Prague Winter by Madeleine Albright

The day Jeff and I went to tour the Prague Castle, across the Charles Bridge and up the hill, it was very hot. Our guide met us near the entrance to the 9th century castle complex. He said he had lived in Prague his entire life, for which he was very proud. Before we entered the castle grounds (which consists of several buildings and a church), he pointed to a beautiful white apartment building. "When Madeleine Albright came to visit as Secretary of State, they asked her where she wanted to stay in Prague. She asked to stay there because when she was a little girl she used to walk by the beautiful building and wonder who lived inside." Staying within the castle is only reserved for dignitaries and Albright certainly qualified, first as Ambassador to the United Nations, and later as U.S. Secretary of State. "Prague Winter," one of several memoirs Albright has written, focuses on the Nazi invasion of Prague, the city where she was born. The story is not only told through Albright's eyes, but through her family members featured in interviews and recently found documents. The book also explores the stories her parents did not tell her. For example, she did not find out until she was an adult that she was Jewish and that 20 family members died in the Holocaust (including three of her grandparents). Told with extensive research and compassion, Albright takes the reader on a very personal journey into the lives of her mother, father, and others. Despite the fact she moved to London during the war, and later to America, she remained very connected to Prague, and the people her family left behind. This book is not only a memoir but also an important narrative which documents the horrors of war, and the loss of love and family. The book ends with hope, when Vaclav Havel rises to President of the Czech Republic and Albright shares his friendship and a great love of Prague. To buy this book on Amazon click here.