Since becoming secretary of state in 1997, Madeleine Albright has emerged as one of the most forceful voices in the Clinton administration and the chief architect of American foreign policy in the Balkans. As Michael Dobbs makes clear in this timely and important book, it's impossible to understand Albright without an appreciation of the tumultuous events that have shaped her life, and he traces Albright's progress from a European ghetto to the corridors of power in Washington. As the twentieth century comes to a close, the life of this remarkable woman provides much insight into past events and is an inspirational testimony to how willpower and persistence can triumph over every adversity.