Madeleine Albright served in Bill Clinton’s administration as UN Ambassador and Secretary of State – the first female ever in that role. Since Clinton was especially active in international diplomacy, she held a front-row seat and observed many international characters and diplomatic ventures. Further, her career broke the glass ceiling for women in government, and she did it while being a doting mother, grandmother, and even a divorcee. Finally, along with her birth family, she was a Czech refugee after World War II and thus exhibited many noble characteristics of the American Dream of an immigrant’s building a life.
This memoir starts by delving into her family’s background. Her Czech father was a diplomat and an outspoken advocate for democracy in mid-century Europe. That position made his family personae non gratae in a Warsaw Pact country after the rise of communism. He was able to find asylum in America and a teaching position at the University of Denver. Obviously, his daughter Madeleine functioned as one of his premier students, but he also counted Condeleezza Rice, the second female Secretary of State, on his list of one-time students. Madeleine’s affinities for diplomacy and democracy thus grew as parts of a family affair.
Albright’s perspectives on the failed Middle East peace process also receive special attention in this memoir. As in Bill Clinton’s memoirs, she is able to capture unique scenes and personalities that drove negotiations oh-so-close to success. She also details why it failed in her view and what future rounds need to change. She is finally able to foresee early steps accounting for the process’s ultimate, unfortunate collapse. Along with other attendees at Camp David, her account deserves a prominent place in the historical record.
It’s hard to criticize someone’s unique account of historical matters. Obviously, some will disagree with her political perspective as a Democrat. And just as obviously, future historians will debate the strengths and weaknesses of her approach and decisions. In fact, she herself does that to her own record in the conclusion and epilogue! Her tale is well-constructed and elegantly articulated. She is relatively fair even to those she disagreed with and does not comport herself as vindictive. I was a teenager consumed with school activities when she was in the cabinet, so I enjoyed getting to know the history of the 1990s at a deeper level than I grasped then. This book also taught me deeper roots of some current geopolitical problems. For both of those benefits, I am grateful to have read this book.
Madam Secretary: A Memoir
By Madeleine Albright
Narrated by Madeleine Albright
Copyright (c) 2013
HarperAudio
ASIN B00B03B0SC
Length: 24:23
Genre: Memoir, Government
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