My Greek Drama - by Gianna Angelopoulos Paperback

About the Book

In rescuing the Athens Olympics and delivering what IOC President Jacques Rogge called an "unforgettable dream games," Gianna Angelopoulos also delivered a new Greece, a modern can-do nation, a Greece worthy of its illustrious heritage.

Book Synopsis

New York Times Bestseller
Wall Street Journal Bestseller
USA Today Bestseller

"In My Greek Drama, Gianna recounts her successes --as a dedicated public servant, savior of the 2004 Olympic Games, and devoted mother of three --and presents a useful guide for those who seek to transform lives, organizations, and even nations."
--President Bill Clinton

Now with a new foreword by the author celebrating the five-year anniversary of her sweeping, inspiring memoir.

The world had doubted Greece's ability to successfully stage the 2004 Olympic Games. In rescuing the Athens Olympics and delivering what IOC President Jacques Rogge called an "unforgettable dream games," Gianna Angelopoulos also delivered a new Greece, a modern can-do nation, a Greece worthy of its illustrious heritage.

Little did she know that a few years later her country would abandon the lessons of the Olympics and become embroiled in a political and economic crisis that would devastate Greece and threaten the economic security of Europe.

My Greek Drama captures the burning ambition of the rebellious girl from the island of Crete who "lit" the Olympic torch. Her story should help rekindle the spirit of the Greek people, and of every person who has ever struggled to change the world.

Review Quotes

"From her girlhood in Crete to her career in the Greek Parliament and then the management of the 2004 Athens Olympics, Gianna Angelopoulos-Daskalaki tells a wonderfully human tale of struggle and success. It is an engaging read!"
--Joseph S. Nye, Distinguished Service Professor, Harvard University, and former Dean of the Harvard Kennedy School

"Gianna Angelopoulos has lived a remarkable life of achievement. Again and again she has demonstrated what one determined person can do to move the world. Her story should be an inspiration to many. For those who care about Greece, the Olympics, or the power of a determined woman, her story is important reading. I have learned much from Gianna and you can too."
--Lawrence H. Summers, former Secretary of the Treasury

"Gianna Angelopoulos is a force of nature, both in life and in this book. It is a joy to see her capture her leadership, vivacity, and wit in these pages. My Greek Drama is more than her personal journey in turning around the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens--it is a clarion call for Greeks and others to reach higher, faster, farther."
--David Gergen, Professor of Public Service and Director of the Center for Public Leadership at the Harvard Kennedy School, CNN Senior Analyst, and former adviser to Presidents Nixon, Ford, Reagan, and Clinton

"In My Greek Drama, Gianna recounts her successes -- as a dedicated public servant, savior of the 2004 Olympic Games, and devoted mother of three -- and presents a useful guide for those who seek to transform lives, organizations, and even nations."
--President Bill Clinton

"The amazing and riveting triumphant insider story of the Olympic movement's first ever one-woman show. Learn the truths and the struggles of the larger-than-life Greek woman who twice rescued the Athens Olympics from ruin to make them Greece's only international triumph in recent memory."
--Dick Ebersol, former Chairman and Executive Producer, NBC Sports and Olympics

"With skill, charm, will, and drive--Gianna Angelopoulos led the effort to bring the Olympics back to Greece. She broke barriers. Cut through barriers. And modernized a broken system. That success encapsulates the story of her life--a remarkable rise packed with lessons on leadership."
--George Stephanopoulos, ABC News Anchor

About the Author

Gianna Angelopoulos-Daskalaki is an Olympic organizer, ambassador of the Greek state, lawyer, and former Parliamentarian. In 1986, Ambassador Angelopoulos-Daskalaki was elected to the Athens Municipal Council. In 1989, she was elected to Parliament, and won reelection the following year.

Following her marriage to Theodore Angelopoulos, Gianna resigned her seat in the Parliament to focus on family and business. In 1996, the Prime Minister of Greece appointed her to lead the country's successful campaign to host the 2004 Olympic Games. In 2000, when slow progress and gridlocked bureaucracy put Athens in danger of losing the Games, she was asked to assume the presidency of the Athens 2004 Organizing Committee and save the project.

Today, Ambassador Angelopoulos-Daskalaki serves as Vice-Chairman of the Dean's Council of Harvard's Kennedy School of Government, and is a supporter of the Clinton Global Initiative, a leading philanthropist for projects in Greece and around the globe, and a proud parent of three grown children.