Pros: Helps better understand the character of Clinton, insider details
Cons: Over usage of personal pronouns, definition of normalcy called in question
The Bottom Line: Living History is necessary reading for any serious student of history; the reader will have a better appreciation for this remarkable First Lady
keithpruitt's Full Review: Hillary Rodham Clinton - Living History
The fascination with history runs deep in my veins, and when Hillary Clinton’s long-awaited memoirs finally hit the stands, I happened upon a sale where the book was 40% off. I couldn’t resist the hype. And it was mostly hype that drew me to the book. While I am not overly fond of Mrs. Clinton, although the book did swing me to favor her, I am a Presidential Historian by training and have generally purchased every first family memoir since, … well, lets just say I go back a ways.
My range of comparison with former first ladies’ memoirs was Nancy Reagan’s raging memoir My Turn, so I was expecting Clinton’s to be a poor-pitiful-look-what-they-did-to-us-behind-the-scenes book. While, in part, it isn’t far from that, Living History is a valuable contribution to the chronicling of the life of the most controversial first lady since Eleanor Roosevelt.
Clinton begins with her Republican, yes you read me correctly, Republican upbringing in suburban Chicago. Her father, Hugh Rodham, was a staunch Republican businessman, but her mom taught her to think and do for herself. Her foundation character is so important to understanding this outstanding character of recent history, and Clinton does an excellent job of giving us the background to understand how she became the person she has become.
Mrs. Clinton was very politically active from an early age, becoming actively involved in high school in supporting Presidential candidates. The first big surprise of the book is found in that backdrop as she supports the candidacy of Barry Goldwater, Mr. Conservative, in the 1964 Presidential contest. The next surprise comes when the young Rodham heads to Miami for the Republican Convention in 1968 in support of Nelson Rockefeller’s efforts to gain the nomination from Richard Nixon.
In the interlude, she tells of hearing Martin Luther King speak in Chicago, of being in the middle (as an observer) of the Chicago riots at the Democratic Convention in 1968, and her beginnings of questioning the system of limited women’s opportunities in America. Rodham was determined to achieve, and she made her move while in high school, serving in student government and becoming a political activist.
She went to Wellesley College (also the alma mater of Madeline Albright) where she continued her climb. She spends a great deal in the book talking about the people that were around her, her friends, mentors, teachers, etc., and forging the concept that she is a people person and very loyal to her friends. This is a crucial part of her make up and very critical in understanding her loyalty later.
It was during her years at Wellesley that she was challenged to think about her political beliefs. She was one of the few Republicans on campus, either among students or teachers, but she was staunch in her beliefs; that is, until a political science teacher set up a debate between Rodham and another student during the Presidential election of 1972. She was supportive of Richard Nixon but was asked by the teacher to do a role reversal exercise. She had to defend the policies of George McGovern, the Democratic candidate for President. Being very research oriented, she delved into the issues, the major one being the Vietnam War, and found to her surprise that she actually agreed more with McGovern than Nixon. This was the crucial moment that caused her to change parties.
When the end of her four years came at Wellesley, Hillary Rodham had become so popular she was asked by the students to be a speaker at the commencement exercises. This had never been done in the schools history, and the President of the College resisted. But after meeting with Rodham, she was persuaded to give in. Rodham’s speech was so moving that the journalist present to cover the event cast her into the public’s attention with interviews of television and coverage in national magazines.
Rodham was torn between Yale and Harvard for law school, and could have gone to either, but a chance meeting with one of the faculty at Harvard determined her continuing education. When introduced to the professor, a friend told him she was being courted by their nearest competition. The professor stuffily responds that “we have no competition, and we certainly need no more women in the law school.”
So Rodham was off to Yale. It was here that she met and fell in love with Bill Clinton. She was so smitten with his looks, smarts, and tremendous sense of humor. Hillary so often mentions that Bill Clinton is one of the few people who can always make her laugh. Years later when she finds out the true about Monica Lewinsky, it was this attribute of Bill Clinton that made her want to stay with him.
The remainder of the book chronicles their tumultuous years in the political arena, from Bill becoming the nation’s youngest governor, through eight years serving as First Lady, to her own work for women and children on a global theater, to the scandal of Whitewater, Filegate, Troopergate, Travelgate, and Monica. The book concludes with her election as a United States Senator from New York, the first former First Lady to seek and serve in elective office.
One will be amazed at some of the things learned in this memoir not only about what happened behind the scenes, but at some of the most tender moments in their lives; the death of her father (who, by the way, was a big supporter of Bill Clinton- imagine that), the suicide of Vince Foster, the assassination of Israeli Prime Minister Begin, the death of the President’s mother, and the moments that almost ended their marriage.
Personally, one of the most interesting moments was when they invited former President Richard Nixon to the White House to talk with him about health care. Unknown, or not remembered, was that Nixon had made strong moves to create a national health care program 20 years prior to Clinton, he too without success. It was a touching moment soon overshadowed by Nixon’s sudden death.
There is also a wonderful relationship that develops with Jackie Kennedy. While only briefly mentioned in the book, I thought it very developmental in understanding Hillary Rodham Clinton.
Living History is must reading for any serious student of history. You will learn much. But even with all the complements of the above, there are some downsides. Clinton seems to go out of her way to make the reader focus on her concerns for women and children, and of how much a normal mother she was to Chelsea. The attempt might be there, but I don’t think that most readers will think any of the interactions with their daughter in the White House years could have been normal. How many children get to ride elephants in India?
Clinton’s usage of personal pronouns becomes annoying. She even makes a point of saying that during the campaign for Senate she had to get use to saying “I” instead of “We” as she was accustomed to being a surrogate campaigner instead of campaigning for herself. She seems to have mastered its usage.
The bottom line is that Clinton has contributed a valuable chronicling of the history that she helped create. Will there be a volume 2? Stay tuned. This remarkable lady may make more history.
One of the most intelligent and influential women in America reflects on her eight years as First Lady of the United States in a revealing book that i...More at Buy.com
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