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Prague Winter: A Personal Story of Remembrance and War, 1937-1948    by Madeleine Albright Amazon.com order for
Prague Winter
by Madeleine Albright
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Harper, 2013 (2012)
Hardcover, Softcover, e-Book

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* * *   Reviewed by Mary Ann Smyth

I, too, lived at the time that Madeleine Albright lived through. How different were our lives. At a very young age, she felt Hitler's rage and suffered from his monstrous behavior.

Albright's history of Czechoslovakia tells a tale of which I knew almost nothing. How enlightening. And alarming. I spent a few days in Prague last year. How I wish I had read Prague Winter before I left. Prague is an intriguing city with much to see and do. But trying to envision how it looked during wartime is impossible. And all the hordes who died at the hands of Hitler's minions – I try to hear their voices. Also impossible. Albright speaks for them.

Albright's book is a monumental work – one that we all should read and take lessons from. Her history of Czechoslovakia required intensive research. Her personal memories make the story of her country all the more captivating. Her discovery that she came from Jewish parents must have been a shock, but one that she could embrace. The personal losses she endured – many close relatives and friends in the concentration camps – were not only her losses, but that of a nation.

I cannot do justice to this work by mere words. Read it. Let's hope others do also and all take lessons from it. Prague Winter: A Personal Story of Remembrance and War, 1937-1948 is a testament to what human beings can endure. But not to what they should endure.

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