Bill Clinton: An American Journey : Great Expectations

Rating:
Summary: Simply Awful
Review: Did Kitty Kelley write this book? Hamilton writes more about Clinton's penis than his politics. Pages of psycho-babble, rumors and quotes from an all-time Clinton enemies list.
I cannot believe this author is on the faculty of the University of Massachusetts. This book should be avoided by anyone, both Clinton haters and Clinton admirers, who is looking for a good biography of Bill Clinton.

Rating:
Summary: Engaging but flawed
Review: Engaging but flawed--something one could say with equal confidence about this book and about its subject. Bill Clinton is a fascinating, appealing, brilliant, larger-than-life character with tremendous gifts and profound weaknesses. Nigel Hamilton's new biography--the first of two parts (like his earlier, much-acclaimed JFK: Reckless Youth, the sequel to which has yet to appear)--is full of fascinating information and suggestive analysis, but, like Bill Clinton, it is imperfect.

To begin with the obvious: this is a thoughtfully written, carefully researched examination of Bill Clinton's first forty-six years (it ends with the 1992 election). It helps the reader understand not only Clinton but also his times: Hamilton's subtitle, An American Journey, points to the book's focus. It depicts Clinton as a representative American of his generation, a man whose individual career mirrors the collective career of the Baby Boomers he so ably represented--in the minds of enthusiasts and detractors alike. As an Englishman, Hamilton brings an outsider's perspective to bear on American culture, politics, and history. He helps us get to know Bill Clinton and the many fascinating people who have surrounded him, from Arkansas senator William Fulbright (pictured in a memorably testy moment on the campaign trail) to Hillary Rodham (equally testy) to Gennifer Flowers. Hamilton enriches our understanding of issues and personalities alike. It's a must-read for anyone interested in Bill Clinton, in American politics, or in the Baby Boom generation and the cultural transformation American has undergone during its ascendancy.

The book is flawed, though, in at least three ways.

First, Hamilton's usually invaluable outsider perspective sometimes gets him in trouble, as when he confuses liberal stalwart Eugene McCarthy with anti-communist witch-hunger Joe McCarthy (126) or characterizes "Whittier [home of Richard Nixon] and the Pedernales [stomping ground of Lyndon Johnson]" as among Clinton's (and Cliff Jackson's) "law school texts" (254).

Second, the book may have been written too early. By Hamilton's own admission, he has had to rely to a significant extent on published sources. Others might prove more available in a few years (and will, we can only hope, help to inform the second volume of this two-volume biography).

Third, Hamilton seems to be on a mission to justify Clinton's sexual behavior as an outcome of an irresistible evolutionary logic. He returns repeatedly to flaccid sociobiological explanations of the sexual choices of Clinton and men like him (e.g., "Feminists in particular deplored and rejected patriarchal libertinism, however much it might still be part of man's ancient, evolutionary makeup. Nonfeminist women, emboldened by changing attitudes toward equality between the sexes, also failed to take account of men's genetically determined promiscuity" [322-3]). Those readers skeptical of sociobiology will find this refrain tiring--a distraction from a generally first-rate book.

Rating:
Summary: Great Book about a Complex Man
Review: I tried very hard to like President Clinton's Memoirs. But instead I found myself frustrated at the way his autobiography blames everyone else for Clinton's problems except himself. That being said, while his memoirs frustrated me it causes me to read further about Clinton and fill in the many gaps between the truth and what was presented in My Life by Clinton.

An American Journey is a highly readable, truthfull, and ultimately sympathetic look at Clinton's rise to presidency. The author does not sugarcoat anything and you see the real Bill Clinton: his many strengths and his many weaknesses. I also enjoyed how the author put the situations Clinton was in into the Context of the times and place. I really could not stop reading this book. It is very good and should be read rather than Clinton's memoirs.

Rating:
Summary: What hapened to Nigel Hamilton?
Review: Once upon a time there was a first-rate biographer named Nigel Hamilton. Twenty years ago he wrote the definitive three-volume life of Lord Montgomery of Alamein, one that is still the essential source for understanding the man. Then in 1993 the first book of his projected multi-volume biography of John F. Kennedy was published, a work that will probably remain the essential source for understanding Kennedy's pre-political life for decades to come.

At some point after that, though, Hamilton changed. Perhaps it was a consequence of immersing himself in JFK's salacious life or perhaps it was some sort of traumatic personal experience, but Hamilton's focus changed. The shift emerged in 2001 with his atrociously-named "Full Monty," a reinterpretation of his earlier subject that focuses on Montgomery's sexual orientation. Now we have his latest book, the first of a promised two-volume life of Bill Clinton that covers his life up to his election in 1992. Like the Kennedy biography it is an "unofficial" life; unlike the Kennedy biography, though, Hamilton did not have access to any of the papers from the Clinton Library, which obviously limits much of its scope.

Even when this is taken into account, though, Hamilton has written a lousy book. His primary focus is on Clinton's personal life, which he covers in salacious detail (enough to ensure that his book will occupy a prominent place on the bookshelves of most Clinton-haters) and follows up with superficial psychoanalysis. While I do not doubt the accuracy of his account, the result is Clinton the libido, with little about the political career which is the reason why he warrants our attention to begin with. I grant that Hamilton did not have access to Clinton's papers, but would it have been so hard to glean something about Clinton's tenure as governor from newspaper accounts and interviews with other Arkansas politicos? Without it, the reader is left with the impression that Clinton was elected president based on his charm - a facile impression that does a great disservice to anybody seeking a true understanding of the man. No doubt that disservice will be continued once Hamilton's second volume is published.

Rating:
Summary: Bill Clinton--The National Enquirer Version
Review: Perhaps it is a result of the author being British, but for a biographer with an honors degree in history, Nigel Hamilton seems to lack a clear understanding of President Nixon's actual involvement in the Watergate affair. For example on page 286 he mentions the "President's clearly personal involvement in the plot to break into the Democratic National Committee's office in the Watergate building, then to cover up such transgressions." While it is true that the White House tapes proved Nixon's involvement in the cover-up after the break-in had occurred, I am unaware of any evidence produced then or now that Nixon had any personal involvement in the plotting of the break-in itself.

On page 291 Mr. Hamilton speaks of Nixon's "political misdemeanor - the attempted theft of rival political and personal documents." We know from the evidence that there was also a break-in at the office of Daniel Ellsberg's psychiatrist's office in an attempt to obtain derogatory information on him but since Mr. Hamilton makes no mention of that particular break-in, the reader is left with the impression that the "attempted theft of rival political and personal documents" for which Nixon was being "hounded" was solely the one at the Watergate.

Mr. Hamilton greatly exaggerates the effect of the work performed personally by Hillary Rodham in the Watergate investigation. He erroneously describes her on Page 285 as working on the SENATE Judiciary Commitee's Watergate Investigation Staff when she actually was working as one of forty-four attorneys on the HOUSE Judiciary Committee's impeachment inquiry staff. Mr. Hamilton describes her duties as mainly listening to and transcribing the White House tapes. However much she might have longed for the ultimate impeachment of Nixon, it is certainly a stretch to claim that simply performing her job of transcribing tapes evidenced her "determination to help impeach the President."

His exaggeration of her role and power continues on page 287 when he writes that "Hillary's investigation should under no circumstances be prematurely concluded," since doing so would give Republicans time to recover before the fall elections and thus help her future husband's GOP opponent defend his Congressional seat. By dubbing this "Hillary's investigation" Mr. Hamilton could cause an unknowledgable reader to come away with the mistaken impression that Hillary Rodham headed up the entire Watergate investigation, rather than simply being one of forty-four attorneys and that she alone possessed the power to move it forward or to conclude it at any time. The late Mr. Nixon would probably be greatly amused if someone told him that it was solely Hillary Rodham who was "hounding" him toward impeachment and trial and that if she had simply refused to continue listening and transcribing tapes, he could have been spared having to resign his office.

On page 295 Mr. Hamilton claims that the one White House tape that would finally tip the scale against President Nixon and force him to resign "was leaked." A casual reader might infer that since Hillary Rodham was the person listening and transcribing these tapes, she could have been responsible for the leak of the smoking gun tape and thus responsible herself for forcing Nixon to resign. Mr. Hamilton neglects to mention that the disclosure of this tape actually occurred when the White House itself released a transcript on August 5, 1974. It was only after that official release, and not after any leak, that Nixon chose to resign on August 9, 1974.

As another reviewer has already noted, on page 126 Mr. Hamilton confuses Senator Eugene McCarthy with the infamous Joseph McCarthy. This glaring error should have been easily seen and corrected by a vigilant fact checker. Any knowledgeable American editor should have recognised the author's mistakes regarding the Watergate affair and his overexaggerations of the role of Hillary Rodham in the investigation. I can only assume that these errors slipped through the cracks since the publisher probably wanted to get this book onto the shelves before Clinton's own autobiography is released. This seems a poor excuse for the release of a book containing so many errors. Since I have only read one-half of the book, I wonder how many more I may find.

Rating:
Summary: Rush to Judgement?
Review: The forces and dynamics of both the Democratic Party, and the national unrest prevalent during the period that Clinton "rose" to shoulder his duties at the White House during his administration, and the manner in which he went about it suggests that it will be years before the clarity of his personal strengths and weaknesses will be understood fully. Complicated by the number of extraordinary events (including his impeachment process, the innovation of the internet, and the flaws of the political process itself, as they were revealed during the election of 2000, make rushes to judgement less accurate than they are entitled to be in American history. In addition, the unique upbringing of Clinton, his background, and the unusual experiences that preceded his Presidency obscure typical thinking about him within the normal boundaries in which other Presidents have been examined. As one of the most visible of persons, with a staff strikingly involved, and yet removed from his Presidency, it will take years to sort out the important dynamics of his terms, and may be seen as the beginning of an era where Americans, themselves, awakened to the strengths and weaknesses of their democracy to play a greater role in its outcome. He will, no doubt, remain an enigma for years to come both because of what he respresents, and because of his forceful personality, not to mention the importance of his wife, the Senator, who was fully vested in his administration, and continues to play a significant role in American politics as well as American government. It's obvious that Mr. Hamilton's attempts might be much more important in the future, and through development of his second volume, when and if that becomes available in the distance.

Rating:
Summary: Mr. Hamilton needs an editor
Review: This book could have EASILY been chopped down to 500 pages. The first indication that something is afoul is how tiny each "mini-chapter" was. (Mr. Hamilton breaks down each major chapter into these little mini-chapters that can be as small as 2 paragraph or as "large" as a page and a half.) It's distracting, especially in light of the fact that those mini-chapters force a redundancy. He repeats items and ideas over and over again. He even used the same quote twice- with only 1 page of each other! This redundancy goes unchecked and over time, you start to think that he uses them as if repetition by itself is proof. I completely agree with most reviewers that he stresses the sex thing too much. Unless you confuse supermarket rags with serious writing, there's really no need to repeat the same thing over and over again about Clinton's known sex "problems". Yes, Clinton had lots of sex. Yes, that should be written in his biography. But to go on and on about it in every single page of the book (I am not exaggerating- once in college, Clinton and his "appetite" get mentioned in every single page!) is just too much. And then he states as fact that men must cheat- it's written in their genes! They can't help it! And women don't cheat (despite the fact that he makes several quotes from Washington insiders stating how the WOMEN cheated just as much as the men! He even quotes a Kinsey statistic that states that men's extramarital affairs outpace women's by only 1 or 2 percentage points! Sometimes, his blathering about evolutionary theory seems almost like he wrote this book to explain to his wife why HE cheated. It's mentioned so much that it feels like there has to be an ulterior, personal, motive. And just as his "evolutionary" cheating theory is stated as fact, despite being questionable at best, he states things from disreputable sources as truth. Was fact-checking so difficult? Was Nigel spending too much time making unsubstantiated claims about Clinton's psychology (based on what? Other people's interviews? Quotes from Gennifer Flowers?) In fact, I noticed that it seemed like once Clinton became governor (the first time) Mr. Hamilton appears to have become much lazier- he relies, from this point- on so many lengthy quotes. Most quotes in the chapter pretty much say the same thing, and they ramble. Did Nigel Hamilton edit his own book?

On top of this shoddy work, there's also Mr. Hamilton's penchant for really BAD puns and even worse metaphors. At one point, he quotes the biographer of the Rev. Jimmy Swaggert who referred to Swaggert's similar sexual needs as a "groin demon". Then Mr. Hamilton goes on to use that same, childish and inelegant term for the next several pages. He'll return to that gem over and over again. It's not an offensive term. It's just so... stupid! And his puns! Ouch. Quote from page 585(I added emphasis): " 'He needs to contact me to discuss my ROLE.' Betsey had replied...- but for the moment Bill was on a ROLL."
Now, for the good news- this is an easy read. I found the problems numerous and very distracting. But at the same time, you're compelled to keep turning that page. Does that owe more to the interesting life that Bill Clinton led or is it a testament to Nigel Hamilton's writing? A little bit of both. At times, I wanted to throw the book. I wanted to personally yell at Mr. Hamilton for being so repetitious, so sleazy and so ham-fisted with his "humor". But I'd pick that book back up and keep reading. My final say on the matter is: if there's nothing better out there (this is my first Clinton bio, so I can't help you there) then go for it. You'll find yourself skimming pages but you could do much worse. Unfortunately, Mr. Hamilton could have done so much better.

Rating:
Summary: Our 42nd President, His Life And Times
Review: This is the best biography of President Clinton yet published. Nigel Hamilton covers Clinton's life up to his election in November 1992. He does a great job of describing Clinton's background, parentage, and early years. I realized for the first time (and I have read numerous Clinton studies) just how poor and unprivileged a background the President came from, and how truly remarkable it was that anyone with so many strikes agaisnt him rose so far so quickly. Hamilton also provides some interesting psychological insights into Clinton's well known moral weaknesses and failings, so that the reader gets a better understanding of this enormously complex (and very human) individual. Hamilton does an excellent job of covering the historic events which influenced Clinton's growth, so that this is not just a biography, but a history of modern America and the world.

Clinton phobics will not enjoy this book because it is truly "fair and balanced." But if you are looking for the truth, and would like some insights into President Clinton before reading his own memoirs, this book is an excellent beginning.

Rating:
Summary: Our 42nd President, His Life And Times
Review: This is the best biography of President Clinton yet published. Nigel Hamilton covers Clinton's life up to his election in November 1992. He does a great job of describing Clinton's background, parentage, and early years. I realized for the first time (and I have read numerous Clinton studies) just how poor and unprivileged a background the President came from, and how truly remarkable it was that anyone with so many strikes agaisnt him rose so far so quickly. Hamilton also provides some interesting psychological insights into Clinton's well known moral weaknesses and failings, so that the reader gets a better understanding of this enormously complex (and very human) individual. Hamilton does an excellent job of covering the historic events which influenced Clinton's growth, so that this is not just a biography, but a history of modern America and the world.

Clinton phobics will not enjoy this book because it is truly "fair and balanced." But if you are looking for the truth, and would like some insights into President Clinton before reading his own memoirs, this book is an excellent beginning.

Rating:
Summary: This biography could have been 200 pages less.
Review: This is the type of biography that performs so well in some respects while failing miserably in others. The first part of the book focuses on Clinton's childhood, especially his family problems, and the Vietnam draft dodging afterwards. Nigel Hamilton provides a great impression of the culture & mentality associated with the Vietnam War.

Unfortunately afterwards the book loses its touch. Very little time is devoted to Clinton's emotional state when dealing with actual political decisions. Hamilton assumes without any evidence the reasons behind Clinton's cheating. It seems like emphasizing Clinton's sexual exploits is the purpose of this biography. Too many times we're reminded how Clinton compares to JFK in regards to womanizing. This comparison while interesting the first 3 or 4 times mentionned rapidly becomes redundant. Hamilton also has an immature view of the Darwinism theory of evolution. He justifies Clinton's cheating with this theory & just like JFK he has to remind us of this theory every few pages.

To summarize, this biography has some interesting sections, especially the beginning, and the last 100 pages when Clinton runs for president. Otherwise the author is obsessed over sex. He also believes himself capable of knowing how every single person that Clinton dealt with viewed Hillary. The content contained therein could have been reduced to 400 pages instead of 700 without losing any of its content. I'm sure there are better biographies out there, or to be released in the near future.