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rachellarson2019 's review for:
Madam Secretary
by Madeleine K. Albright
Another Madeline Albright book! I listened to this one with the new Spotify Premium audiobook option and I ran out of hours for the month before I could finish it so there was a gap between starting and finishing it, which is unfortunate as I have the memory of a gnat.
I really loved this audiobook, and I’m also happy I didn’t start with it. Listening to Facism and Hell and Other Places first, gave me the perspective of who Madeline grew into over time. Her later books showcase her sense humor and intelligence more than you get from this book, and you see her continual evolution as a person. It’s inspiring to see the through line of her true personality and core beliefs remain, but see how much she continued to grow and evolve later in life. She really was an indomitable person but she came to embrace life with so much joy and humor later on.
She is much more serious in this book, and for good reason. She doesn’t shy away from the fact that she really wanted the Secretary of State appointment, or that she deeply loved the job itself. Like all of her books, she is honest in her remembrance about things she would do different, deep regrets, and pride in what she did right. Her commitment to democracy, free markets, and human rights is the thread throughout all of her professional life and her books.
Her epilogue from 2013, I believe, references how sad she is at the continual move towards partisanship in the US. Much of her career was spent totally committed to the ideals and policies of the Democratic Party, all while working closely with those across the aisle. She makes it clear that compromise is part of effective politics and that pluralism is the foundation of a good democracy. She never wavers on her disgust for Communism, understandable since her family lost their homeland to it, but she also believed in a democracy committed to social programs and support of the policies for the less fortunate.
Her later books reference some of her childhood and earlier adult years, but this one goes into more detail, particularly about her marriage. She was happily married and deeply in love with her husband and subsequently blindsided when he left her for another woman. Even worse, he dragged out the ordeal by wavering and coming back for awhile. Her kindness in later books about this period and generosity in talking about how he remained a good father are admirable.
I think I gave 4 stars to all of the books I have listened to by her but when taken as a group I do think they add up to 5 stars all together. I am sad that I did not discover Madeline’s books before she passed away. Truly an inspirational person.
I really loved this audiobook, and I’m also happy I didn’t start with it. Listening to Facism and Hell and Other Places first, gave me the perspective of who Madeline grew into over time. Her later books showcase her sense humor and intelligence more than you get from this book, and you see her continual evolution as a person. It’s inspiring to see the through line of her true personality and core beliefs remain, but see how much she continued to grow and evolve later in life. She really was an indomitable person but she came to embrace life with so much joy and humor later on.
She is much more serious in this book, and for good reason. She doesn’t shy away from the fact that she really wanted the Secretary of State appointment, or that she deeply loved the job itself. Like all of her books, she is honest in her remembrance about things she would do different, deep regrets, and pride in what she did right. Her commitment to democracy, free markets, and human rights is the thread throughout all of her professional life and her books.
Her epilogue from 2013, I believe, references how sad she is at the continual move towards partisanship in the US. Much of her career was spent totally committed to the ideals and policies of the Democratic Party, all while working closely with those across the aisle. She makes it clear that compromise is part of effective politics and that pluralism is the foundation of a good democracy. She never wavers on her disgust for Communism, understandable since her family lost their homeland to it, but she also believed in a democracy committed to social programs and support of the policies for the less fortunate.
Her later books reference some of her childhood and earlier adult years, but this one goes into more detail, particularly about her marriage. She was happily married and deeply in love with her husband and subsequently blindsided when he left her for another woman. Even worse, he dragged out the ordeal by wavering and coming back for awhile. Her kindness in later books about this period and generosity in talking about how he remained a good father are admirable.
I think I gave 4 stars to all of the books I have listened to by her but when taken as a group I do think they add up to 5 stars all together. I am sad that I did not discover Madeline’s books before she passed away. Truly an inspirational person.