Madeleine Albright is one of the most deeply admired women of our time, and the first female in our nation's history to achieve the title Secretary of State. For eight years during the first and second Clinton terms, she was privy to some of the most fascinating and controversial episodes in memory. Now, in this outspoken memoir, Madeleine Albright shares her personal story, and provides an insider's look into the White House and world affairs during an era of unprecedented change. From a difficult start as a political refugee from Czechoslovakia, Albright went on to become a tireless advocate of civil and women's rights, and pursued a life in politics that ultimately landed her in the upper stratosphere of diplomacy and policy-making in her adopted country. Refreshingly candid, Madam Secretary brings to life the world leaders Albright worked with intimately in her years of service, and the battles she fought to prove her worth in a male-dominated arena. We also get to know Albright, the private woman: her life raising three daughters, the painful breakup of her marriage, and the discovery late in life of her own Jewish background and that her grandparents had died in concentration camps. A story of a woman of great character, with an acknowledged talent for making friends, Madam Secretary is also a valuable contribution to political history, weaving together the public and the private, the national and the intimate, in a satisfying and rich memoir that is destined to become a classic of its kind.