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Madeleine Albright was the first female Secretary of State of the United States and, at 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 an item of jewelry could be. In READ MY PINS: Stories from a Diplomat's Jewel Box (Harper; October 1, 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.
Part illustrated memoir, part social history, READ MY PINS, published in conjunction with the Museum of Arts and Design’s first major exhibition of jewelry from the collection of Madeleine K. Albright, captures the wit and expressive nature of the pins Albright wore as she met with world leaders and represented her country in formal and informal settings across the globe. Among other purposes, Albright used pins to emphasize the importance of a negotiation, to signify high hopes, to protest delays in taking action, and to show pride in 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. As these pages reveal, Albright's collection is both international and democratic – dime-store pins share pride of place with designer creations and family heirlooms. Included is the snake pin she wore after being denounced by Saddam Hussein's poet-in-residence as "an unparalleled serpent", 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 Day's heart forged by Albright's five-year-old daughter.
READ MY PINS features more than 200 photographs along with lively stories about jewelry, global politics, and the career of one of the world's most respected and fascinating diplomats.
