Madeleine Albright wrote this book before we knew who would get elected in 2008. The idea was to give the new President some idea what s/he was getting involved with. It's a surprisingly readable book. Like other State Department veterans I've read, she makes some use of stretchy metaphors. Consider this one:



I suppose having spent a lot of time around Presidents she would know about that. I've long felt that steering California as a grass roots activist is like steering a supertanker with a hand held oar from a dingy when the pilot wants to go in another direction. I'm sure the President can see much more direct influence from his efforts, even though he probably wants even more.

There is a lot of discussion of the state of the world. She methodically works her way around the globe, giving a quick sketch of the history, including some of the mistakes and highlights. Peppered throughout are suggestions for what to do and what not to do in various situations. Every now and then I found a paragraph that needs to be read. This is the one that made me make this page for you:



Fred gave me this book as part of an office clearing operation. I read it because once I picked it up I found it to be clear and interesting. If you want to read it next, let me know where to send it.

Tian