J1: RUSH STORY! MONDAY NIGHT!: Madeline K. Albright, first female secretary of state interview!

cristina@booksandbooks.com is the media contact. Please comment below to cover the story (with your e-mail!).... This would be incredible! I cannot make it because I have class. KEEP ME POSTED!!!!! -Melanie

Meet
MADELEINE K. ALBRIGHT
Discussing and signing
Read My Pins: Stories from a Diplomat’s Jewel Box
(Harper, $40)

Monday, October 5, 7:30pm
Temple Judea
5500 Granada Boulevard, Coral Gables

Please note: Tickets are $5 and available at all Books & Books locations. The $5 ticket can be used as a coupon toward the purchase of Read My Pins or any other book at Books & Books. Tickets are available at the door that evening. Doors open at 6pm. Please join us!

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,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. We will be in touch soon to discuss review and feature opportunities.

About Madeleine K. Albright

Madeleine K. Albright was the 64th 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.