READ THIS: READ MY PINS Stories from a Diplomat’s Jewel Box By Madeleine Albright

We first told you about this fabulous exhibit:


http://www.whomyouknow.com/2009/09/former-secretary-of-state-madeleine.html


Then we saw it and told you more:


http://www.whomyouknow.com/2009/10/daylight-peachy-deegan-views-read-my.html


We loved it so much we also just read the book!

Before long, and without intending it, I found that jewelry had become part of my personal diplomatic arsenal.  Former President George H.W. Bush had been known for saying “Read my lips.”  I began urging colleagues and reporters to “Read my pins.”

            Madeleine Albright was the first female secretary of state of the United States and, to that time, the highest ranking woman in U.S. history.  Like most women, she had occasionally worn pins before entering public service, but it was when she took office as America’s ambassador to the United Nations, and then as secretary of state, that she came to understand how powerful a symbol items of jewelry could be.  In READ MY PINS: Stories from a Diplomat’s Jewel Box (Harper; September 29, 2009; Hardcover; $40.00), Secretary Albright shares the compelling and often humorous stories behind her unique pin collection, and explains how pins became, for her, a signature diplomatic tool.  Whom You Know recommends this book and we recommend reading it prior to visiting the exhibit.  It is more than a lovely coffee table book although it is that; it is the story of collecting with meaning, and as every collector knows each prized piece of a collection is representative of a person, an experience, or something that transcends just the object.  In Albright's life, pins became a way of unique expression and communication.

            Dr. Albright served as America’s ambassador to the United Nations in President Clinton’s first term (1993-1997).  When she criticized Saddam Hussein for refusing to cooperate with UN weapons inspectors, Iraq’s government-controlled press responded angrily, publishing a poem that denounced Albright as an “unparalleled serpent.”  Soon after, Albright was scheduled to meet in New York with Iraqi officials.  She decided to wear a pin in the shape of a serpent, thereby sending a message as old as the United States: “Don’t Tread on Me.”  From that day forward, pins served as a way for Albright to communicate ideas and feelings without even saying a word.

            The story of Saddam Hussein and the serpent pin is just one of many that Secretary Albright recounts in READ MY PINS.  Part illustrated memoir, part social history, READ MY PINS is published in conjunction with the Museum of Arts and Design’s first major exhibition of jewelry from the collection of Madeleine K. Albright.  The book captures the wit and expressive nature of the pins that Albright wore when she met with world leaders and represented her country in formal and informal settings across the globe.  Among other purposes, Albright used the pins to emphasize the importance of a negotiation, to signify high hopes, to protest delays in action, and to demonstrate respect for the traditions of her office.  It is little wonder that international counterparts were pleased to see her appear at meetings with a shimmering sun on her jacket or a cheerful ladybug; less so when she wore an ill-tempered crab or a menacing wasp.

Among the pieces of jewelry featured in this beautiful volume are:

• The Dove pin – A gift from Leah Rabin (widow of slain Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin) and worn by Secretary Albright to convey the need for ending violence and encouraging reconciliation between historic rivals in the Holy Land.

• Blue bird pin – Albright wore this pin with its head soaring upwards until the day when, in 1996, Fidel Castro’s air force shot down four Cuban-American pilots in international air space off the Florida coast.  Then, in public protest, she pointed the pin downward to condemn the killings and mourn the fallen fliers. 

• American Flag pin – Secretary Albright displayed this pin when meeting with Kim Jong-il, North Korea’s reclusive dictator, during her high-stakes negotiating trip to that country in the year 2000.  Her purpose was to show pride in democratic values.

•  “Hear No Evil, Speak No Evil, See No Evil” Monkey Pins – Secretary Albright used this trio of pins to chide Russian President Vladimir Putin for his failure to acknowledge human rights violations committed by the Russian military in the violence-plagued region of Chechnya.

• Atlas pin – Secretary Albright often wore this pin to important meetings to convince foreign colleagues that the weight of the world was on their shoulders.

As the pages of READ MY PINS reveal, Albright’s diverse collection of brooches is both international and democratic – dime-store pins share pride of place with designer creations and family heirlooms.  Together, the collection reflects the many purposes of jewelry, from the most personal to the most public, illustrating both Albright’s history-making career and her imaginative use of pins as a means of diplomatic expression.  READ MY PINS includes more than 200 photographs along with memorable stories about jewelry, global politics, and the life of one of the world’s most respected and fascinating public servants.

About the Author

Madeleine K. Albright was the 64^th Secretary of State of the United States.  Serving from 1997 until 2001, she was the first woman to hold that position, which she assumed after four years as U.S. Permanent Representative to the United Nations.  During her tenure, Dr. Albright was known for her strong commitment to democracy, arms control, human rights and peace in the Middle East, Africa and other regions of conflict.  She played a lead role in forging America’s successful response to terror and ethnic cleansing in Kosovo, and was a forceful advocate of bringing war criminals to justice.

Since leaving office, Dr. Albright has authored three New York Times bestsellers.  Her autobiography, Madam Secretary: A Memoir, was published in 2003.  A second book, The Mighty and the Almighty: Reflections on America, God, and World Affairs, entered bookstores in 2006.  Memo to the President: How We Can Restore America’s Reputation and Leadership was published in 2008.

Currently, Albright serves as Chair of Albright Stonebridge Group, a global strategy firm, and Chair and Principal of Albright Capital Management, LLC, an investment advisory company focused on emerging markets.  She is the first Michael and Virginia Mortara Endowed Distinguished Professor in the Practice of Diplomacy at Georgetown University School of Foreign Service.  She chairs both the National Democratic Institute for International Affairs, and the Pew Global Attitudes Project and is president of the Truman Scholarship Foundation.  Dr. Albright co-chairs the UNDP’s Commission on Legal Empowerment of the Poor, serves on the Board of Directors of the Council on Foreign Relations, the Board of Trustees for the Aspen Institute and the Board of Directors of the Center for a New American Security.

READ MY PINS

Stories from a Diplomat’s Jewel Box

By Madeleine Albright

Harper

On-sale: September 29, 2009

Hardcover; $40.00

ISBN: 9780060899189