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Living History: Memoirs |  | Author: Hillary Clinton
Publisher: Headline
Category: Book
List Price: £8.99
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Seller: sandford_book
Rating:  9 reviews
Sales Rank: 47942
Media: Paperback
Edition: New Ed
Pages: 592
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1.1
Dimensions (in): 7.6 x 5 x 1.6
ISBN: 0747255245
Dewey Decimal Number: 920
EAN: 9780747255246
ASIN: 0747255245
Publication Date: April 26, 2004
Availability: Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days
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Showing reviews 1-5 of 9
 Fascinating December 24, 2005
O. Doyle (Ireland)
5 out of 7 found this review helpful
A lot has been written about the Clintons and not all of it complimentary so this was Hillarys stab at putting the record straight. I find her fascinating as she refused to take the back seat of a traditional First Lady and instead threw herself into the areas where she felt she could help most, for example, the Health Reform issue. This book is a fascinating account of her life so far and I#8217;m pretty certain it#8217;s this account will only cover the first half of her life. I#8217;ve I were a betting lady I#8217;d put money on #8216;Senator Clinton#8217; trading her title in for the new title of #8216;Madam President#8217; in 2008!
Great Piece Of History For The Future June 24, 2004
3 out of 8 found this review helpful
Great Piece Of History For The Future, poignant and detailed-simple and honest. I do wish there had been more details about the personal life between the married Clintons, but it is still a fabulously written memoir that will live on in to history.pAlso recommended: Three Weeks With My Brother,Nightmares Echo,Secret Life Of Bees,Color Purple
 A careful account of an interesting life April 10, 2006
emma-ann
9 out of 9 found this review helpful
OK so first off we need to establish that Hillary isn't a writer. However she does have a neat lawyer-ish way of caring for words. And the book is certainly clearly written and relatively easy to follow even for someone with only a passing interest in US politics. For me the explanations of the policy issues were properly written for a general audience rather than a specialist one and I did admire that she was able to make complex issues relatively accessible. Of course this book is really a preamble to her presidential run so if you're expecting any major personal revelations you'll be disappointed. But it does provide a very useful insight into a fascinating period in American politics. Well worth reading.
Living history with an eye on making it March 11, 2008
Sofia (Bristol, UK)
3 out of 3 found this review helpful
I came to this book through the coverage of the 2008 democratic presidential contest with no real feelings for Mrs Clinton.
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br /Living History is predominantly a political memoir of her life up to the end of Bill Clinton's presidency, but includes details of her upbringing and early years. To start with, it has to be said that the first few chapters of this book, where she covers her family background, her childhood, her adolescence, her student life and meeting Bill Clinton, are dreadful. She covers a great deal of time in short paragraphs, repeatedly punctuated with a little message about what this or that experience taught her about democracy, American values, service etc. It renders these personal chapters very dry and dull. Instead of being personal and nostalgic, they read like a political CV, justifying her qualification for the life she went on to live. It's a real shame.
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br /That said, once Clinton begins to talk politics, the tone and focus changes and it is abundantly clear that this is her real passion. These chapters, which comprise the rest of the book, are both fascinating and engaging and though often full of self-justification, are much more subtly written. The section covering her time in the White House champions Bill's cause without spending any real time on his successes, focusing instead on setting the record straight on the more controversial parts of his tenure: thus, there's a lot about Whitewater, a lot about Hillary's failed attempt to influence healthcare reform and fairly regular character assassination of Kenneth Starr. Curiously, there is remarkably little about Monica Lewinsky, which is odd given the often defensive tone of the book.
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br /The book is on the whole a genuinely interesting read and Mrs Clinton comes across as a true feminist, proudly breaking new ground for women in politics. In the current climate it can read a little like an application to be president and she will insist on stressing every moment when she was involved in Bill Clinton's more successful policies, which grates after a while. Those looking for an emotional response to being First Lady will be disappointed; she strikes a curious balance between political candour and extreme personal reserve, but after having so much of her personal life splashed across the papers she's probably entitled to leave some things to your imagination.
A Good 1st Lady Memoir - That's It; That's All! March 19, 2005
Jana L. Perskie (New York, NY USA)
12 out of 19 found this review helpful
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 brClinton 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.pSenator 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. pI 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. pHer 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. pWhen 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.pI 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. pFinally, 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.brJANA
Showing reviews 1-5 of 9
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