My Life

Rating:
Summary: Exceptional work
Review: "My Life" is an exceptional work, enjoyable to read while providing a valuable refresher course on the events of President Clinton's presidency. One is left with renewed respect for President Clinton's good-spirited efforts to help people and disgust for his enemies, who were willing to sacrifice the good of America and the world for their mean-spirited objective of hurting President Clinton, his family and friends and the Democratic party.

Rating:
Summary: The man who brought our nation into the 21st century.
Review: "My Life" is an incredibly insightful, personal, and revealing look at both Bill Clinton the President of the United States, and Bill Clinton the man. The most inspirational aspect of this story is how Bill Clinton overcame all the odds, including: a +$50 million campaign designed to discredit him; an impeachment; the challenges of uniting the former Soviet Union under the promise of freedom; ending the ethnic cleansing of the Baltic States and bringing the ruthless dictator responsible for it to justice. Behind the smiles, charm, and good politics, lay a tormented soul with regrettable memories, rooted in a somewhat disfunctional childhood. And although his inner demons would at times impair his judgement, Bill Clinton led the free world, in a post Soviet Union era, to prosperity. This is the story of how he did it, and how he mustered the courage and will to do it in the face of constant political and personal attacks from his adversaries, and ultimately, leaving office with an approval rating of 65%.

- Dan DiMatteo (Miami Beach, FL)

Rating:
Summary: A Fascinating Look At The Most Controversial President
Review: A Fascinating Look At The Most Controversial President

This book will intrigue anyone who cares about America. You get an insider's view from the divisive man himslef. You'll also learn the struggles all presidents must face, and the role the media played in helping and hurting Clinton.

Rating:
Summary: A superficial look at Bill
Review: Bill is very protective of his real self. He lives and breathes politics. There are several nostalgic stories in the book as one who has lived during this time I can relate to. Too much detail about political events. Most of the book is about his political experiences, not his personal life. Not the real Bill Clinton. As a result, very boring in many places. Lists of names and dates and events. I am still not finished with the book. I do not like not finishing a book but I will have to force myself to pick this one up again.

Rating:
Summary: Bill Clinton's Memoir As Engaging As The Man
Review: Clinton's memoir is as charming and forthright as he is. It's also surprising like the man. The heavy weight tome, like Clinton himself, delivers more than expected and overcomes the hype.
In 2000, Bill Clinton cancelled a sit-down gourmet feast at Casa Sena in Santa Fe, New Mexico and became the first American President to visit the Institute of American Indian Arts Museum. I was lucky enough to be the guest curator of "IAIA Rocks the Sixties" at the time, so I was working at the museum that day. A museum guard from one of the Northern Pueblos came to get me and other staff and we climbed up to the parapets to watch Clinton's motorcade coming up East San Francisco Street and to peer across the street to the tent on the roof at LaFonda where people were all dressed up in fancy clothes waiting for the President.
The museum's pr director came out and whispered that President Clinton wanted to visit the museum right after the reception. He held his cell phone pressed to his ear - on hold with the White House. Mr. Clinton would come directly to the museum from LaFonda. There was time to drive home to get my 10 year old daughter who was a big fan of Hillary and Bill Clinton. We raced back to museum, and then waited with a handful of IAIA Museum staff while the President shook hands with big donors across the street at La Fonda who had paid $1000 each to shake his hand. Meanwhile the Museum was shut down and astir with the pr man on the phone with the White House, and Secret Service agents interviewing and screening museum staff with metal detectors.
When President Clinton arrived, he was bigger than life. He strode through the museum looking carefully at the art by Native American contemporary artists and asked thoughtful intelligent questions. When he approached me and Liesette, we were standing alone in a large gallery. President Clinton offered his hand and looked me straight in the eyes; and my heart stopped. I mumbled something stupid and introduced him to my daughter who was smiling ear to ear. The President of the United States gave her his full attention for a moment that she'll never forget. Soon a group of people gathered and he was swooped away to the gift shop to buy gifts for Hillary and Chelsea, leaving us breathless and touched by how down to earth and real Mr. Clinton was. When President Clinton left by the museum's opposite door to slip into a limo where his Casa Sena dinner sat cooling in carry-out bags, the whole staff crowded together at the door to watch him disappear down Palace Avenue.
The warmth and sincerity that those at IAIA experienced that day in 2000, comes through in MY LIFE, as does Bill Clinton's extraordinary intellect and devotion to community service.
Mr. Clinton's thoughtful, candid look at his childhood and how the violence he experienced affected him and the judgments he made in his life, struck home the most for me. Bill Clinton is an extraordinary leader because he is one of the rare people who see the big picture. When a person of his stature writes about how domestic violence affected him as a child and continued to impact the decisions he made as an adult, we can have hope that people will begin to see that the difficult road to peace begins inside each one of us and within our homes and families. MY LIFE is a perfect example of how one person telling his story can change the world. Thank you Mr. Clinton.


Rating:
Summary: Should be Entitled 'My Lies' Instead
Review: For those looking for a revealing account of life inside the Clinton White House, 'My Life' fails to deliver on both literary and substantive grounds.

First, its literary failings: It was no secret that former President Clinton wanted to write a multi-volumed account, with the first volume focusing on his childhood up through his early political career and the second solely on his campaign for the presidency and subsequent administration. Knopf ultimately vetoed the idea, reasoning that multi-volumed autobiographies/memoirs do not sell as well as single-volume accounts. The result is that there is not as much depth as one would hope for. Similarly, in an attempt to cover a wide breadth of material within the constraints placed upon him by the publisher, Clinton's White House memoirs feel rushed and hurried (despite its 900+ pages), often leaving the reader with little idea of the exact time setting of the circumstances he is describing. This, however, is really the fault of the publisher and not Clinton, who pushed hard for the multi-volumed concept. However, Clinton does leave much to be desired as an author. One particular problem with Clinton the author is that he uses awkward sentence structure and has a very dull writing style. This is a recurring problem throughout the book that at times can really hamper one's appreciation for what he is trying to convey. That Clinton struggles so much with the written word is surprising in light of the fact he was such a good public speaker.

But the problems with 'My Life' extend beyond mere literary criticisms. The deeper problem is Clinton's failure to tell the truth or take any accountability for his conduct. By this I am not exclusively referring to his infamous and politicized affair with Monica Lewinsky. Instead, the man fails to acknowledge ANY of the mistakes he has made (pardoning felons, failure to order strikes on Afghan terror camps when OBL was known to be there, failure to regard international terrorism as a serious threat, etc) or be held accountable and take responsibility for anything he did in the White House. Instead, Clinton lies, as he's become so accustomed to, and lies about everything. What emerges is an arrogant, narcissistic man who has never taken responsibility for anything in his life and has now authored a book completely divorced from reality.

Rating:
Summary: Read and Learn
Review: I am a conservative economist who, like many of the reviewers here, never voted for Bill Clinton. However, unlike those same reviewers, I read this entire book. I must say that it is somewhat satisfying to understand the thought processes behind this president. He is a remarkably bright individual who overcame a somewhat deprived childhood to excel at some of the world's finest educational institutions. Given the ineptitude of the current administration which won on pedigree, it is refreshing to know that hard work, intellect, and perseverance can also lead to the White House.

The book has a few tedious moments. The Arkansas campaigns are littered with the names of individuals no one outside of the Ozarks will recognize. On the whole though, this book delivers for the aficionado of American politics. You will see the deep thought and debate surrounding policy decisions. You will appreciate the fact that this president actually led his administration with his own ideas and strategies for implementing them. Likewise, he wrote many of his own speeches and routinely held press conferences without knowing the questions in advance. I would have liked even more from these areas, but the book does provide as much depth as most political memoirs.

What I would like from Clinton's second book would be a discussion of the perception and reality of American politics. For example, the Bush administration, with annual budget and trade deficits of over $1 trillion, has the most liberal fiscal policy since the Johnson administration. At the same time, they have increased the size of the government more than any other administration in history, with the effects of the war and 9/11 accounting for only 45% of this enormous growth. Clinton, on the other hand, was extremely conservative during his second term, shrinking the government, slowing the growth in expenditures across the board, and balancing the budget. Yet, Clinton is reviled as being too liberal by conservatives who don't seem to do their homework. It's too bad they're unwilling to spend time reading a book like this instead of allowing radio talk show hosts to fill their heads with lies that matter.

Rating:
Summary: An Easy, Pleasant Read
Review: I approached the book as though it was written -- not by a former Democratic President -- but a man with amazing life experiences. The insight the author provided on the workings of the executive branch of our government, along with international events were just icing on the cake for me.

The writing is very easy to read; the story flows smoothly. All in all, I enjoy the voice that is projected from the author's composition.

I found it interesting that on page 811, when Clinton was introspective about his affair with Monica, his revelation is that he is vulnerable to making selfish and self-destructive personal mistakes when he is exhausted, angry, or feeling isolated. This mirrors the 12-step recovery motto of HALT (hungry, angry, lonely, tired), which recognize our vulnerabilities to succumb to our addictions.

I must say that Clinton's description of sleeping on a couch for two months following his admission to Hillary regarding Ms. Lewinsky was hard to believe. Perhaps he was placing himself in the doghouse, making use of the couch adjacent to their bedroom, but still -- there were so many other bedrooms in the White House. Aside from that, I'm glad Clinton disclosed that he and Hillary participated in weekly couples counseling for a year.

My favorite parts of the book cover Clinton's reflections on family, friends, and associates who passed away. This is where he shared personal thoughts on the affect these people had on him, and how he mourned their deaths.

Rating:
Summary: Less insightful than I had hoped
Review: I don't usually read political autobiography, but I bought the audio CD of 'My Life' because I'm fascinated by US history and I like Bill Clinton much more than any other recent presidential incumbent.

But the CD abridgement was a disappointment. It's at its best when covering Clinton's early life. It's at its worst when filling the book with many uninteresting details (to a Brit like me) such as the number of Democratic senators elected and the lists of people at various meetings, of people who supported him on various issues, and of all the advantages of various bits of legislation he had proposed. It's almost as if the explosion of political detail is being used to make up for what he doesn't say about his various affairs. For example, on the audio CD, there is no mention of Gennifer Flowers, who is alleged to have had a far longer relationship with Clinton than Lewinsky.

To me, there seemed too much obsessing about Kenneth Starr and Newt Gingrich. This bitter internally-focussed perspective diminished Clinton's standing in my eyes, when I really wanted him to say much more about world affairs and his relationship with John Major and Tony Blair.

As other reviewers have noted, much of this book seems to be a dump of his appointments diary, with excerpts from his favourite speeches added, in case posterity forgot them. I get the impression that much of this book was written for Hilary -- to show her that he really is a caring individual who does not intend to philander again. But Clinton admits only to what he has been caught doing. He seems shocked that Starr delves so deeply into his affairs. But given that he lied to the American people and Hilary and Chelsea about his affair with Lewinsky, he has to expect people not to trust him.

I was interested in the depiction of Clinton as the career politican (and occasional law lecturer and practitioner). This is a man who has cared deeply about the marketing of candidates and political ideas throughout his entire adult life. What the press write about him and his party matters a great deal to him.

In summary, I still believe Clinton is a great man, although not quite as great as before I listened to him reading from his book.

As a final point, several of the six CDs in the set I bought (not from amazon) jumped atrociously in my car CD player.

Rating:
Summary: Clinton a champion politician!
Review: I have read this book with immense pleasure...
Bill Clinton represents a politician of "our times" ever so much.
Too bad that George W. will take us back before HIS time!
He could have been Prime Minister of Canada for a very long time, as we do not have this two terms affair...