Read My Pins: Stories from a Diplomat's Jewel Box

Signed copy.
“Jewelry isn’t ordinarily a tool of political persuasion, but in this beautiful book, Madeleine Albright, American ambassador to the United Nations and then the nation’s first female secretary of state, tells the compelling story of how these small objects became part of her ‘personal diplomatic arsenal.’” — The Chicago Tribune

From New York Times bestselling author and former secretary of state Madeleine Albright, Read My Pins is a story and celebration of how one woman’s jewelry collection was used to make diplomatic history.

Part illustrated memoir, part social history, Read My Pins provides an intimate look at Albright's life through the brooches she wore. Her collection is both international and show more democratic—dime-store pins share pride of place with designer creations and family heirlooms. Included are the antique eagle purchased to celebrate Albright's appointment as secretary of state, the zebra pin she wore when meeting Nelson Mandela, and the Valentine's Day heart forged by Albright's five-year-old daughter. Read My Pins features more than 200 photographs, along with compelling and often humorous stories about jewelry, global politics, and the life of one of America's most accomplished and fascinating diplomats. show less

Like Madeleine Albright, I love wearing pins. I'm not always very good at the schmoozing and small talk that I often need to do for my job, so in business settings I'll sometimes wear a pin as a conversation starter. I'm guessing Madeleine Albright doesn't have that problem. What she might have difficulty with is deciding which pin to wear, because according to this book, her choices are limitless as she has hundreds to choose from.

My Betty is a bit of a girly-girl, to say the least, and I borrowed this book from the library in an attempt to use the pictures of the jewelry as a way to introduce her to one of the world's most accomplished women. I wound up being more enthralled with the book than she was.

Read My Pins is a coffee-table show more type of book that is both filled with glorious photos of beautiful pins but also stories about the pins' history and their place front and center of world events. As Secretary of State, Madeleine Albright often chose which pin to wear each day with great care and deliberation, often with subtle significance to a negotiation or a meeting with a world leader or some situation happening on a global scale. Her choices were thoughtful as well as sometimes whimsical. (After reading this, I've noticed I've become more deliberate about my choices of pins now.)

In this book, Albright gives her reader a peek inside her jewelry box with photos of more than 200 of her pins that she has collected over the years, from purchases in small boutiques and villages to extravagant gifts. show less

This is a coffee table book with great photos of all the pins owned by Madeleine Albright, former US Secretary of State. I just wanted to see these pins, which are amazing! Many of them have a story to go with them, which was a bonus.

This is a memoir, a history lesson, and an amazing collection of beautiful jewelry that represent whimsy, creativity, art, and symbolism.

Part illustrated memoir, part social history, "Read My Pins" provides an intimate look at Albright's life through the brooches she wore.

A fun, informative and engaging book with beautiful full color photos of Madeleine Albright's vast pin collection.

I loved her stories and anecdotes I really enjoyed the look into the life and mind set of a diplomat and I loved that something as simple as a pin can take on so much meaning and weight due to the thought that went on behind it's choice.
The insights into why she chose to focus on pins as her chosen accessory and why she chose the pins she did for each situation was fascinating had just enough detail and depth to be engaging but not so much that they slowed the flow of the book down or show more detracted from the photos and I cannot say enough about the photos. I was so happy that each pin that got mentioned also got shown in full color and large enough that you can see the details, that does not happen often enough in books such as this. show less

I purely love the idea of doing memoirs using 'material culture'!

A guilty pleasure, reading about diplomacy via the wares of a fellow jewelry hog.

A guilty pleasure, reading about diplomacy via the wares of a fellow jewelry hog.