LIVING HISTORY by Hillary Rodham Clinton

Hillary Rodham Clinton, Living History (Headline, 2003; New York : Scribner, 2004).

Living History, Read by the author (Simon & Schuster Audio, 2003), 6 CDs. Also available in paperback, Kindle and Nook.

(MEMOIR)

Reviewed by Wilda Morris

Before heading out of town, I stopped by the library sale shelf to look for a recorded book which might keep me awake during a long drive. I discovered Living History, read by the author, Hillary Rodham Clinton, herself.

The book isn’t as long, detailed or deep as numerous subsequent books on the Clinton Administration will be, but it is interesting to hear a former First Lady discuss her years in that role. Maureen Dowd, who reviewed the book for the New York Times, is undoubtedly correct when she says the book “is neither living nor history.” She sees it more as campaign literature for the 2008 presidential bid. See

http://www.nytimes.com/2003/06/29/books/the-real-hillary.html?pagewanted=all&src=pm.

After briefly describing her upbringing, college years, and employment with the Children’s Defense Fund, Clinton describes her first meeting with Bill Clinton. She turned down his first several proposals, but eventually committed herself to the relationship and married him. If her life with Bill Clinton has been a bed of roses, those roses have had plenty of thorns!

Clinton believes there was a right-wing conspiracy to undercut her husband’s administration. Yet even as she discusses the ways in which attempts to turn past events of little consequence into major scandals made governing more difficult, her voice is modulated. The scandal that really did in the president was for real: the Monica Lewinsky affair. It was, she says, "the most devastating, shocking and hurtful experience of my life." Perhaps the most hurtful aspect was that her husband lied to her, as he did to the nation, until two days before his testimony to the Grand Jury. Clinton discusses her feelings, and why she stood by Bill despite his “indiscretion” and lies.

Clinton also recounts more pleasant and on occasion even amusing stories about her family life (her devotion to daughter Chelsea is evident), and meetings with politicians and with foreign leaders. For example, Boris Yeltsin unsuccessfully tried to persuade her to taste moose-lip soup.

Clinton has a good writing style and reads well. I’ll be looking forward to her what I presume will be her next book: one detailing her years as Secretary of State.