This was a very interesting book. I have read numerous histories dealing with the lead up to the second world war. I read most of those histories some time ago. I enjoyed the insights of Madeleine Albright in her analysis of this period of history. I liked that she "what iffed" on some of the history. I liked her presentation of the history of the Czech nation. It is a complex history and I thought her presentation very clear in dealing with a difficult topic. Her analysis of the politics after the war was also very enlightening. I never really had any understanding of the dynamics of how the country became so aligned with the Soviet Union. The story of how the major powers really sold out the country at Munich and its later ramifications needed to be told.

I had been a fan of Albright during her tenure as Secretary of State, I found her personal story of her family's background very interesting. It seems that diplomacy is in her DNA. I had often wondered how a person who emigrates from overseas becomes a US Secretary of State.