The First Partner : Hillary Rodham Clinton

Rating:
Summary: Well written presentation of facts; non-biased
Review: Garbage. The references to myself in the book are incorrect and any simple minded freshman student could have done more thorough research. With that said I suspect the same amount of effort went into getting "it right" throughout the remainder of her book.

Rating:
Summary: Exhaustively researched, but horribly biased
Review: I bought this biography because I have always been fascinated with Hillary Rodham Clinton's role in her husband's administration. I was hoping for an objective look at her contributions to policy, instead, this novel is full of acrimonious allegations and innuendo. It seems that the author is completely unable to separate HRC the person from her politics. This book is horribly slanted and I would not recommend to someone who truly desires insight into either one of the Clintons.

Rating:
Summary: Exhaustively researched, but horribly biased
Review: I bought this biography because I have always been fascinated with Hillary Rodham Clinton's role in her husband's administration. I was hoping for an objective look at her contributions to policy, instead, this novel is full of acrimonious allegations and innuendo. It seems that the author is completely unable to separate HRC the person from her politics. This book is horribly slanted and I would not recommend to someone who truly desires insight into either one of the Clintons.

Rating:
Summary: Not necessarily a Hillary fan but........
Review: I could not even finish the book. The negativity in virtually every chapter oppressed my soul. I wanted facts and to gain some knowledge about Hillary, and all I got was nausea. Milton's bias was oozing from every page. The information was second, third, and fourth hand, unsubstantiated, and based on assumptions and innuendo. It was like reading a tabloid that went on for over 400 pages. Milton spent too much time explaining what Hillary thought and what all of her "ulterior motives" were for virtually everything she has done in her life thus far. Did she know Hillary's inner thoughts by osmosis or through some Vulcan mind meld? Come on! Don't buy it, don't even check it out from the library. I would have given it a negative 5 rating, but that was not an option. A complete and utter waste of paper and ink.

Rating:
Summary: Republican bias from page 8
Review: I could tell that Joyce Milton had an axe to grind by page 2, but I did stick with the book through the end. By page 8, it was obvious that Milton was most definitely not a person who "felt I could identify with Hillary Rodham Clinton." Nowhere in this book, despite the assertions of other reviewers, does Milton say that she was ever a Hillary supporter or fan. Rather, the first sentence of the first chapter of her book reads, "When a woman with servants spends the weekend cleaning out her closets, it is usually not a good sign." (Milton, page 1.) With this as the opening sentence, is it any wonder that Milton spends the rest of the book lambasting the First Lady? What a lack of class.

Many, many people have hated the Clintons. The difference between Milton and others is proof. Proof and sources. Milton's book is severely lacking in footnotes or any other form of citation. Her obvious bias is evident on page 1, indigestible by page 8. Perhaps Joyce should stick to children's literature. That genre, at least, does not require the kind of proof that a "biography" of the First Lady would. She would be much better off in this territory--proof is anethema to "authors" such as Milton.

I am thankful that I bought this book used at a YMCA book sale for $2.00. Unfortunately, it wasn't worth two cents.

Rating:
Summary: Not necessarily a Hillary fan but........
Review: I want my money back, badly -- but the purchase was my own fault. I am a historian and a teacher of writing, and I bought this book thinking that it would provide substantive political analysis of Hillary Rodham Clinton. This book, however, is not really designed for that. When "People" magazine recommends this book as "gossipy" and "well-written" -- and I don't read People precisely because it is gossipy and lacks literary substance --I should have thought harder about the money. Although the author is exhaustively thorough in documenting the charges against the Clinton's, she relies heavily on ring-and-run ideological attacks, anecdotes that do not really clarify the assertions she makes, and, most painfully, mean hits against every personal decision Hillary has ever made (including the decision to change her hairstyle, which demonstrates conclusively the contradictions of feminism). I would understand the attacks if all of them centered on H.R.C.'s political differences from the author. But the author attacks all of Hillary's parenting choices -- including her decision to spend time bonding in the hospital with her new infant (something Hillary had learned at the Yale Child Study Center, and thus proves Hillary's obsession with being an "expert"), her commitment to child safety (mocked because HRC was "determined to do everything by the book"), and even her intentions to protect Chelsea's privacy (a specious concern because Chelsea herself "entertained 72 sleepover guests" in the first four years). The most awful attack is when the author chastizes the Clinton's use of role-playing to help Chelsea deal with the nasty things opponents would say about Dad, Mom and Daughter. This effort was bad, says the author, because "the nastiest things Bill Clinton's opponents said about him were essentially accurate" and so Hillary was passing the "legacy" of denial on to her child, "training her to believe that the truth was a lie." To make a long story short, this author has ensured that her biography will be replaced momentarily by a more serious author. If you want gossip, buy this book... then throw it away before smarter friends see it on your coffee table.

Rating:
Summary: The First Partner
Review: I want my money back, badly -- but the purchase was my own fault. I am a historian and a teacher of writing, and I bought this book thinking that it would provide substantive political analysis of Hillary Rodham Clinton. This book, however, is not really designed for that. When "People" magazine recommends this book as "gossipy" and "well-written" -- and I don't read People precisely because it is gossipy and lacks literary substance --I should have thought harder about the money. Although the author is exhaustively thorough in documenting the charges against the Clinton's, she relies heavily on ring-and-run ideological attacks, anecdotes that do not really clarify the assertions she makes, and, most painfully, mean hits against every personal decision Hillary has ever made (including the decision to change her hairstyle, which demonstrates conclusively the contradictions of feminism). I would understand the attacks if all of them centered on H.R.C.'s political differences from the author. But the author attacks all of Hillary's parenting choices -- including her decision to spend time bonding in the hospital with her new infant (something Hillary had learned at the Yale Child Study Center, and thus proves Hillary's obsession with being an "expert"), her commitment to child safety (mocked because HRC was "determined to do everything by the book"), and even her intentions to protect Chelsea's privacy (a specious concern because Chelsea herself "entertained 72 sleepover guests" in the first four years). The most awful attack is when the author chastizes the Clinton's use of role-playing to help Chelsea deal with the nasty things opponents would say about Dad, Mom and Daughter. This effort was bad, says the author, because "the nastiest things Bill Clinton's opponents said about him were essentially accurate" and so Hillary was passing the "legacy" of denial on to her child, "training her to believe that the truth was a lie." To make a long story short, this author has ensured that her biography will be replaced momentarily by a more serious author. If you want gossip, buy this book... then throw it away before smarter friends see it on your coffee table.

Rating:
Summary: Secret Police
Review: I wanted to read this book to see what made Hillary Clinton tick. It was a fascinating read, hard to put down. Her childhood and the relationship with her parents was spelled out. Her college days are covered. It offered much insight into the relationship that developed between her and Bill Clinton during their college days and the story continued throughout their courtship, marriage, his time as Governor, his bid for Presidency, her career as a lawyer, the Vince Foster suicide, their relationship with Chelsea, the scandals, the rumors, the affairs, her frustrations, etc. These are two people who will let nothing stand in their way to achieve their goals.

Rating:
Summary: A well-written, well-presented, and seemingly objective book
Review: Joyce Milton provides a very objective account of the personality, actions, power, and influence of First Lady Hillary Rodham Clinton. Unlike some books that I have recently read, Milton presents the reader with an refreshingly unbiased depiction of Mrs. Clinton. I finished the book with a greater sense of understanding and knowlegde of the events, scandals, and rumors that have surrounded the First Lady -without feeling biased by the author's personal viewpoint. I recommend this book to anyone interested in First Lady Hillary Rodham Clinton.