam Secretary is the moving and inspiring memoir of one of the most distinguished public figures in American history, seven-time New York Times bestselling author and former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright

A national bestseller on its first publication in 2003, Madam Secretary is the riveting personal story of former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright. For eight years, during Bill Clinton’s two presidential terms, Albright was an active participant in some of the most dramatic events of our time—from the pursuit of peace in the Middle East to NATO’s humanitarian intervention in Kosovo. In this thoughtful memoir, one of the most admired women in American history shares her remarkable story, including thoughts on her upbringing in Czechoslovakia and her role as a wife and mother, and provides an insider’s view on global affairs during this period of extraordinary turbulence.

Madam Secretary offers an inimitable blend of Albright’s warm humor, personal recollection, and riveting insight on events that shaped our nation and our world.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780062265463
Publisher:	HarperCollins
Publication date:	01/22/2013
Edition description:	Reprint
Pages:	592
Sales rank:	267,632
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 8.90(h) x 1.30(d)

About the Author

Madeleine Albright served as America’s sixty-fourth secretary of state from 1997 to 2001. Her distinguished career also included positions at the White House, on Capitol Hill, and as U.S. ambassador to the United Nations. She was a resident of Washington D.C., and Virginia.

Table of Contents

Preface ix

Part 1 From Madlenka to Madeleine Albright

1 Heroes and Villains 3

2 Becoming an American 18

3 Best of All Possible Worlds 31

4 Family Values 48

5 Mrs. Albright Goes to Washington 63

6 From Pole to Pole 77

7 'Til Death Do Us Part 94

8 The Velvet Revolution 109

Part 2 Fourteen Suits and a Skirt

9 A Sign Saying Simply "United States" 127

10 New World (Dis)Order 141

11 Frequent Flyer 162

12 Horror in the Balkans 178

13 The Strength of My Own Voice 195

Part 3 Madam Secretary

14 "I Want You to Be My Secretary of State" 217

15 Names on the Synagogue Wall 257

16 Building a Europe Whole and Free 252

17 Migraine Hussein 274

18 Welcome to the Middle East 290

19 "Palestinians and Israelis Coming Together" 308

20 Dueling with Dictators 521

21 As the World Turns 341

Part 4 Waging War, Pursuing Peace

22 A Special Kind of Evil 363

23 "Milosevic Is the Problem" 381

24 Kosovo: Diplomacy and the Threat of Force 396

25 The Alliance Prevails 411

26 Freedom and Order in the Global Era 432

27 Inside the Hermit Kingdom 458

28 The Fruitless Quest 476

29 Had We But World Enough, and Time 501

Epilogue 515

Selected Chronology 522

Official International Travel, 1993-2001 530

Acknowledgments 535

Gratitude 539

Index 545

Editorial Reviews

One of the most diverting political bios in recent memory.” — Entertainment Weekly

“Her portraits of foreign leaders are lively and evocative. . . . The result is a book that creates a sense of policy made by real people.” — The New Yorker

“Madeleine Albright has written a different kind of memoir. . . . It’s Albright unplugged.” — USA Today

“Albright is frank, assertive. . . . straight-shooting.” — The New York Times

“The fascinating story of a remarkable person who has served her country well.” — The Dallas Morning News

From the Publisher

One of the most diverting political bios in recent memory.

Entertainment Weekly

Albright is frank, assertive. . . . straight-shooting.

The New York Times

The fascinating story of a remarkable person who has served her country well.

The Dallas Morning News

Her portraits of foreign leaders are lively and evocative. . . . The result is a book that creates a sense of policy made by real people.

The New Yorker

Madeleine Albright has written a different kind of memoir. . . . It’s Albright unplugged.

USA Today

Her portraits of foreign leaders are lively and evocative. . . . The result is a book that creates a sense of policy made by real people.

The New Yorker

Madeleine Albright has written a different kind of memoir. . . . It’s Albright unplugged.

USA Today

Albright is frank, assertive. . . . straight-shooting.

The New York Times

Madeleine Albright, who rose from comparative obscurity as a daughter of Czech Jewish émigrés to become the first female secretary of state and thereby the highest-ranking woman in the history of the U.S. government, has given us the memoirist's equivalent of a tease. She lets readers see something of the private and rather endearing woman behind the public façade and discreetly lets slip a few facts about her personal and emotional life, but Madame Secretary is a controlled performance, not a confessional. — The Washington Post

Walter Russell Mead

As one might expect from someone with Albright's resume, the former Secretary of State speaks clearly, makes her points succinctly and doesn't stray into speculation, fancy or whimsy. She begins with her childhood in an intellectual Czechoslovakian family and moves fairly quickly through her education, courtship, marriage and motherhood before arriving at what can be considered the guts of the story-her impressive period of service as U.S. ambassador to the United Nations and, eventually, as Secretary of State. Her no-nonsense tone is a perfect match for the material, her voice at once serious and warmly maternal. There are a few times when emotion seeps into her voice: when discussing her heated run-ins with Colin Powell or when relating details of the Kenyan embassy bombings and mass graves in Bosnia. An early passage in which she tells of the poor health of her twin babies and how she didn't want to name them until she knew they would survive is particularly moving. Such moments are necessarily rare in a memoir of this nature, but they help paint a well-rounded picture of this remarkable lady. Simultaneous release with the Miramax hardcover (Forecasts, Sept. 15). (Sept.) Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information.

Publishers Weekly

Albright, as Secretary of State the highest-ranking woman in the history of the United States, recounts her life as a refugee fleeing the Nazis and then the Communists; as a new immigrant to the United States at age 11; her marriage into the prominent Guggenheim family and her painful divorce; and the life-altering discovery of her Jewish heritage. She also illuminates her remarkable public persona and her friendships and battles with world leaders such as Vaclav Havel, Vladimir Putin, Slobodan Milosevic, Hillary Clinton, and Kim Jong-il. Albright narrates her book in a strong, clear, and convincing voice. Recommended for public and academic libraries and for patrons with a strong interest in politics and world affairs.-Ilka Gordon, Marcell Community Lib., Cleveland Copyright 2004 Reed Business Information.

Library Journal

The United States’ first female secretary of state, Madeleine Albright, tells her fascinating life story--focusing on both her public and private lives. Students of foreign policy will learn much, particularly from Albright’s descriptions of diplomacy in the Middle East and other hot spots. Albright is also candid in her discussions about the various personalities that defined the Clinton administration, and she covers every topic in painstaking detail. This memoir is extremely long, and the choice of Albright as reader makes it seem even longer. Her raspy, almost grating, voice is difficult to listen to for long periods. While memoirs often benefit from the author’s own telling, this one is an exception. D.J.S. 2004 Audie Award Finalist © AudioFile 2004, Portland, Maine

APR/MAY 04 - AudioFile