Rating: 
Summary: Sadly lacking
Review: It would have been nice if she could finally have told the truth, and had presented herself as it is. Apparently, that is never going to happen.
Rating: 
Summary: Living History
Review: Ms. Clinton's book is awful. The only thing good in the piece is her word choice. I do not recommend it to anyone, even those who are fans of Ms. Clinton.
Rating: 
Summary: Interesting read
Review: Not being American, my thoughts were not as tied to partisan politics as some readers here seem to be (although from the tone of some reviews, I doubt that the reviewers have even read the book). I found this book to be a unique insight to one side of a story that has played out on the international stage for some time now. At times, Ms. Clinton's writing does read like a speech but the book certainly does need to be read from the understanding that is written by someone still in office. I found her level of personal disclosure on the Monica affair to be surprising but perhaps that was a requirement of her contract. Hillary Clinton is a unique first lady in that she had a succesful career and made more than her husband most of her life. I can't imagine trying fit into the tiny little box that the press tries to place first ladies in. He book did a credible job at describing the life she chose for herself, instead.
Rating: 
Summary: So Well Written
Review: One of the best autobiographies I have ever read. Hillary is not only incredible at putting her thoughts to paper, you can tell she opened her heart to write this amazing book.I still laugh at people's hatred towards her. I think it stems more from the intimidation of her incredible intelligence. This woman has gone through a lot and has come out the better...BRAVO Hills!
Rating:
Summary: Love Living History
Review: I absolutely loved reading Living History. Hillary Clinton's description of her life and many trips abroad is marvelous. She has done so much for the benefit of families, women and children in the US and around the world through participation in many humanitarian organiztions and visits with powerful people. We can benefit from her willingness to continue fighting and working for others despite immense difficulties not of her making. I truly inderstand why she wanted to become a US Senator. She can use this position to continue to help mankind for many years. I am passing this book on to my friends who are eager to read it. Women need a strong role model and Hillary is the one for me. In the past two years, I have fought appendix cancer and won, so far, but that was nothing like what she has been through. I am just a year older than she is and can relate with her life year by year. Read this wonderful book!
Rating:
Summary: What a book!
Review: Let me start by saying that I'm a big fan of Mr. Clinton. Let me also say that my all-time favorite book is Make Every Girl Want You by Fate and Reil, so that should give you some idea of what I'm like. Anyway, I was surprisingly impressed with this book. Hillary puts on a good front, and man has she had a life! I'd recommend reading this book, just to see all of the cool things Hillary & Bill have done in life, and the random coincidences that have accompanied her life. Overall, it's very well-written, and very entertaining. When I bought it, I wasn't sure I could make it through the entire 576 pages, but I did so without a problem. Some chapters were a little dry & boring (hey, what can I say - I like the chapters about Bill the best), but overall a great book for summer reading!
Rating:
Summary: Ok, now let's move on.
Review: Why couldn't she have saved her memoirs for after her political career? Oh wait, I forgot about publicity stunts. And I wouldn't be surprised if she wrote another memoir after her political career as well. We'll never be safe. She's lucky politically that her husband was such an ugly ladies' man. Hardly anyone would be interested in her if that fiasco never happened. I don't care if you're a Democrat or Republican or whatever, you do something like this and I'll respect you less. Advice: skip the memoir and move to a more entertaining fantasy, Harry Potter.
Rating:
Summary: Let's not try to insert our own political agendas . . .
Review: into our reviews and take the book for what it is . . . an autobiography. Is it self-serving? You bet. (But who wouldn't write a self-serving autobiography?) Is it a terrible read? Not by a long stretch. It was written at a level for anyone to read, however, she did not shy away from discussing in intelligent, detailed terms, some of the more complicated subject matter (health care, whitewater), which I respected. Those who picked up the book to get the goods on Monica will end up coming away more enlightened about politics and our government in general after reading it. Good. If there's one thing the book achieved, and achieved well, it was to cast the controversy regarding her persona during the White House years in a less controversial light. She says that she is neither as good nor as bad as people think she is. I think that's probably true, as it's true of most people. You end the book thinking less that HRC is some shrewd monster who would give her right arm to be First Lady (which I never believed anyway), but rather, she, and Bill for that matter, are your typical Ivy League-educated overachievers who had the backgrounds and the abilities to get into the White House -- and that HRC was skewered for being the first First Lady to have actually achieved more in her life than perfecting how to pour tea at ladies' luncheons. Give the book a chance.
Rating:
Summary: A Good 1st Lady Memoir - That's It; That's All!
Review: Hillary Rodham Clinton states in her Author's Note, at the beginning of "Living History," that she is writing a personal memoir, not a comprehensive history. If you want to relax and dig in for a fascinating, insightful read, then it is important to accept her statement/disclaimer. Do not expect more from the book than a well written memoir. Hillary was, after all, the First Lady, and this is her unique, nontraditional take on her time in that position. I do hope that someday, when Senator Clinton retires from politics and gains more of a historical perspective, she will take on the task of authoring a comprehensive analysis of the Clinton Administration. That is a book I will really look forward to reading. Senator Clinton, a woman of my generation, writes with intelligence, wit, sensitivity and lots of savvy, about the experiences in her life that made her the woman she was on January 20, 1993, when she moved to 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. It is important to understand who she was then, the product of an amazing time in history, especially for American woman, in order to appreciate just how unique she was as she began her White House years. As a woman - wife, mother, professional and a daughter of the '60s - Hillary came to the White House with the education, potential, goals (her husband's and her own), and ambitions that were totally unlike those of any First Lady before her. We catch a glimpse of the young woman who was the first student to speak at a Wellesley graduation - and who received kudos to boot. I appreciate and admire that particular early accomplishment and how hard she must have worked, scholastically and with student government, to be invited by her peers to speak. How many young women...or men...did any of us know in 1969 who could have delivered such an address to such an exacting audience? The accuracy with which she describes the issues and conflicts of the time, i.e., Vietnam, civil rights, political activism, the Equal Rights Amendment, brings back the period with all its upheaval, innocence and idealism. Hillary was a political activist, working within the system for changes that would benefit a majority of Americans, even in high school. She entered Yale Law School, when female matriculation was still a rare occurrence. During her early career she focused on children's advocacy, reform for migrant workers, education, and healthcare. In her twenties, Hillary was already a person with strong convictions, making and living history. I enjoyed her account of her courtship with Bill, and do give him credit that he had the sense to stick with her and not select the Miss America figure that his Mom seemed to expect. From the get go, this was a couple that did well together. They were very attracted to each other, yes...and more importantly, their minds meshed. Her account of the Health (insurance) Task Force, which she headed is disappointing. As Chairperson, she received a major appointment in President Clinton's administration, and I did expect a meatier description of the job, her duties, pitfalls, successes and failures...and, of course, the results. Her anecdotes of foreign travel, especially the conference in China, and her take on the heads of state who came to the White House during her time as official hostess, make for interesting reading. Many have faulted Senator Clinton for forgiving her husband, and working to rebuild their marriage and relationship. Her reasons for sticking with Bill are very moving and make perfect sense to me. When the former First Lady was interviewed on the Today Show, years ago, and talked about the "vast right-wing conspiracy," many called her paranoid and naive. Now, though she admits that "conspiracy" was not the most appropriate word, she sticks to her guns. She believes that there is a powerful and moneyed right-wing element in our country who wants to impose their political agenda on America. They spend their money, not by publicly debating issues of national importance, but by spreading scandal and destroying personal and professional reputations, at times using little more than rumor for their reality base. Although the "politics of personal destruction" had been employed long before the Clintons came on the scene, the radical conservative movement took these politics to a new high...or perhaps low is the better word... during the Clinton administration. The result was millions of US tax dollars spent trying to prove that the Clintons were guilty of illegal activities. None of the accusations proved true. Many years and investigations later, I believe that the country, and probably the Clintons, are still exhausted by all the needless vitriol. I accept that both Hillary and Bill Clinton are super controversial figures. Yes, folks tend to either love them or hate them. Both are talented, intelligent, human beings, who sought public office to serve their country. In a democracy one does not have to agree with their political or personal philosophies. Just vote no...or yes, as the case may be. Finally, I have read commentaries that state this memoir is lacking, because Senator Clinton did not add lurid details to her book or discuss events that have already been written about and discussed, ad nauseum. Baloney!! If you are interested in the White House Years during the Clinton Administration from the First Lady's point of view, a woman who redefined the position of presidential spouse, then you will enjoy "Living History." I did.
Rating:
Summary: Well-timed Account may Help with the Coming Election
Review: No matter how many or few co-authors she may have employed for her book, Hillary may have just picked the most opportune time to steer undecided minds toward clearer reality for the 2004 Election, and allow this society to emerge from under the shroud of Republican doldrums. In early chapters, she describes GOP follies such as the Whitewater witch-hunt, the attempted Newt coup-d'etat, the impeachment circus, and the plundering of the health-care system & environment, with a clarity they'd never let on to public knowledge. Also not to be overlooked is the overall floundering of the economy under such plutocratic policies, and how effective simple solutions such as luxury taxes can be. ...BR>(And just maybe, all their votes would actually COUNT...!) For anyone thinking that is all that is here, later chapters cover world-wide inadequacies, such as uncivilized societies that treat their women as pariahs, with similar stark descriptions; also subjects which must first be brought to the surface so that people are aware, before there's any hope of rectification. I also recommend the 2 recent Gore Vidal commentaries, and "Best Democracy Money Can Buy" as companion volumes.
Those who read Hillary's book with few objectives other than fault-finding will yap the loudest, blind to reason before beginning. I vote at every opportunity, and I'm not considered a "liberal" or anything similar.
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