Rating: 
Summary: More Revisionist History from Clinton Admin. Left Overs
Review: This book is more revisionist history from a woman who danced with dictators, appeased war criminals and spoke angrily and bitterly (in French, no doubt) about the United States and its president while on foreign soil. Unfortunately, her best conspiracy theory isn't included herein--that is, her theory that Bush has Osama and is waiting to reveal him at a politically opportune time. Sorry Madeline, you had your chance and you appeased the terrorists. It's time to retire to academia or the speaker circuit espousing your failed policies. This book is a great head start.Isn't it wonderful, how this country afforded her so much as a former Czech refugee? Isn't it terrible how she ends up "biting the hand that fed her" for so many years? Madeline Albright was a miserable failure as secretary of state and is an embarassment to this country. Save your money unless of course you enjoy reading well-written revisionist fiction. Pure spin.
Rating:
Summary: What a joke of a Secretary of State
Review: How DELIRIOUS I am that the whole Clinton gang are gone! What fools and what short-sighted people we had to endure for 8 LONG years! Every thing President Bush has had to deal with since taking office is a direct result of what Clinton DID and DIDN'T DO to be responsible. And to have to listen to Ms. Albright make excuses and twist history is almost more than I can bear!
Rating: 
Summary: No Boring Parts
Review: This is an unusual political memoir. There are few long explanations of diplomatic and bureaucratic ins and outs. Albright focuses mainly on personalities, her family life, behind-the-scenes stories, and the Big Picture. In other words, she condenses all the parts I would have skipped anyway. Albright's enthusiasm is evident throughout. She doesn't downplay her excitement at being appointed Ambassador to the U.N. and Secretary of State. She obviously wishes she still were Madam Secretary. She shows us a different side of world leaders. Hear Igor Ivanov, Russian foreign minister, singing in a revue; watch Albright cause Colin Powell, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs, to have an apoplectic fit. She talks about juggling day-to-day concerns with conducting world diplomacy (the big hats were for bad hair days). One of the best chapters is about her spur-of-the-moment trip to Poland, just as the Solidarity uprising was about to explode. A fascinating book, a brilliant career, and a remarkable woman.
Rating:
Summary: Fascinating ... highest ranked woman in US history
Review: I love this book. Albright is stunningly candid about many things and people, and tells the story of her Czech youth growing up under Communist oppression, the significant role that her father led in that country that gave her access and insight to the amazing transformation when the Wall fell in Europe - to her ex-husband and his powerful family, their publishing empires and more - to her early campaign history and how she navigated the political channels of Washington through victories and losses, as she became UN ambassador and eventually Secretary of State under Clinton - the manner in which she navigated through all of this - and the incredibly array of people and fascinating anecdotes of her relationships with so many world leaders and very well known people - all as fascinating as any work I've ever read, non-fiction or otherwise. She's a great writer, and a has led a life that you will find remarkable and interesting to read about. Couldn't put it down, great book.
Rating:
Summary: Informative and entertaining memoir
Review: I normally don't read memoirs. Usually they are filled with the minutia of daily life and with lists of names of people, both of which hold little interest for the general reader. But I have always admired Ms. Albright, and after hearing her speak locally, I knew I had to read the book. I was not disappointed. She is able to present aspects of her personal life in such a way to make them relevant to her later professional philosophy and choices. She is very honest and forthright in how she presents both the good and not so good sides of her time in public life. She explains the background of events we all knew about but really didn't know about. Its a book that, for the most part, shows the right way to go about handling foriegn affairs. But besides being informative, she is highly entertaining. She has a wicked sense of humor, and is someone I'd love to sit next to at a dinner party. If you want a very readable book about our most recent past, by one of the most important decision makers of our time, read this.
Rating:
Summary: Disappointing biography
Review: Although I generally like biographies, this was a major disappointment. A sparse 90 pages..read in less than one hour, with even grammatical errors were a major disappoiontment.
Don't bother!
Rating:
Summary: Madame Secretary
Review: I couldn't possibly afford this book when it was first published, yet I sacrificed my needs to buy it as soon as it hit the bookstores. I've had it in my bookshelf since then, and I read just a few pages a day. I wanted it to be a long-lasting book yet I've read it so fast. Madame Secretary, sacrificed a lot of her energy to bring freedom and peace not just in Kosova my country, but wherever she possibly could. Madame Secretary's actions will be appreciated forever because she always worked for what was right and when one works for what's right there's no way things can go wrong even if they may seem so.
Her book is as delightful as her personality.
It is well written,informative and not one page is boring. She starts her book with her family and she talks about her father who was a prominent czechoslovak diplomat - a fighter of freedom who despised the communism. If it wasn't for his hatred towards communists we would never have the pleasure of having Madeleine Albright as a Madame Secretary because she and her family would never be forced to leave their homeland Czechoslovakia.
Madeleine, was only eleven years old when she came to U.S.A. but from the very beginning she was as patriotic as half if not all U.S. immigrants put together. She became a proud American and she worked for a better U.S.A. in any ways she could. She's a great lesson to all immigrants including the future ones, that a country that gives you freedom and treats you equally should be given something back - at least some appreciation. Time is the best friend of truth and while reading this book I discovered that Clinton's administration was heaps better than
Bush's one! It's sad that some people can not understand that just yet especially when it is so obvious. Since the day Bush,
has been appointed a U.S. President things have gone so badly in so many ways, economically, and worst of all, Americans are not as safe in their peacekeeping missions as they were when Clinton
was a president. David Letterman, didn't have that much laughing material with any other president as he has with George W. Bush, and what can one expect from a show-off yet clumsy person like he is. I truly hope general Wesley Clark will be his successor. He brought peace to Kosova without any casualties! As a matter of fact Americans in Kosova are not threatened at all - in contrary they are all revered and greatly appreciated by everyone for bringing peace to their long oppressed country. "What are you saving this superb military for, Colin, if we can't use it?" - Madeleine asked Colin Powell, Bush's state of secretary - who appearantly didn't want the American military to take on that job (Bosnia) - which would save thousands of lives and perhaps lose none of its troops. Anyways, later there was no other choice and U.S. intervened and liberated Bosnia.Now I wonder, how come mr.Colin Powell, did want the American military to take the Iraq's job when he must have known really well how crazed the Iraqis and some of their admirers really are and how organised they should really be so 100% safety to U.S. soldiers was guaranteed to them. I really had great thoughts about Colin Powell, I thought he was a very smart man but learning that he opposed actions towards serbs terror in Bosnia and seeing U.S. soldiers getting killed in daily basis in Iraq, now when he's in power yet doing almost 'nothing' about it - makes me doubt his ability to perform as a secretary of state. I really hope Democrats take over again so they could teach Iraqi's a good lesson without any casualties on our civilised side.
If there only was an Albright in White House now, perhaps our troops in Iraq would have been more safer while the diplomacy would carry on. Madeleine Albright, never let Clinton down just as she promised to him on the day when she was chosen as secretary of state.
She always served the World in the U.S. behalf with the best intentions - and her remarkable personality and her restless work for Free and Peaceful World, will always be remembered with great admiration.
WE LOVE YOU MADAME SECRETARY and We're proud of what you have done for the sake of a more peaceful world. God bless You and U.S.A., the symbol of FREEDOM and HOPES. Highly Recommended.
Rating:
Summary: A Political Resume
Review: I found it funny that this book was referred to as an autobiography in a previous review. I also thought it would be an autobiography when I saw her on TV pushing it. This reads like a political resume for a position in the next democratic cabinet (like vice-president). I would say she is as qualified as, say Dan Quayle, to be VP but unless you are a Democrat you might not finish this book which is a puff piece that reads as if her mother wrote it. I also found sections to be disingenuously vague. I'm glad I picked it up at the library and didn't pay for it.
Rating:
Summary: Madam Secretary: A Lesson In Diplomacy
Review: Defending an out-of-power administration is a full-time occupation for former presidents and cabinet members. Six figure speeches that they give at universities and other institutions are peppered with self-congratulatory praises for their work during their glory years in Washington. There is also no shortage of criticisms within these speeches directed at the current occupants of The White House. Former President Clinton and his underlings have been following that tradition by speechifying for the past two years with tales of investments in education, military, Americorps, a sound economy and record surpluses. It is enough to make listeners who hand onto every word at these speeches pine away for the 1990s. Mr. Clinton's second Secretary of State, Madeleine Albright is no exception. Similar to her former boss, Albright has been on the speech-making circuit as well. She also bolsters her positions in her new memoir from Miramax books titled, "Madam Secretary". The book could not have come at a better time for this media savvy former Clinton employee who has been facing mounting criticism for supposedly being milquetoast on terrorism, border security and foreign policy during her term as Secretary of State. Albright successfully refutes this perceived dovish ness with large chapters outlining an agenda mixed with compassion, engagement and the use of force when necessary.
Rating:
Summary: Lite-Albright
Review: Lite-Albright,
Making things up with Albright.
What a sight,
Making things up with Albright!
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