My Life
by Bill Clinton
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Book Reviews of My Life
Book Review: Heartfelt Willie!!
Summary: 5 Stars
In 2001, William Jefferson "Bill" Clinton exited the White House after becoming the first two-term Democratic president since Franklin Delano Roosevelt. Instead of praise for surmounting numerous and incredible life obstacles, his rags-to-riches personal life story actually had the right wing seriously enraged enough to attempt a sham impeachment and conviction on anything (and EVERYTHING) they thought up. The reception discrepancy between his personal history and presidential administration is painstakingly explored in the personal autobiography---with no detail spared. I am not fortunate enough to live near a city where Clinton undertook book promotion tours, but this title's price vs. length and quality is well worth those televised all-night camp outs. Eschewing a ghost-writer, Clinton personally poured his heart and mind about personal and potentially difficult subjects which former presidents (of all ideologies) shielded themselves from. Choosing the less-utilized "open disclosure" route is a refreshing contribution to American public policymaking. It is also one which more public officials should follow.
Rather than seeing diversity as an election strategy, Clinton genuinely appreciates social justice movements which attempt to make the world radically different from his Arkansas boyhood. In the television era's early days, then-Governor Orval Fabus tried to maintain segregation `standing in front of the schoolhouse door' to Little Rock's Central High School (pp. 38-39) Undoubtedly this incident's horror (and fears that all southerners were presumed to agree with Faubus) helped solidify determination to pursue a radically contrasting racial public policy legacy (pp. 559-560). In turn, Clinton's early decision explains why I and many other people love him today.
Repeatedly, Clinton draws upon his witness to the 1957 Little Rock action as one motivator for public service (the other of course is meeting President Kennedy at a D.C. Boys Town Summit). Because I am also growing up in a conservative southern town, I am comforted things do change; a young Republican who openly cheered during the announcement of President Kennedy's assassination later became a Democrat, social worker, and one of Clinton's biggest political supporters (p. 65). The bigger person recognizes when it is time to mend the oft-mentioned political fences. During his Arkansas Governorship Clinton demonstrated the nation only maximum potential when all demographics are empowered to participate in the American dream.
I also enjoyed reading personal family anecdotes---including those which are probably still painful to share with audiences. In fifth grade, he learned that people who rented out motels for long periods of time did abortions (p. 29) because the procedure was illegal in the state. He also describes the incidents where stepfather Roger beat the family---until young Bill grew big enough to fight back (pp. 45-51). The vivid descriptions provide both literary action and a solemn reminder the world is better because abortion is legalized, and domestic violence is no longer a `family affair'. As a child of divorce, I am also reassured that an American President went through several of the same experiences me and many of my friends experienced. When he talks about families, Clinton is personally aware there are many different types of families and the rightwing has never spoken for everybody (pp. 633-636)
As the first president to be in the delivery room during his child's birth (p. 273), Clinton brought unprecedented sensitivity to the Oval Office. Because the lives of American voters are more egalitarian, this empathy is a definite asset in the post-cold war era From his own personal experiences, Clinton easily understands that good and strong families come in all compositions (pp. 426-427). I was also intrigued to learn that Clinton did not personally/politically have a problem with Hillary's last name (p. 296). Finally, "women's issues" like the Equal Rights Amendment (p. 257) stand on their own merit as something which is genuinely important to HIM.
Certainly people have to take self-initiative for their private life, but Clinton's centrist Democratic theory (dating from Robert F. Kennedy's 1968 presidential campaign) says that government is still obligated to ensure the people trying to help themselves and their communities can actually do so (p. 122). This approach explains why he signed the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996 ---overhauling the depression-era welfare system, while also rejecting the complete dismantlement passionately championed by Republican opponents. Aware that welfare payments had varied by state and women were not getting rich anywhere, Clinton also knew the current system had intentionally built-in incentives for women to stay at home instead of work. Welfare was initially developed so low-income women would not `deviate from `traditional' homemaker roles and could also stay at home with their children like many other women of the time. Clinton purposefully attempted to allocate enough money and resources for childcare so low-income women would not find themselves in a horrid catch-22 situation of wanting to work but not being able to find affordable, safe, and reliable daycare for their children (pp. 720-721).
Before entering elected office, Clinton taught college classes at the University of Arkansas and the professorial enthusiasm (pp. 204-205) required for that task is especially obvious today as the lessons he taught to and learned from the students are recalled. I can easily imagine myself as a student in the class while he is racing up and down the auditorium steps exhorting us to become even more involved in the larger world (p. 203). Because they cannot realistically be confined to a classroom, such individuals were predestined to have a tremendous impact on the larger world.
By showing a less serious side of the Clintons which is not always discernable from the media, the enclosed photos reinforce this aforementioned environment. Conceding that his personal actions damaged the family (p. 800, p. 811), he avoids a holier-than-thou attitude which ruined many other political careers. Clinton succeeds at the American Dream because he already knows and easily accepts his imperfection. He is so personable that even when I disagreed with Clinton's policies, myself and others always knew that he would not attack dissenters on trumped up charges. Instead, Clinton's enduring personal patience (he appears far more patient than he has given himself credit for) and boundless optimism for the nation consistently shine throughout this book. By nature, genuine sentiment cannot be slick.
This book is a mandatory purchase for the Clinton fan---or anybody preferring a time when the United States president was respected for unflagging civility in the face of adversarial circumstances that had grounding lesser politicians from all levels of government. Unfortunately, like Hillary's autobiography (2002), the author's relative chronological youth in relation to his numerous public accomplishments means that another edition or volume will eventually be required for adequately chronicling all of the national/international contributions. Even at 957 pages, fitting all important information into one volume is impossible. I look forward to purchasing future editions of this biography.
Book Review: He has done it his way (and won)
Summary: 5 Stars
Oh, how I long for the days of having an intellectual president. We elect public servants to dissect, analyze and debate issues because we have neither the time nor the expertise to do these things ourselves. Ultimately, their full-time job is to make the best decisions on issues that affect our lives. Our country needs and deserves public servants who take this charge seriously. All too seldom do we have a president who will do this and act as capably, inclusively and responsibly as William J. Clinton did. I hope that in time, people will come to realize this and appreciate all that he did to make our country a better place to live.
President Clinton dedicates a good part of his book to covering both sides of the issues that shaped, affected and formed his administration, proving that he didn't short-change us, that he did his homework and delved into each issue and gave them all the attention they deserved. Even though it fills nearly 1,000 pages, I got the impression this is only a fraction of what he could have written.
One of his few demonstrated faults was to put too much faith in people to reciprocate both his personal trust and his devotion to public service. Faced with all the adversity in the form of people out to discredit and hinder him at every turn from the onset, it is amazing, perhaps miraculous would be a better term, that he was able to accomplish anything at all. It stands to reason that his assessment of the two major parties and their views regarding the role of government are quite accurate, as evidenced by actions over the past decade or so. He states the goal of Democrats is to make government work for our greater good and expand the middle class, whereas for Republicans it is to dismantle government as an obstruction to capitalism by making it so ineffective and damaging that people will no longer want it. (This would make room for development of fascism, or a melding of government with corporate business)
We all know his record of achievements, which are impressive by any standard, but one really must read this autobiography to fully appreciate how hard he struggled only in order to accomplish the ostensibly simplest of tasks. He simply proved infinitely more intelligent and astute politically than his Republican adversaries. To do all of this despite myriad detractors only illustrates even more how much his administration was ultimately a triumph of good over evil. The extremely positive outcomes for our country, in spite of having people fight him every step of the way, only validate and justify his righteousness. Conversely, the devastation wrought by the current administration only proves how unjust and wrong it is.
To his immense credit, he follows an explanation of the corrupting obsession with power in Washington with a forgiveness of the sinner for the sin. As examples during his presidency, Republicans shut down the government (twice, nonetheless) and spent millions in tax-payer funds on fruitless Whitewater investigations, proving they are more concerned with obtaining the power wrought by holding office than with benefiting the American public. It is also ironic that so many people who loathe(d) him benefited so much from the economic achievements that were a result of his policies. It is genuinely profound that he was able to transcend all of that and sacrifice himself for the greater good of our country. Really, what other president has been able to withstand such adversity for the sake of the country rather than for his own profit? What a complete contrast to our current administration. He is so much more of a man than his detractors will ever be.
"My Life" actually does begin at the start of his life and proceeds to the present day. Along the journey he also provides one self-contained history lesson after another, detailing not only the decisions he made, but also both sides of every issue and his rationale for making the decisions he did. It is especially impressive as a synopsis of politics in the United States during the 1990s and is essential reading for anyone wanting to experience what life for a president is like. I am not sure if people realize yet how rare and indispensable this book is?
Throughout the book, he analyzes decisions he has made during his lifetime and their consequences, simultaneously detailing what he learned from those experiences. He also surrounded himself with people who challenged and simultaneously inspired him rather than placated him. This appears to be such an obvious and necessary exercise, yet believe it or not we are currently confronted with the opposite mindset.
In this book, President Clinton proves himself worthy of his reputation as a brilliant man, capable of grasping the complexities and nuances of global issues. It is such a refreshing break from the moral absolutes and hyperbole to which we have since been subjected. Nothing can be reduced to a simplistic black and white terms, especially any issue so nationally crucial that it demands the attention of the President. His insatiable curiosity, thirst for knowledge and understanding of the world led him to devour hundreds, if not thousands of books on a vast array of subjects. He often sacrificed sleep in order to read an entire book the night before staff meetings just so he could gain a different perspective and more fully comprehend an impending topic on his agenda. As Arkansas governor and as president, he fully utilized his knowledge of the world and his capacity for analytical thought, as well as his understanding that it is often necessary to work cooperatively with leaders of other nations in order to accomplish our country's own goals. He understood it is sometimes necessary to compromise in order to implement policies that are constructive to our society; unfortunately, the alternative has since become the rule, which is to dismantle the checks and balances and the very democratic infrastructure we had struggled so hard to achieve. Many citizens of this country really do not deserve a public servant such as Clinton because his goals always have been to improve and advance our country. Unbelievably, his detractors prefer politicians who protect the interests of corporations and their own cronies. He has fought for civil and constitutional rights and the good of our society, not for the good of only an elite few. Can anyone honestly say it is preferred to have a president who acts on instinct, faith and absolutism to one who challenges, educates and informs himself and then analyzes a situation in order to make the best possible decision?
He proves a rather keen observer and judge of people as he often provides a brief psychoanalysis of people he has known. It is also truly awe-inspiring how much time and contemplation he gives to so many things, from issues affecting the lives of people on the other side of the world to minute and seemingly insignificant things such as Newt Gingrich.
He has said people should be judged by everything they have done in life, not only the one or two moments where they slip. Is anyone honestly willing to negate everything he accomplished for our country for one mistake?
Book Review: Of Brilliant Imperfections
Summary: 5 Stars
First published in Deccan Herald, Sunday, July 18, 2004.
It is a rare breed of author that succeeds in infusing every word of their writing with their essential persona. Bill Clinton is of that rare breed. Every page of My Life is quintessentially Clinton, rambling, pontificating, bragging, and only rarely boring.
He writes about everything that could possibly have happened in his life right from an autobiographical essay for a high school English course: "I am a person motivated and influenced by so many diverse forces I sometimes question the sanity of my existence. I am a living paradox - deeply religious, yet not as convinced of my exact beliefs as I ought to be; wanting responsibility yet shirking it; loving the truth but often times giving way to falsity ...I detest selfishness, but see it in the mirror everyday..." Not surprisingly, the paper got a 100!
My Life is really two disparate books bandaged into one. The first is a brilliant memoir of Clinton's early years and his time as Arkansas Governor. Every minute occurrence in Arkansas politics is recounted at such length that even the lay reader will emerge an expert. Yet make no mistake that even the smallest event has Clinton's own spin, often trying to show himself in the best light.
A small instance of this is his trip to Washington as a Boys Nation senator and the famous photograph with President Kennedy. He claims that he got to shake the President's hand only because he was in front and bigger than the other boys! Unlike the commonly held belief that the incident was indicative of his political aspirations at that young age. Clinton talks of many incidents that helped shape the person he was to become. His loyalty to friends, his devotion to the black cause, and his special relationship with working mothers, all were forged early.
In one very revealing instance, Clinton writes that when he was eating a steak at a diner in Times Square, at a table nearby a boy was giving his "heartbroken mother" a "verbal beating" with the words "It's cheap, Mama. It's cheap." The mother had saved up money and bought her son a record player, but the problem was that the boy wanted a `hi-fi.' The straightened circumstances that he was raised in, and the troubled life that his mother lived, were to make him a president particularly sensitive to workingwomen, and broken families.
My Life is also interesting for another reason: it unravels American history from the viewpoint of one of its most colourful characters. When Clinton, undoubtedly the President who did more for the blacks than any other, speaks of the effect of Martin Luther King Jr.'s famous dream for America speech, much that we take for granted in America today is shown to have been hard won.
As a fellow Rhodie, Clinton's ruminations on his experiences at Oxford were particularly interesting to me. Clinton's Oxford days were unremarkable for academic prowess or indeed anything else. He admittedly didn't do much but read and travel and doesn't talk about the alleged drug use.
He gives us a keen insight into the political activism of students of the time, a marked departure from the apathy of present day Oxford. If you've read Maraniss's biography, you are left with the feeling that much of Clinton's time at Oxford was aimed at avoiding the draft. Yet, Clinton's memoir, while revealing great angst about Vietnam, and his desire not to serve, does not reveal that aspect of his personality. He comes across as a confused young man, who does not want to jeopardise his future for the sake of his principles.
After his Rhodes Scholarship tenure at Oxford, Clinton went up to Yale to study law. His time there was also unremarkable for academic brilliance, but he more than made up for that by finding "the smarter Clinton." Clinton's first contact with Hillary Rodham is the stuff of pure legend. He had spotted her in a class but didn't have the courage to introduce himself. He saw her several times around Yale but hadn't approached her yet. One evening in the library, when he was being harassed into joining the editorial staff of the Yale Law Journal, Clinton saw her at the other end of the room and stared at her. She closed the book that she was reading and walked up to him and said, "If you're going to keep staring at me and I'm going to keep staring back, we ought to at least know each other's names. Mine's Hillary Rodham. What's yours?" The rest, as they say, is history.
Clinton's version of his Arkansas years is illuminating. They served to give him the political education that would frustrate his opponents and awe his supporters. While he does devote huge portions of the book on these years, the "bimbo eruptions" are given short shrift. Gennifer Flowers is on record as having had an affair with him for over a decade. Yet all that Clinton does is admit that he "had had a relationship with her that I should not have had."
Monica Lewinsky gets more treatment. Clinton writes that "I was disgusted with myself for doing it ...(and) told her that it was wrong for me...I also told her that she was an intelligent, interesting person who could have had a good life..." He explains his now famous verbal gymnastics when asked if he had sex with her thus: "In the deposition, I was trying to protect my family and myself from my selfish stupidity. I believed that the contorted definition of `sexual relations' enabled me to do so..." He spends several pages explaining his side of the story, and it is apparent that the incident rankles deeply.
Clinton's most fervent desire, conventional wisdom would dictate, would be to ensure that he is not remembered for Monicagate. Yet, the master politician that he is, he tries to sell us exactly the opposite. He wants to be remembered for Monicagate! However, that is his version of Monicagate: a "vast right-wing conspiracy", although he is wary of using those words. It is clear that Clinton is convinced that the conservative far-right gunned for him because they were unwilling to stomach the changes that he was trying to push through the system, although he does admit that he helped their cause by allowing his personal demons to consume him.
His sense of shame that he let his side down is almost palpable. This is a man who must be tearing his hair, and screaming at himself when there is no crowd to work. The knowledge that he allowed so much talent and ability to amount to so little cannot be a small burden to bear. If things had turned out differently, Reagan's legacy as the "great communicator" might well have been in danger. Yet it is in these imperfections that this man's charm lies. In a perfect world, he might have had little appeal. But in our imperfect world, his life is pure theatre. He can be captivating and exasperating, capable of astounding feats and astonishing stupidity, but no one can in all fairness say that he is boring. That, in sum, is My Life.
Book Review: "William,it was really NOTHING..."
Summary: 3 Stars
Clinton is the grand example of what black Yale law professor Stephen L. Carter, author of Reflections of an Affirmative Action Baby, caustically wrote:"Last year, I greatly upset the students in my seminar on Law and Social Movements by suggesting to them the following proposition: 'Any white person who truly believes in affirmative action should be willing to pledge that, if his or her child is admitted to a Harvard or a Princeton, he or she will at once write to the school saying, "My child will not be attending. Please hold the slot for a member of a minority group."'
"The consternation among my students confirmed my belief that few white people, even among the most liberal, support affirmative action when it actually costs them something. They like it precisely because they can tell themselves that they are working for racial justice while pretending that the costs do not exist."The "autobiography" of Bill Clinton is such a case in point. Marxist Clinton was all hubris without recognizing he created nemesis. Clintons "morals" are typified by those wealthy and "trendy" who wear a Che Gueverra T shirt-any who point out that it is the moral equivalent of sporting an equally oppresive swastika are denounced in th eharshest terms- this is the Clinton motif. Clinton...went to war in Bosnia without UN or French consent,Bosnia never attacked us.
He was offered Osama bin Laden's head on a platter three times by Sudan and did nothing.
Osama has attacked us on multiple occasions.
In the two years since terrorists attacked US President Bush has liberated two countries,crushed the Taliban,crippled al-Qaida,put nuclear inspectors in Libya, Iran and North Korea without firing a shot, and captured a terrorist who slaughtered 300,000 of his own people.
Intellectually dishonest Democrats like Clinton are complaining
about how long the war is taking, but...
It took less time to take Iraq than it took Janet Reno to burn alive all the children in the Branch Davidian compound in Clinton's efforts to "protect" them.
That was a 51 day operation.
We've been looking for evidence of chemical weapons in Iraq for less time than it took Hillary Clinton to find her Rose Law Firm billing records.
It took less time for the 3rd Infantry Division and the Marines to destroy the Medina Republican Guard than it took Ted Kennedy
to call the police after his Oldsmobile sank at Chappaquiddick, drowning his pregnant girlfriend Mary Jo.
Our current Commander-In-Chief is doing a GREAT JOB compared to th eprior occupant and his obsession with prolonging partial birth abortion and demonstrating that abuse of power is applauded when practiced by a Marxist!
The Military moral is high unlike during the days of rapist Bill!
The biased Leftist media hopes we are too ignorant to
realize the facts.It's a sad and sick debate for anyone who experienced the euphoria and hope that accompanied the fall of the Soviet Union in 1991. Unfortunately, it is also a perfectly predictable debate for anyone who witnessed the disastrous consequences of the Clinton-Gore policies in the former Soviet Union during the 1990s.
It is difficult to fault Russia for seeking the lifeline that the former Chekists offered her in the person of Vladimir Putin.
The West and many of its 'contacts and allies' within the former Soviet Union conducted themselves with a arrogance and greed seldom seen in the annals of history. One might compare it to the how the Red Directors and other party apparatchiks ran the old Soviet economy, but one almost has to go back to corporate America in the 1990s operated under the watchful eye of Clinton- Gore to get a real sense of the sheer audacity and vileness of the main characters.
The Chekists offered a reservoir of intelligent and talented individuals capable of leading Russia into a new era. They also had some skeletons in their collective past, which they needed to confront and deal with and the stubborn refusal to do so is on par with Bill Clinton's refusal to admit that he raped Juanita Broderick and that he is the cause of the 9/11 terrorist attacks. The failure to open the archives represents a moment in the Cold War as significant as the fall of the Berlin Wall. In effect, millions of people around the world remained locked up behind the walls of Lubyanka.
Cracks have appeared through the years in Lubyanka's walls, with the opening of some of the Communist Party files and the Stasi files, along with the release of Venona Tapes and the Mitrokhin archives. Somewhere inside the Kremlin on September 11, 2002, Russian President, and former Chekist, Vladimir Putin was probably raising a glass of fine Sovetski Champanskii to mark the 125th birthday of Felix Dzerzhinsky ( along with Bill and Hillary.)
Dzerzhinsky was the founder of the Cheka. The Cheka was the precursor of the KGB and today's FSB and SVR, the main Russian government agencies responsible for domestic and foreign intelligence and Russian State security.Bill Clinton's wife, Hillary, wanted to create a sytem modeled after this during the Clinton years. Dzerzhinsky's and the Cheka's core legacy, despite 'heroic' attempts to romanticize and justify the monster that was created in 1918, was 10s of millions of dead Russians. The other non-Russian victims of the Chekists include millions of dead souls scattered across several continents over the course of the 20th century. Clinton reveals little actual truth in his book. Clinton fails to shed any light on why he created such geopolitical horror; why he raped Juanita Broderick and attacked the grieving Kathleen Willey; why he refused to pardon profoundly retarded Ricky Ray Rector and yet took millions from Mark Rich (and various drug lords) for their pardons. The Reagan "An American Life" Autobiography was so revealing and stands in stark contrast to this "Mien Kampf" for Leftists . Clintons book would be welcomed ONLY in a latrine needing toilet paper.Mona Charen's "USEFUL IDIOTS" exposese the TRUTH about Clinton and his supporters- It is a fitting epitaph to a liar, coward and socialist who wrecked a generation.
Book Review: Give The Man A Break....and Some Respect
Summary: 5 Stars
Whew......I have just finished reading "My Life" and I am walking away from it with a much better understanding of who Bill Clinton really is.I decided to read this book, not because I ever consider myself a fan of Bill Clinton, but because I felt open to trying to understand the man behind an 8 year Presidency. I discovered in the process that the man represented by the media is at best incomplete. I also discovered that for all Clinton's faults he managed to serve our nation with strength and a relentless pursuit towards a more global America. For this I have developed a respect where there once was none. I am more aware now of the spins placed on the presidency by our media and by all of the jealous few who do not have the backbone to sit in the seat at the highest pinnacle while being in constant judgment by the entire world. It appears easy from the couch I imagine but it is much different in reality. Clinton has written an insightful account of what it must be like to exist on the top when everyone is bent on bringing you down. His presidency was so much more than "girlygate" and his contributions to our society should be admired and respected whether or not we follow his beliefs. For democracy to exist we must be willing to change our minds when necessary, to allow for expansion and growth as individuals and as human beings existing in a world much bigger than ourselves. This book provides the opportunity for those willing to get beyond the stigmas and prejudices that cause our nation such grief.
The best part of "My Life" in my opinion is Clinton's early years. Clinton writes about how he emerged from a normal childhood into greatness. He learned lessons along the way that formed his democratic convictions and enlightened him to the injustices of poverty, racism and prejudices. I found myself relating to him almost toe to toe in his early years and realized one of the reasons he succeeded where others like him have failed, is because he never had to hear the word "can't." Although he was surrounded in Southern prejudices and felt hatred and despair he was able to move beyond the grips of failing. So many people become traumatized when faced with the same circumstances that they end up fading away into oblivion rather than finding a way to make a difference, for this alone I applaud Clinton for his ability to fight life's adversities and maintain compassion in a damaged heart.
I found myself absolutely enthralled with Clinton's relationships with leaders from other nations. He encouraged a true global perspective on how a world ought to be run and tried his best to find happy meeting grounds to all of those he encountered. In 8 years Clinton never fell to the power trip of taking America into war. He utilized our forces when necessary, made his point and got out without many enemies internationally. He formed friendships and powerful political ties with Rabin, Arafat, Chirac, Yeltsin, Kohl, King Hussein, Obuchi, Zemin, Mandela and many other noteworthy international leaders. His efforts in North Korea, Bosnia, Israel, Russia, Northern Ireland and China led to peaceful agreements and solutions on the verge of occurrence. Clinton braved visits to Palestinian refugee camps with Arafat, North Korea, Pakistan during an uprising, China, and war-torn Bosnia. He admits his failures in Africa, specifically Rwanda and mentions that going forward his focus will remain on establishing better living conditions in that continent. But the most profound statement that I came across in this book was Clinton's idea that terrorism can be controlled through education, nutrition and better living conditions in poverty stricken countries because terrorism stopped in childhood is a better defense than igniting more hate. I wish more leaders conformed to this philosophy!
While I still believe Clinton caused some of his own problems I also see how he was relentlessly pursued to fail by the likes of Gingrich, Dole and Kenneth Starr. I remember being one of the bandwagon members during his investigations fully believing all of the stories I was being told by the media. Now that I see the other side of such sensationalized stories I can better appreciate Clinton's strength of character. He ran our country successfully where many lesser men would have failed under similar circumstances. For that he needs to be given credit. As for his apparent weaknesses towards women, whether it be right or wrong, it is merely a downfall of thousands of powerful men, imagine Jefferson and his slave Sally pursued by the media today! Men will be men. But what really makes a man is a willingness to admit failure and Clinton clearly does just that in many paragraphs throughout this book.
In my opinion this book fails in only one regard: it really needed a better editor. Clinton rambles on and on about seemingly each and every person he ever met in his entire life. Some statements are simply unimportant and should have been omitted entirely. Others could have been elaborated upon. It also would have been nice to have full chapters devoted to one international issue rather than reading bit parts here and there all through the book. It becomes confusing if you are not a master of international history and all of its components.
I believe this book is well worth the read regardless of your political views. It is historical, candid, interesting and at points even emotionally profound. Whether or not you like Clinton as a leader as a person he is worthy of respect and someone who continues to represent our nation internationally and in good faith. Going forward his focus will be on "overcoming poverty, ignorance, disease and bad government" as a way to end all of the hatred than stems from ignoring the true cause of terrorism. Clinton writes that through virtues such as hope, faith and love our world may no longer have to "see through a glass darkly." My Life will inspire you towards a richer involvement in American politics, a desire to serve rather than complain and encourage you to be active in this great big world despite all of its problems. Bravo, Mr. Clinton!