Madam Ambassador: Three Years in Budapest
(Hardback)
Publishing Details
Madam Ambassador: Three Years in Budapest
By (Author) Eleni Kounalakis
The New Press
The New Press
5th May 2015
United Kingdom
Classifications
General
Non Fiction
International relations
327.730092
Physical Properties
Hardback
296
Width 162mm, Height 240mm
595g
Description
Eleni Kounalakis was 43 and a land developer in California when she was tapped by President Obama to serve as the US ambassador to Hungary. During her tenure, from 2010 to 2013, Hungary was a key ally to the US. The first Greek-American woman ever to serve as a U.S. ambassador, Kounalakis recounts her training at the State Department's charm school' and diplomatic life in Budapest. A cross between a foreign policy memoir and an inspiring personal family story, Madam Ambassador draws back the curtain on what it is like to represent the US government abroad.'
Reviews
"If you want to know what it looks like for a woman to lean in, read Ambassador Kounalakiss book. It is an inspiring example of a businesswoman-turned-diplomat taking every opportunity to effectively advance the interests, values, and security of our country."
Janet Napolitano, former U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security
"Ambassador Kounalakis brings us inside the world of American diplomacy in a personal, accessible way, sharing her experiences as a diplomat during challenging times."
Congresswoman Nancy Pelosi
"Engrossing, edifying, and funny too. Kounalakis is a great storyteller, and she puts us in the middle of the action. Yes, actioneven the ambassador to a peaceful place like Hungary sees more than her share."
Dave Eggers, author of The Circle
"Eleni Kounalakis demystifies diplomacy and shows how a world shaped by the Internet and social media still needs ambassadors, especially those with strong principles and a good story to tell."
U.S. Ambassador John Shattuck (Ret.)
"This is an all-American story told by the first Greek American woman to serve as a U.S. Ambassador."
Admiral James Stavrides, U.S. Navy (Ret.)
"Kounalakis was a quick study. . . . [Madam Ambassador] offers further evidence, if anyone still needs it, that the European Union now faces the possibility of an autocracy taking shape within its border."
The Washington Post
