President Bill Clinton's My Life is the
strikingly candid portrait of a global leader who decided early in life
to devote his intellectual and political gifts, and his extraordinary
capacity for hard work, to serving the public.
It shows us the progress of a remarkable American, who, through his
own enormous energies and efforts, made the unlikely journey from Hope,
Arkansas, to the White House--a journey fueled by an impassioned
interest in the political process which manifested itself at every stage
of his life: in college, working as an intern for Senator William
Fulbright; at Oxford, becoming part of the Vietnam War protest movement;
at Yale Law School, campaigning on the grassroots level for Democratic
candidates; back in Arkansas, running for Congress, attorney general,
and governor.
We see his career shaped by his resolute determination to improve the
life of his fellow citizens, an unfaltering commitment to civil rights,
and an exceptional understanding of the practicalities of political
life.
We come to understand the emotional pressures of his youth--born
after his father's death; caught in the dysfunctional relationship
between his feisty, nurturing mother and his abusive stepfather, whom he
never ceased to love and whose name he took; drawn to the brilliant,
compelling Hillary Rodham, whom he was determined to marry; passionately
devoted, from her infancy, to their daughter, Chelsea, and to the entire
experience of fatherhood; slowly and painfully beginning to comprehend
how his early denial of pain led him at times into damaging patterns of
behavior.
President Clinton's book is also the fullest, most concretely
detailed, most nuanced account of a presidency ever
written--encompassing not only the high points and crises but the way
the presidency actually works: the day-to-day bombardment of problems,
personalities, conflicts, setbacks, achievements.
It is a testament to the positive impact on America and on the world
of his work and his ideals.
It is the gripping account of a president under concerted and
unrelenting assault orchestrated by his enemies on the Far Right, and
how he survived and prevailed.
It is a treasury of moments caught alive, among them:
The ten-year-old boy watching the national political conventions on
his family's new (and first) television set.
The young candidate looking for votes in the Arkansas hills and the
local seer who tells him, "Anybody who would campaign at a beer joint in
Joiner at midnight on Saturday night deserves to carry one box....
You'll win here. But it'll be the only damn place you win in this
county." (He was right on both counts.)
The roller-coaster ride of the 1992 campaign.
The extraordinarily frank exchanges with Newt Gingrich and Bob Dole.
The delicate manipulation needed to convince Rabin and Arafat to
shake hands for the camera while keeping Arafat from kissing Rabin.
The cost, both public and private, of the scandal that threatened
the presidency.
Here is the life of a great national and international figure,
revealed with all his talents and contradictions, told openly, directly,
in his own completely recognizable voice. A unique book by a unique
American.
