Publication Date: April 24, 2012
Print Length: 480 pages
Previous Publications
- Madam Secretary (2003)
- The Might and the Almighty: Reflections on America, God and World Affairs (2006)
- Read my Pins: Stories from a Diplomat’s Jewel Box (2009)
- Memo to the President Elect (2008)
- Fascism: A warning (2018)
- Hell and Other Destinations (2020)
SYNOPSIS
In her memoir Prague Winter, Madeleine Albright sets her family narrative within the larger political history of what happened in Czechoslovakia during World War II and the postwar era. Albright’s father, Josef Korbel, was a diplomat who served with other nationalist Czech leaders as they sought to preserve Czechoslovakia’s identity as an independent democracy. Albright spent her early childhood years in London, as her family sheltered during German bombing raids. Once the War ended, Albright’s father was assigned to Yugoslavia, only to lose his position when Czechoslovakia was taken over by the Communist Party. Albright’s family then sought asylum in the United States in 1951.
Decades later while she was the US Secretary of State, Albright learned how several dozen of her Jewish relatives were executed during the German occupation of Czechoslovakia. While recounting her family history, Albright offers a gripping narrative of Czechoslovakia’s brave struggle to resist as the country was taken over by the Germans and then by the Soviets at the end of the war.
REVIEWS AND AUTHOR INFORMATION
Rosenberger, Chandler, “Book Review: “Prague Winter,” Columbia Magazine, Winter 2012-13. https://magazine.columbia.edu/article/book-review-prague-winter
Hannum, Kristen, “Prague Winter: A Personal Story of Remembrance and War, 1937-1948.” Historical Novel Society, https://historicalnovelsociety.org/reviews/prague-winter-a-personal-story-of-remembrance-and-war-1937-1948/.
Women in Leadership, “Madeleine Albright on Prague Winter “A Personal Story of remembrance and War.” May 7, 2012. https://www.aspeninstitute.org/videos/madeleine-albright-prague-winter-personal-story-remembrance-war/
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
Despite the odds against them, how did Czech patriots resist the occupation of their country by Germany? Was the decision by Czech patriots to assassinate the Nazi Commandant Heydrich worth the punishment the Czechs received in response?
How did Albright’s family avoid the fate of their less fortunate relatives?
In what ways did Albright follow in her father’s footsteps as she pursued her own career as a diplomat?
When Albright resolved to uncover her family’s history, what resources were available to her as she sought to learn more about her family’s fate?
