Madeleine Albright is telling a story about her pins that told a story.
That’s the premise of her upcoming book, “Read My Pins: Stories from a Diplomat’s Jewel Box,” which traces the meaning and history of the former secretary of state’s large collection of brooches she used as diplomatic, political and social tools.
“Former President George H.W. Bush had been known for saying ‘Read my lips.’ I began urging colleagues and reporters to ‘Read my pins,’ ” Albright writes explaining how she began to portray messages through her jewelry.
Some of her collection includes a “Hear No Evil, Speak No Evil, See No Evil” monkey pin she wore when meeting with Vladimir Putin for his failure to acknowledge human rights violations in Chechnya, a blue bird pin she pointed downward after Fidel Castro shot down Cuban American pilots in 1996, and a dove pin she received from the widow of Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin to symbolize the need for peace in the region.
Coinciding with the book’s publishing date, the Museum of Arts and Design in New York will display the collection of sparkly pins in a special exhibit.
