Diplomacy and Diamonds

She's been dirt poor, she's been filthy rich. Rich was more fun. She married three times, divorced twice, found her true love and lost him to cancer. At 21, she was told she would soon die. She lived. Doctors said she'd never be able to have children. She had 'em. She's bargained with God, dictators, and Democrats. She's partied with princes, presidents, premiers, Barbara Walters, Anwar Sadat, Margaret Thatcher, Tom Hanks, and Francisco Franco . . . though not all at the same time. She captivated powerful men with her feminine charm, then persuaded them toward unlikely political alliances through her formidable intelligence. She's waltzed with Prince Philip in Buckingham Palace, dressed in men's clothes and smuggled herself in a barrel across the Pakistani border, threw a Roman-themed party so extravagant it was featured in Life magazine, and survived a Soviet gunship attack in the mountains of Afghanistan.
Joanne Herring, the Houston socialite portrayed by...