Rating: 
Summary: History Light
Review: I must admit that this is the first memoir I have ever read that was by the First Lady and given this one is graded as one of the better ones, I think it may be my last. It was not that the book was badly written, it was just that the majority of what the First Lady does is not all that interesting to me. Reading about this fund raisers, good will trips or party planning are not my idea of thrilling political insider info. I am more interested in the hard fought, inside the beltway battles that make major decisions. I obviously new this book was about the First Lady, but given the Clinton Presidency, I assumed that it would cover more in depth the political battles the administration faced. Then again the book was about her. The next compliant I would have about the book is that the author seamed to take the high road on all the areas you thought she would come out with both guns blazing on. Her comments were so bland that they almost acted to diminish or completely disregarded the very negative attacks the Clinton's faced during their terms. Sure she touched on the items of major interest, heath care reform, the full independent counsel investigation, Monica and the Senate race, but it seamed to be at such a high level that all the real nasty, dirty inside details were left out of the book. Ok I know that she has a new job now so that she did not what to lay waste the political landscape that she will be working in and one could make the argument that the First Lady needs to stay above the partisan attacks, but hey this is the edge of the seat reading I wanted. Lastly I wanted more detail. Now given that she had lead a rather full life, Governors wife, working on the Nixon impeachment, First Lady and now Senator, to get a real detailed account of all of these areas she would have needed a much larger if not multiple volume book. I guess I would have just liked her to focus on the First Lady section of her life and have gone into more detail. Just as the book seamed to be getting into a topic, the chapter was over and on to the next installment of Hilary on the move. Even though I have focused on the areas I disliked with the book, overall I thought it was probably better then most books dealing with the Clinton years. I did think the writing was better then average and she did have an interesting story to tell. The details she did given about the life of the First Lady and some of the inside information about the Clinton Presidency were worth the purchase price, throw in some of the personal bit and the book was not bad at all. I also have a sympathetic spot for her, so the increased my enjoyment of the book. I guess I am just a bit disappointed that the book could have been so much better. It could have been a stinging and focused rebuttal of all the overly negative and harmful to the country attacks. Then again how could one book fight back the 8 year, over the top negative campaign focused against the Clinton's. I felt the book was interesting and enjoyable.
Rating: 
Summary: She's a good girl...
Review: Hillary Clinton is an interesting woman, with tremendous drive and ambition, and this will often get a woman branded as the devil incarnate. The very polarized views of her are not surprising. What was surprising was the tone and lack of depth in this book. It reads as if she had a list of items she wanted to tick off as having explained. 'I'm a good girl, really.' was the underlying theme. I can't believe she's as naive as she portrays herself. She does admit to a few mistakes, but her apologies are all for not doing a better job, like any good girl. The healthcare chapter is a good example. She was unable to overcome hurdles around the complexity of the legislative process involved, and she makes 'apologies' for her failure along the lines of 'well, we tried really hard & it's a good cause'. But as she & Bill are both Yale lawyers, with experience in private practice (her) and as the Arkansas attorney general (him) and as they had easy access to many of the best legal minds in the country, it is hard to understand. It comes across more like professional negligence than the naivety it is painted as. I suspect ambition (the 100 day goal) was the real cause for failure, which is a shame given how important this issue is to our country and how badly we need healthcare reform. To put something this complex under a 100 day deadline is almost sophomoric - or ambition out of control. She is also careful to mention every person and cause that might win over supporters. An extraordinary number of her enounters seemed to have resulted in 'lifelong' friendships. Many iconic figures like Jackie Kennedy and Nelson Mandela get a lot of airtime. It's a bit too good to be true. It reads almost as if she's running for something. Maybe Sarah Bradford, who wrote that wonderful biography of Jackie Kennedy, will write the book about Hillary one day and we'll get a better picture of who she really is - from all angles. Personally, I would have found the intelligent, ambitious Hillary much more interesting and admirable than the girl scout we hear about in this book... it's a shame powerful women still feel they have to paint themselves as 'good girls' to be heard.
Rating: 
Summary: the audio version
Review: I was surprised to read that Hillary Clinton reads this book herself. I enjoyed listening to the book, especially her feelings about the Lewinsky affair and her ability to put that in context within many more important events of the Clinton presidency. Her descriptions of refusing to eat moose lips and of the many hair and clothing scandals of her tenure were funny and silly. Nonetheless she comes off as a serious thinker and a skillful politician. It's strange though, how in the audio reading of the book, she botches the names of so many people from Joseph Hoeffle to Paul Tillich. It's a minor point, but annoying within the context of an otherwise engaging reading.
Rating:
Summary: An excellent read as a a memoir
Review: I definitely could not make it through 500+ pages of pure political banter. I read this book because I'm a fan of memoirs and like to read about lives that are very different from my own. With that goal in mind, the book worked well, although it is less reflective, candid and intimate than most memoirs. I especially enjoyed the stories about foreign travel and personal experiences.
Rating:
Summary: Living in Reality
Review: First, this review is actually based on reading the book.
It is clear that many of the reviewers here have not actually read the book, but just used this forum to express their dislike against our former First Lady. While it's certainly up to each person to form and express their own opinions about Clinton, I seriously doubt that typing a few lines of malicious words in an Amazon book review is an effective use of anyone's time.
Hillary Clinton, oft demonized and misunderstood First Lady, has finally added her voice to the cacophony in her new book, "Living History". After reading the book, it is amazing to see how much "living in history" this woman and her much addled husband have endured over the course of their political lives.
The book starts with a recounting of her early years, and ends with her dramatic U. S. Senate victory in New York. Between those two events, this books serves as a partial memoir, partial explanation of events, and partial lambasting of the biased forces so intent to remove the Clintons from Washington DC.
These are the two parts of the book that I enjoyed the most, the beginning and the endings, possibly because I had a sense Hillary was really speaking to me in these sections. She comes across as warm, supported, and encouraged as she retells her childhood and her families stories. As she deals with the Lewinsky scandal towards the ending, she also seems to drop her defenses and explains her anger.
The parts in the middle seem the most distant to me, though. As she recounts the entire Whitewater disaster (a scandal that admittedly I'm still confused about), and the early years of Bill Clinton's presidency, there is a distance. She lists the facts and her viewpoints succinctly, but the passion of the early and later chapters is simply not there. That is one reason I took off a couple stars.
What impressed me most about her book is the wealth of incredible experiences she's had, and her utmost devotion to being Chelsea's mother. Also, her drive to improve the rights and options for women worldwide should be applauded warmly. I also appreciated how she shared her struggles about whether or not she should stay married, and how she reconciled that within herself. Frankly, she didn't need to write that; it's her own business.
Speaking of which, for those who claim this book is nothing but lies, I'd like more specific clarification what are the lies: that women worldwide are still constantly suffering rights abuses? That Hillary doesn't love her own child? That she was very upset when her husband confessed the truth about Monica? That she won the New York U.S. Senate campaign? The book is full of truths, her truths, and I suggest we allow her the opportunity to share them.
Disagree with Hillary as much as you want, but give her the right to explain and express her thoughts as she sees them. As it is with all of the critics who denounce her, Hillary should not be silenced.
Rating:
Summary: Hillary lives up to the Wellesley Motto
Review: I picked up Hillary Clinton's LIVING HISTORY during a pause at a booksigning for my new book at Borders and had a hard time putting it down to greet book buyers. Clinton's engaging memoir is very readable and gives the Senator from New York a chance to share with readers her deep committment to community service.
Clinton embodies the Wellesley College motto of "non
ministrari sed ministrare" -not to be served, but to serve. As a Wellesley Alum (1975), Hillary's stories about the campus on Lake Waban brought back memories. When she writes about how the Wellesley of her day was so different from when Madeleine Albright attended ten year previously, it brought home how much the women's college changed from Clinton's time there to the Wellesley I describe in my own memoir.
Despite the political and social changes over the decades, some things stayed the same. I laughed aloud with recognition at Clinton's description of the Ivy League Mixers and boys racing back to Cambridge on Rte. 9 on Saturday nights.
Clinton captured the unique millieu of Wellesley where young women were encouraged to excel and contribute to the world. In LIVING HISTORY, she relates how she took the call "to serve, not to be served" to heart and made a difference in the world. Although it petered out a bit and could have had a stronger ending, Clinton's memoir is a good read, highly recommended especially for girls and young women who will see that a life of service, while challenging, is worth the struggle.
Rating: 
Summary: Revisionist History at It's Finest!
Review: Though full of half-truths and self-promoting propaganda, this book does provide a glimpse into the twisted, egotistical psyche that is Hillary Clinton. Prior to reading this book, I felt that Hillary was an evil person, bent on doing harm to our country. A scary thought, but easily countered. Now, I see that, in her heart, she actually believes that her vision for our country is just. That thought is simply terrifying! Had Thoreau seen Hillary coming, he surely would have turned and run away...
Rating:
Summary: An interesting and engaging book
Review: I started reading this book because I had to write a paper on Hillary Clinton. I only intended to read enough to write the paper but I found it diffuclt to stop myself after I started. I ended up reading the entire book. By detailing her struggles in life, this book made Hillary seem human instead of the polarizing figure that most people think of. However, if you desire Hillary's scoop on the Lewinsky scandal, you will be disappointed. Hillary got over the scandal quickly and this is reflected in the book. Hillary's account of the scandal is scattered over 4 paragraphs and mainly talks about her path to forgiveness. This book portrays Hillary as the woman that she really is. It is a pleasure to read. Highly recommended.
Rating:
Summary: full of fascinating details
Review: The book has disappointingly little about Hillary's life before she became famous. Also missing are meaty, flowery descriptions of anything. This is a pretty overwhelming collection of trivia.
Most of the text focuses on Hillary as First Lady. In some sense this is two books. One part focuses on big political issues like health care reform and the Ken Starr investigation. The other is a travel log, documenting fascinating trips and meetings. The frustrating thing is switching back and forth between the two. It's a bit like dealing with a split personality. Perhaps it would have been better to write two volumes: one full of political essays and advocacy, and the other full of charming stories about all the wonderful things she did.
She tends to describe feelings and settings in a few words. This has lead some readers to think she's very tight-lipped and political. I wonder instead to what extent she even dwells on what she is experiencing. Perhaps she's just too busy to have much internal life. Maybe she's not hiding anything at all. Maybe she's not reflective, but rather action-oriented.
I get the impression of a woman very much in love with her husband, very protective of her daughter, fiercely loyal to the people who work for her, and acutely sensitive to political complexities. Sometimes she seems reluctant to reveal herself. Other times she's startlingly candid, like when she throws up in a Russian limo.
Later, perhaps when she retires, I hope we'll get some more leisurely, reflective articles about what all those trips and meetings were like.
On the whole, the book is very worthwhile reading, and packed full of useful, educational information.
Rating:
Summary: Thank Godness, She's Gone
Review: This book said nothing and provided no new insight the Clinton politcal machine. It does reenforce the fact that I'm glad she is no longer manipulate the presidency of the US. I only pray (and I do pray daily) that she will never pursue higher office again.
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