Madam Secretary
Ratings1
Average rating4
15
Ratings1
Average rating4
"A national bestseller on its original publication in 2003, Madam Secretary is a riveting account of the life of America's first woman Secretary of State, Madeleine Albright. For eight years, during Bill Clinton's two presidential terms, Albright was a high-level participant in some of the most dramatic events of our time--from the pursuit of peace in the Middle East to NATO's intervention in the Balkans to America's troubled relations with Iran and Iraq. In this thoughtful memoir, one of the most admired women in U.S. history reflects on her remarkable personal story, including her upbringing in war-torn Europe and the balancing of career and family responsibilities, and on America's leading role in a changing world. With a new epilogue by the author, Madam Secretary offers an inimitable blend of Albright's warm humor, probing insights, and distinctive ideas."
Reviews with the most likes.
This was a fascinating look at a very interesting, empowered and powerful woman, and I enjoyed it a lot! It included some of the political cartoons that ran during Albright's tenure as Secretary of State, and that was really fun; also included several sections of photographs.
I was a kid in the '90s, so a lot of the names of world leaders and cultural moments that were talked about in this book in-depth were things that I remember being in the fringes of my middle-school brainspace - stuff that was on the news or that my parents talked about - but that I was too young to have broader context for, at the time. I'm glad I got to revisit this time and look at it again from a leadership perspective.
And damn I learned a lot about the U.S. government. I had no idea we were this involved when it comes to brokering peace between other countries, though I know that if other parts of the world are having problems, it also affects us... but I had never seen it like this. (Matt said this morning, “the U.S. is involved in everything, for better or worse, but you also don't always know if it's going to be better or worse until it's over.” Truth.) And truthfully, I didn't even really know what the Secretary of State's job was before I read this, and I don't even remember why I added it to my TBR a few years ago. But I'm glad I did. (Edit: Oh. Right. ... It was November 2016.)
It did get a little bogged down in describing negotiations in some of the later chapters, and it took me a while to get through it, but it was all good, and Albright writes clearly and effectively.
