Rating: 
Summary: Smooth, captivating and thoughtful
Review: A fascinating story of a remarkable person who has served her country well.
Rating:
Summary: from a leisure reader
Review: I wish I hadn't put off reading this book. I never imagined I would enjoy it so much.
I would have never thought a political novel would keep me anxious for every page, but hers did. I enjoyed the mix of serious commentary and humor. Although it seems that she could have written more in some places it does seem candid overall.
Albright's writing style is very comfortable. She sticks to the point and presents her thoughts clearly. I felt as if I was being told stories by my own grandmother. I have a newfound respect for Albright as a role-model for todays young women.
I especially enjoyed her personal accounts of the "non-public" side of several world leaders.
I see some reviewers complain that this book didn't have enough hard hitting politics, but it does say it is a "memoir." I wasn't looking for policy choices or political analysis, I was looking for history from the point of view of one woman on the inside, and I found just that.
Rating: 
Summary: Mixing business and politics.
Review: Powerful and smart, persistent and captivating. All that sounds very convincing. The things that is missing - making money from the conflicts and destruction.
One could not find in this book a single word about making money on the post-war privatization in what used to be Serbia. They targeted 200+ publicly owned production facility but only couple of tanks. Then, Madam Secretary's firm was making sure, that its clients could get those factories for peanuts. Nobody could account for all activities by Albright Group LLC in the world, but its latest role in "helping" Kuwait with Iraqi debt is well covered in the latest edition of "The Nation" magazine
(...)
Someone will call it politics, others will call it business. Billion here, billion there - who cares, US taxpayers will cover all those debts and pay the price for the high ranking war profiteering.
Rating: 
Summary: How did Albright ever become Secretary of State?
Review: I was looking forward to this book as research material for the Clinton era, the Kosovo Campaign in particular. What a mistake. As an example of revisionist self-congradulation, 'Madam' Secretary has produced a well-written biography. But where is the self-criticism one should expect from a Secretary of State? She certainly admits some hard decisions, but no wrong ones (at least, not by her). We see again and again that inter-state (and intra-state) conflict muddies ethics, morals, and national interest. I just don't see how a political autobiography could come away so squeaky clean. Now that I've read the book, I think I can use it to wash the dishes (although it's a little heavier than a bar of soap). Her self-portrayal as a feminine icon flies in the face of global reality and conjures comparisions to Halle Berry's Oscar Speech. There are plenty of hard-working (and really self-sacrificing) women out there in greater positions of relative power: Look towards India, for example. 'Madam' Secretary doesn't cut it on an international scale. Politicians aren't saints. You know it, I know it. Politicians are faced with terrible realities of power, lobbying, and making decisions that always hurt a lot of people. The social reality is that showering doesn't remove the stink. Washing their clothes doesn't clean the stains. Hillary Clinton knows it - at least her bio was interesting. Reading 'Madam' Secretary's is like reading Chicken Soup for the Political Soul. Read someone else for the realism. If you want to sink your teeth into something substantial, go for one of Kissinger's, Clinton's (either one) or Roosevelt's bios (FDR, not Teddy). If you want to sink your teeth into something that's so sweet it'll make them rot, try 'Madam'.
Rating:
Summary: a remarkably frank book
Review: This is a book about a remarkable woman. She is the first woman to become Secretary of State-- an amazing feat in itself, but she arrived here as an immigrant at age 14, learned "American," and figured out our political system sufficiently to be tapped for United Nations Secretary and Secretary of State. It's interesting that her boss, President Clinton, also got elected without great sums of money or influential family behind him.
Madeleine chronicles three important stages in her life: her childhood, her marriage and ending with her tenure as Secretary of State. We are treated to the intimacy of a friendship between M. and Vaclav Havel; how she felt about her husband when she first met him and the devastation wreaked by their divorce; and her encounters with several leaders of the world, most notably: Arafat, King Hussein and Queen Noor, North Korean leader Kim Jong Il and Milosevic.
I enjoyed reading M.'s rejoinders to the leaders of the world when they tried to buffalo her. She patiently waited Milosevic out as he played his terribly cruel game with the Serbian and Bosnian people. Finally he overreached himself and called for national elections. He lost! M., who spoke Serbian, monitored the runoff. Milosevic could not believe the results and refused to give way. The Russians wre unwilling to recognize the results either (Milosevic's brother was ambassador to Russia.) M., who also spoke Russian, was in constant touch with Foreign Minister Ivanov. "You've got to tell Milosevic to give up," she told him. "Your own credibility with the Serbs depends on it."
I found myself cheering at the attainments of this wonderful woman. This is an important book and key to anyone's understanding of our political system and how diplomacy works--or doesn't work.
Rating: 
Summary: Enjoyable and informative, but...?
Review: Albright's view from the seventh floor and from around the world offers a variety of important perspectives on making foreign policy.
There are two underlying currents here. The first is that the book is very much a first-person account of foreign policy, rather than an exposition of foreign policy theories, themes, frameworks, etc. The second reflects the author's perspective and the time frame examined (the Clinton administration, both terms): American idealism and global progress are real and integrated.
Several chapters deal with concerns in Europe, especially the Balkans, and the Middle East. Perhaps most notable in its absence is insight on Russia or democratization in Central and Eastern Europe. For the former, a reader might be best directed to Strobe Talbott, The Russia Hand.
Chapters blend descriptions of policy challenges with personal anecdotes. All students, particularly those in or headed to Washington for internships and entry-level positions, enjoyed the behind-the-scenes views of life - personal and professional - in government. But several students, especially females, were disappointed or even annoyed that Albright felt the need to describe dealing with a spot on her dress, No man ever wrote he had to deal with a spot on his tie during diplomacy, they argued.
Nevertheless, it is informative and enjoyable view of the post-Cold War era, and will remain so even when Colin Powell offers his reflections from Foggy Bottom.
Rating:
Summary: Filling in What the Media Neglects
Review: If your interesting in knowing the truth about one of the 1990s most important foreign policy personalities, this book won't necessarily help. While it is an easy read with lots of details about what was happening behind closed doors, Ms. Albright also spun it to her own advantages. But that is to be expected. Considering her harsh handing at the hands of the right wing, it is good to get her point of view.
Rating:
Summary: An inspirational life told beautifully
Review: I have no words that would do this book and woman justice. Just buy and read it! Madeleine, thank you for your hard work and inspiration. I dream of someday speaking with you.
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