Political and Diplomatic Odyssey: Madam Secretary : A Memoir

A woman, a not pretty woman, a divorced woman, a woman having grandchildren, and a woman whose birth place is Czech had power second to the President of the United States. As a Secretary of State, she said herself may be not smart but work very hard. I think she is too humble. In the bloody power struggle of Capitol Hill, it takes more than hard word. It takes wisdom.

However, no matter how wise she is, it does not equal she leaves no controversy during her service of Secretary of State. This memoir could be viewed as her self-defense. I think the bi-standard policy toward Kosovo and Chechen is the most serious stigma of her work. The United States desperately fired missiles to Serbian in the name of stopping genocide to Albanian. However, it is also the United States that remained silent while the Russian tanks drove over the bodies of the Chechen people. In the memoir, Albright does not provide a clear explanation about it. It reveals that interest, not human right, is everything in the diplomacy of the United States.

The life journey of Madeleine Albright is an odyssey. From the memoir, we can learn not only about the way of diplomacy work, or what the Secretary of State does but also the history since World War Two, especially the European history and Cold War in "American version". She is a good storyteller, and you won't be bored.

Author: Madeleine Albright
Publisher: Miramax Books
Publish Date: September 16, 2003
ISBN: 0786868430