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85th out of 875 books
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1,240 voters
Madam Secretary: A Memoir
In this outspoken and much-praised memoir, the highest-ranking woman in American history shares her remarkable story and provides an insider's view of world affairs during a period of unprecedented turbulence. A national bestseller on its first publication in 2003, Madam Secretary combines warm humor with profound insights and personal testament with fascinating additions...more
Paperback, 736 pages
Published
April 6th 2005
by Miramax Books
(first published September 16th 2003)
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I enjoyed Albright's autobiography, "Prague Winter," so much, I decided to read this earlier biography which focuses almost entirely on her years as Ambassador to the UN and then Secretary of State under President Bill Clinton. The book spends a few short chapters on her life before she assumed these two positions - fleeing Czechoslovakia for England with her parents just ahead of the Nazis in 1937, returning to Czechoslovakia after the war only to flee from the Russians to the US with her famil...more
Jan 26, 2008
Tom
rated it
3 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
political science dorks
She's a bright woman, but a little single-minded in her relentless support of american style democracy as a one-size-fits-all solution. While conspicuously self deprecating at times, her pride overwhelms any and all second guessing. She was right, everybody else was wrong.
The North Korea chapter was a treat. The Israel-Palestine negotiations section maddening.
The North Korea chapter was a treat. The Israel-Palestine negotiations section maddening.
Jul 01, 2011
Brian
rated it
5 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
biography,
non-fiction
This was a very interesting autobiography of the first woman Secretary of State. Madeleine Albright was born in Czechoslovakia. During World War II her family fled to London. Then when communism took over their country, her family came to the United States. It really shouldn't have been a surprise that Albright got involved with foreign policy since her father was an ambassador before the war.
Albright did a lot as Secretary of State. She had to deal with Israel and the PLO, North Korea, Saddam H...more
Albright did a lot as Secretary of State. She had to deal with Israel and the PLO, North Korea, Saddam H...more
Madeleine Albright is a helluva woman. She has such an inherent sense of groundedness. It helps, too, that she is smarter than almost everyone else. In this memoir, Albreight manages to capture her voice and transmit her warmth, humor and sense of political fairness. She admits when she resorts to dirty tricks! This is a fascinating read just to learn about her life--an extraordinary journey in itself, but taken within the historical context of her ascension into politics, it is compelling. She...more
Chris Gailey suggested this book and I was hesitant to get it because Allbright is so entrenched in Clinton doggerel, but i ran across it for $5 at a Crown Book Store, and was pleasantly surprised. I found it to be the page turner chris told me it would be.
I think Albright is self-serving at times, but I also think she is very bright; I am amazed at her preparation for the job of Secretary of State, including the languages she speaks. i appreciate her courage in forging ahead in her position; he...more
I think Albright is self-serving at times, but I also think she is very bright; I am amazed at her preparation for the job of Secretary of State, including the languages she speaks. i appreciate her courage in forging ahead in her position; he...more
though there's some nice behind the scenes history, and she's a formidable character...i'm not sure that i'm going to ever finish this book. life's too short. this book is too long.
Read this one awhile ago and also listened to on audio-book (which she herself reads). Her life story occupies the first half - which is utterly fascinating and inspiring. The second half is more focused on her diplomatic endeavors - also very interesting - but I recall it seemed written in a different tone than the first half. This seemed incongruous because she clearly did not have "two personalities" -- one personally, and one professionally. This is a central reason for her success. Truly a...more
Brilliant insight into the life and work of United States' first female Secretary of State.
Picked this book up only because it will be discussed at a book group. The length of 500 pages was daunting. Find it interesting that there are four other books titled Madame Secretary. Well written with a very down-to-earth account of her life and her interaction with world leaders during her four-year term of office. The energy that enabled her to complete a PhD at Columbia University while fulfilling the role of wife and mother of three was inspiring. The fact that it took her thirteen years...more
I LOVED this book! Perhaps, I'm a little biased because I love Madeleine Albright and more than lean left politically, but this book is really well written.
Obviously, this book is rather dense. She covers not only her story, but more than half a century of global history as well. Obviously, it's a lot to follow, but Madeleine Albright presents this history through her own personal experiences with anecdotes and a very direct style of writing. It's a surprisingly easy read given the tough subjec...more
Obviously, this book is rather dense. She covers not only her story, but more than half a century of global history as well. Obviously, it's a lot to follow, but Madeleine Albright presents this history through her own personal experiences with anecdotes and a very direct style of writing. It's a surprisingly easy read given the tough subjec...more
I really liked this bio, it was honest and didn't shy away from talking about some personally painful or disappointing moments. I honestly think this should be required reading for high school history classes, I really gained a better understanding of the Middle East, Africa, Eastern Europe and Asia, as well as the history of my own country. Having only been 10-18 while President Clinton was in office I did not really appreciate what a sought after world leader he was - and to think he also bala...more
I finished it! This is an interesting book, worth reading, but can definitely be a slog at times. I really liked her comments in the epilogue. On meeting many people and traveling while talking about her book, she says,
"...it has redoubled my sense that whole groups of people--domestically and internationally--have stopped communicating with each other.
"Ironically, the information revolution has not helped. We have much more access to information, but we also have much more choice about what i...more
A highly interesting and candid memoir from a woman who made her way from the destruction of post-Second World War Europe to one of the highest governmental positions in the United States. Albright recounts her achievements and involvements in an engaging, forceful, and funny manner; while I don't agree with all her political stances or methods (she's perhaps a little one-size-fits-all in her advocacy of American-style democracy throughout the globe), I love that what she wants to be remembered...more
Aug 09, 2011
Jilali Mahyawi
added it
Even though we are far away on the subject literary required, but we are seeing Hadta Akadmita a certificate of gratitude to Our Lady of the former minister, which Azkouglha visits to Arab countries and was the most important in those Zayarah the Palestinian issue and some of the Arab in the form of Ms. former Minister Safat Classic political, we can say that she tried to give balance and solutions
__________ Aorberaat our estimates of the lady and sincere greetings and Ahtramatna
__________ Aorberaat our estimates of the lady and sincere greetings and Ahtramatna
I am always sad when I get to the end of good books, and I felt a huge feeling of sadness when I reached the last page of Madeleine Albright's memoir. In the course of a few hundred pages, I had gotten to the point where I felt of "Maddy" as a friend. Not only does she provide excellent insight into foreign policy and the state of the world during her time in office, her personal story of becoming an American citizen, building a life with a husband and children that then ended in divorce, and pi...more
very good - very readable. interesting and informative. I think I would really like Ms. Albright. Especially interesting if you were around during the Clinton years, but I think anyone might find it interesting. So may things I didn't know. There are a lot of diplomatic stories, that really make some of the historical events - that we as the public - only heard small portions of, ...wow.
Interested in American (recent) history, and that of some of the other countries on the planet, you might wan...more
Interested in American (recent) history, and that of some of the other countries on the planet, you might wan...more
I enjoyed the first part of this book but bogged down into the second half. Her writing changes between the two parts of the book. In the first half, she is engaged in telling a remarkable story of her childhood and how she fought her way for respect as an adult. The second half, while interesting, becomes very detailed and loses its way as she discusses her time as Secretary of State. I find Madeleine Albright a fascinating person and encourage everyone to try this book.
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Overall I thought it was a great. The first half of the book or so chronicles Madeleine Albright's life before working in government. This was my favorite aspect of the book. I love learning people's stories. It also inspired me to be more assertive, particularly at work.
The second half focused on events and policies during her tenure as UN ambassador and Secretary of State. It was interesting to learn about many events that I was aware of, but didn't really know what they were about given that...more
The second half focused on events and policies during her tenure as UN ambassador and Secretary of State. It was interesting to learn about many events that I was aware of, but didn't really know what they were about given that...more
This is a great memoir by an even greater woman. This is an extremely long book so be prepared, but it is worth it as long as you can make it to the end. I did get bored from time to time (mainly due to the length of the monograph) but I learned so much about who Madeleine Albright was and what it meant to be "madam secretary". If you want to learn more about her, I definitely recommend this. Just be prepared for it to take awhile.
Funnier than I expected and very personal in the first part when she talks about growing up until the time of her divorce.
However, this is ultimately a book I never finished for the simple reason that it is such a thick book I couldn't carry it around with me. So I could only read it when I sat down in my room to read. I found it interesting, I enjoyed it, but more manageable paperbacks seemed to take over. Now that I have a kindle things could be different, but I bought this book when it first...more
However, this is ultimately a book I never finished for the simple reason that it is such a thick book I couldn't carry it around with me. So I could only read it when I sat down in my room to read. I found it interesting, I enjoyed it, but more manageable paperbacks seemed to take over. Now that I have a kindle things could be different, but I bought this book when it first...more
Madeleine Albright jumped to the top of my Most Admired Women list after I got into this fascinating story of her personal and political lives. She is brilliant, industrious and resilient- and weathered passages that would have brought many people down for good. She is a huge contributor to international diplomacy and a worthy feminine model, and this volume does a good job of describing why.
This was really two books, one before Madeleine Albright became Secretary of State, the other starts once she takes on that role. I liked both.
I found the first (the personal history part) quite readable and entertaining. But the second part (also easy to read) was a real "wow" for me. I am not a political junkie by any means, and I have some gaps in details of world history. The way this book was written included just enough description of the history of the areas of conflict, and the interact...more
I found the first (the personal history part) quite readable and entertaining. But the second part (also easy to read) was a real "wow" for me. I am not a political junkie by any means, and I have some gaps in details of world history. The way this book was written included just enough description of the history of the areas of conflict, and the interact...more
I read this book two years ago and I still can't stop talking about it. Madeleine Albright's writing style is deeply personal and conversational. Her life before she was Secretary of State was very interesting. Reading about her excitement for her job as America's top diplomat is inspiring and her stories from this time are fascinating - especially about North Korea.
Interesting, but could have used a little more meat on the bone. Her writing is "reserved" at best. I found the first chapters relating her personal and familial autobiography to be the most compelling, and of course, the moments when she drops a juicy tidbit or two about Kim Jong-Il or Yasser Arafat. It kind of makes me despair and see too clearly the pointlessness of foreign diplomacy. And my heart is as blue and bleeding as they come.
I read this memoir while also reading Bill Clinton's. Should you ever find yourself torn between the two, go for this one. Albright is insightful, a shrewd judge of character, self-deprecating, funny, and brings you into her thought processes throughout her public career, lending an entirely new dimension to one's understanding of US foreign policy in the 90s. She writes about the advice she received once from Gabriel Garcia-Marquez: "When you write your memoirs, do not be angry." Albright, unli...more
Oct 18, 2011
Vera
is currently reading it
This is the second time i'm reading this book, is a book full of emotions, i have cry and i have laugh, is a book in simple language who can understand every human, is very difficult to find people like Madeline in this days.....every nation will be proud to have a personality like Madeline....
Really enjoyed this book. Madeleine Albright's story was inspiring as a chronicle of what one person can do in her life, and also as a fascinating reminder to be more aware of foreign policy.
Also, if you've read the book, don't doubt the surreal event at the bottom of page 293. I was there!
Also, if you've read the book, don't doubt the surreal event at the bottom of page 293. I was there!
It took a while but I finally finished all 650+ pages.
Madeleine Albright is and admirable person with a very interesting personal and professional story to tell. Clearly written from her own perspective and focusing on her personal role, we get a rare insight into the daily interpersonal contacts that make up "diplomacy" and can play a major role in steering the country's policies, actions and history. What looks like a machine from the outside is just individual people dealing with each other o...more
Madeleine Albright is and admirable person with a very interesting personal and professional story to tell. Clearly written from her own perspective and focusing on her personal role, we get a rare insight into the daily interpersonal contacts that make up "diplomacy" and can play a major role in steering the country's policies, actions and history. What looks like a machine from the outside is just individual people dealing with each other o...more
This is an amazing autobiograpy, even though it is 720 pages long, it is a real page turner! She made the book much more personal with her family stories. I felt that she was talking to me instead of just relating a series of events in her life. I highly reccomend this book.
Dec 07, 2008
Chris
rated it
4 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
History buffs
Recommended to Chris by:
Discovery Channel - HR
I know... I can't believe this is on my list of "read books" either... long story.
Book was really good though, never even knew what Madeleine Albright's significance was. Very interesting lady... went through alot to make it where she is today.
Book was really good though, never even knew what Madeleine Albright's significance was. Very interesting lady... went through alot to make it where she is today.
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Madeleine Korbel Albright (born Marie Jana Korbelová) was the first woman to become United States Secretary of State. She was nominated by President Bill Clinton on December 5, 1996 and was unanimously confirmed by the United States Senate 99-0. She was sworn in on January 23, 1997.
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“I was taught to strive not because there were any guarantees of success but because the act of striving is in itself the only way to keep faith with life.”
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