Courtesy of Beaverdale Books

By Madeleine Albright

Harper

04/24/12

$29.99

480 pp

“The role of leadership cannot be downplayed in the events immediately preceding WWII. If we were to subtract Hitler from the scene, replace the British and French with stronger actors, or bring back T.G. Masaryk for a starring role, the events I am about to describe would not have taken place…”

So begins Madeleine Albright’s historical memoir, “Prague Winter.” U.S. Secretary of State in the Clinton era, Albright was shocked to discover, in her late 50s, that her family had a secret past.

“I thought by then that I knew all there was to know about my past, who ‘my people’ were, and the history of my native land. I was sure enough that I did not see a need to ask questions. Others might be insecure about their identities; I was not and never had been. I knew. Only I didn’t. I had no idea that my family heritage was Jewish or that more than twenty of my relatives had died in the Holocaust.”

If you are of Czech heritage, this tribute to the culture of that land gives a rich glimpse into its traditions and history, laid out thoughtfully in Albright’s first few chapters. She describes her family’s escape to London, including riveting accounts of their experiences during the bombings.

“Another time, a bomb landed nearby but did not detonate, so all the buildings in the area were evacuated and an emergency team arrived. After a careful investigation, the crewmembers told us not to worry; the explosive was a dud. Inside the casing they found a note written by Czech factory workers: ‘Don’t be afraid,’ it said. ‘The bombs we make will never explode.’ ”

“Prague Winter” concludes as modern Europe takes shape after the war, and her family finds a home in the United States. CV