Prague Winter - A Personal Story of Remembrance and War, 1937 - 1948

In her memoir, Madeline Albright tells a personal account of the years immediately preceding, during and after the Second World War. The author's recollection is supported by the wealth of details from her father's (Josef Korbel) archives. He was employed by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs as a correspondent, and was witness to events that are the foundation of this book. 

Prague Winter is an informative read for the so called "Class of 48", refugees from post war Czechoslovakia. It describes the feeling of betrayal resulting from the Munich Accord to the exile in England, and the forced expulsion of Germans after the war. It is also a very sad personal story about the effects on the Author's family, many who perished in the holocaust, and lasting effects on those who survived.  

We recommend this book also to Americans with Czech roots, as a source for some more current history (20th century as opposed to 19th and earlier). While many descendants of Czech emigrants know a great deal about earlier historic events, the effects of WWII on the Czech Lands is less familiar. 

With the recent release of films about the assassination of Reynard Heydrich (Operation Antropoid), Milada Horaková, Jan Masaryk, and others, a more clear picture is emerging to help explain the events that followed the war. This book is a valuable tool to help us understand the period and these events in the first person. It is to the author's credit that she manages to impart this story in such an honest and dramatic way.