Book summary

In this much-anticipated presidential autobiography, the 42nd president of the United States reveals, for the first time and in his own words, how he sees his life and career. MY LIFE is a 900+-page work that is ambitious in scope, yet very conversational in tone. Clinton speaks fondly of his early years in Hope, Arkansas, crediting his mother and his stepfather (whose last name the former William Jefferson Blythe adopted) for setting him off on the right path. Yet he does not shave off the darker side, including the untimely death of his birth father in a ditch by the side of the road months before Bill was born. Clinton recalls, it seems, nearly every event in his political life, big and small, as well as every person, big and small, who ever worked with him--or against him--from Arkansas to the White House. There is a grand sweep to MY LIFE, and policy wonks and scandal mongers alike should find enough in here to please. Clinton reviews just about everything that was on his calendar, but he makes sure, also, to reflect on those events. He assesses his major accomplishments, which include his record on the economy and his intervention in Serbia. He also shares his regrets on both the health-care issue and his failed attempt to broker a final, enduring peace in the Middle East. What is new and of interest is his version of his administration's awareness of the terrorist threat, and his targeting of Osama bin Laden. The ever-present, steadying presence of Hillary and his love for both her and their daughter Chelsea come through loud and clear. As for the Lewinsky affair, he blames himself. ("I did it...because I could.") For his impeachment, he blames partisan politics and an overzealous and (in his view lawbreaking) Kenneth Starr. MY LIFE is a combination mea culpa, political speech, and attempt to set the record for history. And there is a sense that it was also an opportunity for a now-retired formerly busy man to review, in repose, a full life. In his epilogue, Clinton says, "I think it's a good story, and I've had a good time telling it"--and that comes through loud and clear. A New York Times Notable Book for 2004.

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