Hell and Other Destinations: A 21st-Century Memoir
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- Create Date：2022-03-28 06:51:56
- Update Date：2025-09-07
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- Author：Madeleine K. Albright
- ISBN：0062802275
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Summary
With a new epilogue
In this revealing， funny， and inspiring memoir， seven-time New York Times bestselling author and former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright—among the world’s most admired and tireless public servants—reflects on the challenge of continuing one’s career far beyond the normal age of retirement。
In 2001， when Madeleine Albright was leaving office as America’s first female secretary of state， interviewers asked her how she wished to be remembered。 “I don’t want to be remembered，” she answered。 “I am still here and have much more I intend to do。 As difficult as it might seem， I want every stage of my life to be more exciting than the last。”
In that time of transition， the former Secretary considered the possibilities: she could write， teach， travel， give speeches， start a business， fight for democracy， help to empower women， campaign for favored political candidates， spend more time with her grandchildren。 Instead of choosing one or two， she decided to do it all。 For nearly twenty years， Albright has been in constant motion， navigating half a dozen professions， clashing with presidents and prime ministers， learning every day。 Since leaving the State Department， she has blazed her own trail—and given voice to millions who yearn for respect， regardless of gender， background， or age。
Hell and Other Destinations reveals this remarkable figure at her bluntest， funniest， most intimate， and most serious。 It is the tale of our times anchored in lessons for all time， narrated by an extraordinary woman with a matchless zest for life。
In this revealing， funny， and inspiring memoir， seven-time New York Times bestselling author and former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright—among the world’s most admired and tireless public servants—reflects on the challenge of continuing one’s career far beyond the normal age of retirement。
In 2001， when Madeleine Albright was leaving office as America’s first female secretary of state， interviewers asked her how she wished to be remembered。 “I don’t want to be remembered，” she answered。 “I am still here and have much more I intend to do。 As difficult as it might seem， I want every stage of my life to be more exciting than the last。”
In that time of transition， the former Secretary considered the possibilities: she could write， teach， travel， give speeches， start a business， fight for democracy， help to empower women， campaign for favored political candidates， spend more time with her grandchildren。 Instead of choosing one or two， she decided to do it all。 For nearly twenty years， Albright has been in constant motion， navigating half a dozen professions， clashing with presidents and prime ministers， learning every day。 Since leaving the State Department， she has blazed her own trail—and given voice to millions who yearn for respect， regardless of gender， background， or age。
Hell and Other Destinations reveals this remarkable figure at her bluntest， funniest， most intimate， and most serious。 It is the tale of our times anchored in lessons for all time， narrated by an extraordinary woman with a matchless zest for life。
Reviews
Marie
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Interesting read behind the scenes of American politics， afterlife of being Secretary of State and what influence and inspiration she can be for the future generations。
Delaney Wallace
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“A life doesn’t have to filled with earth-rocking escapades to be instructive or engaging。”
A
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This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 I really enjoyed this book and surprisingly laughed out loud multiple times with the acerbic， on point humor。Some moments seemed like a book to explain misdeeds of the past and sometimes random events that happened。 Sometimes funny， nevertheless。Still inspiring。
Tina
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Madeline Albright is intelligent and funny。 I was surprised by her easy， quick wit。 She is my height！ There aren't very many of us。 To be a brilliant， petite woman and to be taken seriously at such a high level in a world dominated by men is a stunning accomplishment。 Madeline Albright is intelligent and funny。 I was surprised by her easy， quick wit。 She is my height！ There aren't very many of us。 To be a brilliant， petite woman and to be taken seriously at such a high level in a world dominated by men is a stunning accomplishment。 。。。more
Sandra
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As with all of her books， I thoroughly enjoyed this book。 Full of interesting personal and professional stories， I always learn something new and am inspired。
Diane
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Madeleine Albright books are always great。 She has a sense of humor that comes through in the writing。 Her understanding of foreign affairs is so enviable。 The rest of us can discuss why the world is at war and she has already explained it。 Her words are so relevant to current times。 She is still going strong， making a difference wherever she can through hard work and research， and dialogue with people from all different backgrounds and opinions。 And I'm so happy she gave Read My Pins a shot and Madeleine Albright books are always great。 She has a sense of humor that comes through in the writing。 Her understanding of foreign affairs is so enviable。 The rest of us can discuss why the world is at war and she has already explained it。 Her words are so relevant to current times。 She is still going strong， making a difference wherever she can through hard work and research， and dialogue with people from all different backgrounds and opinions。 And I'm so happy she gave Read My Pins a shot and it worked out。 Relating to someone in a government office is not always easy。 Their understanding of government and politics is so different from the average citizen。 But Read My Pins gave people a fun way to pay attention to foreign events and relate to a former Secretary of State。 I'm not sure I have ever admired a political figure more than Madeleine K。 Albright。And now I must amend my review to say rest in peace， Madam Secretary。 。。。more
Annika Pellegrini
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This book gives an exciting insight on Madeleine Albrights life during and after her career as Secretary of State。 I love how she describes funny moments but also a rather shocking one where she finds out more about her heritage。
Diane
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I enjoy Madeline Albright's writing and her humor。 This memoir of her life and work in her 'later years' was a lot of fun to read。 She's done some terrific work in her career and she continues to do so into her 80's。 I enjoy Madeline Albright's writing and her humor。 This memoir of her life and work in her 'later years' was a lot of fun to read。 She's done some terrific work in her career and she continues to do so into her 80's。 。。。more
Sam Audia
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Since the ancient times， we humans have had much to say about Hell。
Jackie
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Enjoyed listening to Madeleine Albright read her book， "Hell and other destinations。" She never stops in her service to the country and family。 Like the Energizer Bunny but with purpose。Audiobook from public library。 Enjoyed listening to Madeleine Albright read her book， "Hell and other destinations。" She never stops in her service to the country and family。 Like the Energizer Bunny but with purpose。Audiobook from public library。 。。。more
Jayne
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Albright takes the reader in depth about her personal life， education， career and travel in her various government and business roles。 I had read her previous book， Fascism - A Warning， in 2018 and was mesmerized by her intellect and insight。 Fascism was a 5-star read for me and I feel it should be required reading in these fractured times we find ourselves in。 Hell and Other Destinations was a slower-paced read for me， but definitely worth the time。
Marisa
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Have read three of Madeleine Albright’s books so far;looking forward to reading Prague Winter very soon！
Jennifer Fredin
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Excellent。 Clear， interesting and informative。 This is what Ms Albright has been doing since she left her position as Secretary。 Her voice is clear。 Her story interesting When I was young I always hoped that someday someone would right something that explained what was going on in the world when most of the news wasn't clear - at least to me， then busy with kids， job， husband etc。 Excellent。 Clear， interesting and informative。 This is what Ms Albright has been doing since she left her position as Secretary。 Her voice is clear。 Her story interesting When I was young I always hoped that someday someone would right something that explained what was going on in the world when most of the news wasn't clear - at least to me， then busy with kids， job， husband etc。 。。。more
Susan
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I may come back to it， but for now I'm giving up on this one。 Not what I expected。 There seems to be more name dropping that the in depth stories I was hoping for。 Still， she is a hero to me and I admire her。 I may come back to it， but for now I'm giving up on this one。 Not what I expected。 There seems to be more name dropping that the in depth stories I was hoping for。 Still， she is a hero to me and I admire her。 。。。more
Mary Lou
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Did not finish。
Corina Murafa
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Madeleine Albright’s latest book - sweet， inspiring， candid。 It’s her first book that I get to read and arguably I should have started with an earlier one， as this one tells the story of Mrs。 Albright’s career after leaving the position of Secretary of State。 It does however also tell the tale of her Jewish family， most of which ended up killed in Nazi concentration camps。 The breadth of the activities Mrs。 Albright undertook well into her 60s， 70s and even 80s is truly motivational and her bala Madeleine Albright’s latest book - sweet， inspiring， candid。 It’s her first book that I get to read and arguably I should have started with an earlier one， as this one tells the story of Mrs。 Albright’s career after leaving the position of Secretary of State。 It does however also tell the tale of her Jewish family， most of which ended up killed in Nazi concentration camps。 The breadth of the activities Mrs。 Albright undertook well into her 60s， 70s and even 80s is truly motivational and her balanced view of seeing the world， devoid of extremist views， is a rare feat。 I never knew she played such a fabulous leadership and convener role in massive think-tank gov projects， from Middle East piece to women’s rights to anti-poverty initiatives。 Without any doubt， she’s a character that can inspire countless other women to step in， step up and， as Madame Secretary says “carry on until you are carried out”。 。。。more
Elizabeth
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Not my favorite memoir。 I listened to the audiobook and found that increasing the speed of the book helped me get through the book faster。 I felt the stories were a little disjointed。 It was refreshing to hear her perspective of national political news。
Mom
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This is the second book that I have read by this author。 Now I just want to read all of her books。 Her writing has a way of bolstering your spirit and making you feel strong。 It also helps you sort out your feelings about politics， where you stand on issues， who you should support based on those feelings， and what you are actually capable of doing to help your causes。 Again， the text gets very heavy at times and it's hard to get through those spots but it is totally worth giving those words the This is the second book that I have read by this author。 Now I just want to read all of her books。 Her writing has a way of bolstering your spirit and making you feel strong。 It also helps you sort out your feelings about politics， where you stand on issues， who you should support based on those feelings， and what you are actually capable of doing to help your causes。 Again， the text gets very heavy at times and it's hard to get through those spots but it is totally worth giving those words the time to sink in。 。。。more
Kimee
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This book was another thoughtful gift from my dad。 I went to the same college that Madeleine Albright did， and was an Albright fellow， so he saw this at Costco and thought of me。 I especially appreciate that he gifted it to me despite the fact that he disagrees with Madam Secretary on a lot of things。 I don't agree with her always either， and I'm not confident that her description of how she thought about things in retrospect matches the statements she made at the time。 I'm particularly sensitiv This book was another thoughtful gift from my dad。 I went to the same college that Madeleine Albright did， and was an Albright fellow， so he saw this at Costco and thought of me。 I especially appreciate that he gifted it to me despite the fact that he disagrees with Madam Secretary on a lot of things。 I don't agree with her always either， and I'm not confident that her description of how she thought about things in retrospect matches the statements she made at the time。 I'm particularly sensitive to retrospective punditry re: the War on Terror， because both of my parents are veterans of it。Nonetheless: it was cool to see the fellowship I got described， I really appreciated how she shared learning her family history， her frankness about death is refreshing， and if you've never read an Albright book before this is a great one to start with， because she advertises all the rest。 I respect her hustle most of all。 。。。more
Mary
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She is an amazing lady at 80+。 The book rambles all over the place。 Some very interesting parts and other places that she just brags about herself。
Joyce
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I truly enjoyed this book。 Her style of writing is very conversational。 I might think the book is self-promoting， but it is a memoir。 Ms。 Albright is a Democrat which is evident。 A remarkable woman and still very vital at over 80。 She has a good sense of humor which is sometimes self-deprecating。 Her stories relating to events in history were enjoyable as well as informative。
mehg-hen
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Very inspiring memoir from an energetic， accomplished， very impressive woman。 I found myself thinking "you are bragging Madeleine" and maybe she was， but I mean her weekends are VERY DIFFERENT from mine。 Or anyone's。 A very inspiring and aspirational person with a real dedication to democracy for reasons you very much understand， like， oh， Hitler。 She describes her vision for the future and the fact that in the west the money is getting concentrated at the top， but in the east， in China， it's sp Very inspiring memoir from an energetic， accomplished， very impressive woman。 I found myself thinking "you are bragging Madeleine" and maybe she was， but I mean her weekends are VERY DIFFERENT from mine。 Or anyone's。 A very inspiring and aspirational person with a real dedication to democracy for reasons you very much understand， like， oh， Hitler。 She describes her vision for the future and the fact that in the west the money is getting concentrated at the top， but in the east， in China， it's spreading out to the middle class and all the problems that's going to breed。 Has bred。 Her husband left her in a way that would make me want to die and hide in shame for the rest of my life。 Which is an option。 Another option is to be the Secretary of State， live a good life， amass international power， and write a shitload of books。 。。。more
Katy
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Listening to Madeleine Albright read this retrospective on her life and achievements was a more enjoyable and interesting experience than I anticipated。 I am not always a fan of memoir but Albright managed to weave together a narrative that highlights the changes she’s lived through personally and professionally while acknowledging the present moment。 Published at the beginning of the pandemic in 2020 this book still feels current despite the social upheaval in the intervening time。
Natala
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I love reading about interesting people， where they came from， how they lived their life and the journey they continue walk through。 Ms。 Albright writes wonderfully and I enjoyed this book。。。。。until the last few chapters where her focus turned to her hatred of Donald Trump which seemed more to do with his personality than his politics。 Love him or hate him， this left me slightly disappointed in a woman I believed to have more decorum。 It just wasn't necessary and tarnished what was a very enjoya I love reading about interesting people， where they came from， how they lived their life and the journey they continue walk through。 Ms。 Albright writes wonderfully and I enjoyed this book。。。。。until the last few chapters where her focus turned to her hatred of Donald Trump which seemed more to do with his personality than his politics。 Love him or hate him， this left me slightly disappointed in a woman I believed to have more decorum。 It just wasn't necessary and tarnished what was a very enjoyable read。 。。。more
Josie Krieger
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https://www。goodreads。com/review/list。。。# https://www。goodreads。com/review/list。。。# 。。。more
Ellie
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A little slow， pretty interesting， not many details on her decision making process more about what its like to be her， not much about her time as secretary of state， mostly what she did after
BOOKLOVER EB
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Madeleine Albright shares her reminiscences and penetrating observations in "Hell and Other Destinations。" In 2001， when she was sixty-three， Albright completed her tenure as U。 S。 Secretary of State。 Prior to helming the State Department， she served as America's Ambassador to the United Nations。 In this， her seventh book， Albright conveys a passion for staying productive and keeping abreast of international concerns， such as climate change， conflict zones， and worldwide economic fluctuations。 S Madeleine Albright shares her reminiscences and penetrating observations in "Hell and Other Destinations。" In 2001， when she was sixty-three， Albright completed her tenure as U。 S。 Secretary of State。 Prior to helming the State Department， she served as America's Ambassador to the United Nations。 In this， her seventh book， Albright conveys a passion for staying productive and keeping abreast of international concerns， such as climate change， conflict zones， and worldwide economic fluctuations。 Since she left the cabinet， she has worn many hats: university professor， consultant， and a member of advisory groups who study foreign and domestic matters and seek solutions to global problems。 Albright can be hilarious and self-deprecating。 When someone praised her for being brave enough to grow old without having a face-lift， Ms。 Albright says， "I was tempted to comment on the courage she had shown in dealing with the results of hers。" The author is no shrinking violet， but she uses her tough-mindedness and plain-spokenness to do good。 She is a feminist and humanitarian who has helped disenfranchised and underprivileged people in a variety of countries。 In addition， she is invested in guiding the young people whom she teaches who are trying to find their way in a complex and chaotic environment。 Along with her other activities， she is an acclaimed public speaker and political commentator。This memoir is， at times， fascinating， entertaining， and informative。 However， the second half drags quite a bit。 Albright is a name-dropper who includes too many anecdotes about the host of celebrities she has met。 Some of these tidbits could have been omitted for the sake of brevity。 Nor do we need the plethora of details about the think tanks and other organizations that she established or joined。 Still， it is refreshing to hear the distinct and articulate voice of this skilled and candid communicator。 Madeleine Albright is a brilliant and accomplished individual who freely admits her mistakes， likes a good laugh， and treasures her family， friends， and colleagues。 She has justifiable pride in her decades-long efforts to promote democracy and empower women。 Furthermore， she has gone to great lengths to make the world a safer， more equitable， and healthier place for future generations。 。。。more
Irene
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I've always admired Madeleine， and even though she has penned several books， this is the first I've picked up。 Lots of interesting stories here， ranging from how WWII affected her family to the many positions she's served in to her grandkids。 I've always admired Madeleine， and even though she has penned several books， this is the first I've picked up。 Lots of interesting stories here， ranging from how WWII affected her family to the many positions she's served in to her grandkids。 。。。more
Jan Daulton
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Gave up on this one。
Jocelyn
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