Madeleine Albright: A Twentieth-Century Odyssey

by Michael Dobbs

Since becoming secretary of state in 1997, Madeleine Albright has emerged as one of the most forceful voices in the Clinton administration and the chief architect of American foreign policy in the Balkans. As Michael Dobbs makes clear in this timely and important book, it's impossible to understand Albright without an appreciation of the tumultuous events that have shaped her life, and he traces Albright's progress from a European ghetto to the corridors of power in Washington. As the twentieth century comes to a close, the life of this remarkable woman provides much insight into past events and is an inspirational testimony to how willpower and persistence can triumph over every adversity.

Genres: Biography, Politics

480 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1999

About the author

To distinguish myself from all the "presidential historians" out there, I have invented a new area of expertise: "presidential crisis historian." How a president confronts the gravest challenges of modern times, and how his decisions affect the rest of us, has been a recurring theme of my seven books.

One Minute to Midnight focused on possibly the gravest crisis ever, in October 1962, when John F. Kennedy stepped back from the nuclear brink at the last possible moment. The Unwanted looked at Franklin Roosevelt's handling of the Jewish refugee crisis that preceded the Holocaust. Six Months in 1945 examined how FDR and Truman negotiated the perilous transition from World War to Cold War. My latest book, King Richard: An American Tragedy, relates the Shakespearean tale of the self-made man who scrambled his way to the top only to see his dreams turn to nightmares because of tragic character flaws.

Before becoming an author, I was a journalist and foreign correspondent. After a stint in Rome as a correspondent for Reuters, and a tour of Africa, I lived in Yugoslavia during the twilight years of Marshal Tito. I moved to Poland for The Washington Post just in time to witness the extraordinary spectacle of workers rebelling against the "workers' state." I was the first western reporter to visit the Lenin shipyard in Gdansk in August 1980. As The Post's bureau chief in Moscow, I was standing in front of Boris Yeltsin in August 1991 when he climbed on a tank to face down Communist hardliners. In between these two events, I covered the imposition of martial law in Poland, the Chernobyl nuclear catastrophe, Gorbachev-Reagan summits, the Tiananmen uprising in China, and the 1989 revolution in Romania.

In addition to my work as a journalist and a historian, I have taught courses at the universities of Princeton, Michigan, and Georgetown, as well as American University. I also spent seven years at the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum where I organized conferences on the genocides in Rwanda and Bosnia, and researched and wrote The Unwanted. King Richard is my seventh book.

Reviews

[GEA · Rating 5 out of 5]

I picked up this book at Half Price Books in Dallas and read it over a month to its completion. It is lengthy with much of the book centered on Mrs. Albright's life beginning at the outset of WWII and closes as she is Secretary of State for the US. She was the first woman hold this position.

As the book begins, Mr. Dobbs takes us through the family life of Madeline from when they had to leave Czechoslovakia as Hitler began his "Final Solution" to eradicate Germany and his new utopia of all Jews. Being a Jew led them on a journey which would end up in the US after many a circuitous route from Czechoslovakia to England and then to the US with other stops along the way. Madeline's father was a patriot but he was also a protector of his family and so he moved often. Finally, he moved away from Judaism to protect his family. Madeline seemed to have forgotten much of this in her later years and was disturbed to find out she was Jewish when presented with the evidence.

Her family left all to become Americans and they succeeded, but their Jewish origins were left behind and they became Catholics. She later became an Episcopalian after her marriage to the wealthy Mr. Albright. Out of the marriage came a set of twins and later another daughter with a miscarriage in between. She became involved in politics and worked for Sen. Muskie and later Sen. Dukakis thus paving the way for her to glean wisdom regarding the American political system.

What was interesting was to read of how industrious Madeline was and how loyal she was to person over her. Unfortunately after 23 yrs of marriage, her husband left her to raise the girls and also with a hefty bank account and a farm.

Her role in the Clinton Administration was an up and down life but she persevered through it all. Her girls were gifted with intelligence, marriages and employment with honors.

We, as Americans have her as a model for all women today who seek to work in the political system.

[Deanna · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very detailed.

[Mary · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book at a couple of levels. It's the story of an important woman who lived through tumultuous times historically and personally and worked at very high levels of government. It is also the story of writing biography. How do you get the information? How do you know what is true?

[Betty Bell · Rating 3 out of 5]

I don't read many biographies but this was very interesting. Maybe a bit biased but good.