What Happened - Hillary Rodham Clinton

What Happened

Title: What Happened

Author: Hillary Rodham Clinton

Publication Date: 9/12/17

Pages: 512

Genre: Memoir / Political / Nonfiction

How I Found It: Duh. 

Date Completed: 11/24/17

Summary: Clinton reflects on the 2016 campaign and what led to its surprisingly outcome.

What I Thought: I planned to post this review yesterday, but, ultimately, decided I needed another day to think about what I wanted to write. In our fraught political times, writing anything about Clinton feels like stepping into a minefield. She is a polarizing figure and I know nearly everyone has some sort of strong opinion about her and her place in our political zeitgeist. However you feel, though, you must admit she is an influential and historic figure. She has blazed a trail for women in our country and taken a beating along the way - some of which she brought on herself. 

I don't want to dive too deeply into my own thoughts on Clinton, but I do think we have lost our nuance in talking about her. She is imperfect, of course. She has made mistakes and they have played out on the national and international stage. She has made powerful friends and enemies. She also has had an incredible career and advanced a lot of important work. We have to stop seeing her as exclusively evil or exclusively good. She is complex, as are we all. 

HRC - Jonathan Allen & Amie Parnes

HRC

Title: HRC: State Secrets and the Rebirth of Hillary Clinton

Author: Jonathan Allen & Amie Parnes

Publication Date: 2/11/14

Pages: 448

Genre: Biography / Political / Nonfiction

How I Found It: Kim at Sophisticated Dorkiness wrote about it

Date Completed: 6/1/16

Summary: Allen and Parnes examine Clinton's life, career, and public image from the point of her loss to Obama in the 2008 primaries. 

What I Thought: This week, Hillary Clinton will officially receive the Democratic nomination for president. It's a huge deal. Regardless of your politics, this is a really big moment in American history. She's the first female nominee of a major political party. We can argue all day long about her as a person and her as a politician, but you simply cannot deny that this is a big moment, just as it was when Obama accepted the nomination back in 2008. 

If you've been following the blog for the past few years, you know I've taken to book-based research of Clinton. So much of what we see in the media is sound bites or rhetoric. Not that those things don't exist in books, but they tend to be buoyed by longer explanations and a chance to look at situations in a more complete context. 

Hard Choices - Hillary Rodham Clinton

Hard Choices

Title: Hard Choices

Author: Hillary Rodham Clinton

Publication Date: 6/10/14

Pages: 635

Genre: Political / Memoir / Nonfiction

How I Found It: The author has been in the press a bit lately

Date Completed: 11/12/15

Summary: Clinton discusses her work as Secretary of State during President Obama's first term.

What I Thought: Let me say up front, I recognize Clinton is a current candidate for president at the time of this review and public opinion about her is divided. Whichever camp you fall in regard to her candidacy or her as a person, be willing to open your mind and think critically for yourself. I tell it to my students all the time: don't blindly accept what any one source tells you. Read, research, explore, and be informed! Only then are you qualified to add to the discussion.

That being said, reading Hard Choices is part of my effort to become increasingly informed. There are many things in this world about which we, the public, will never have the full story or truly know the motives and actions of others. Still, it is our responsibility to learn all we can and listen to both sides of a story before we draw any conclusions. The most obvious example in this instance is the attack on our diplomatic compound in Benghazi, Libya. I'll get to that.

An Invitation to the White House - Hillary Rodham Clinton

An Invitation to the White House:
At Home with History

I am a big old White House nerd. We all know this. Which makes it surprising that I had not read Hillary Clinton's An Invitation to the White House before now. 

As I mentioned when I read Living History last year, I know the Clintons are polarizing figures for many people. So, if you are not a fan of them, put that aside for a moment and let's talk about this very apolitical book about a historical building. In you are a fan, then you're going to enjoy this a little extra.

The book, which really would be better categorized as a coffee table volume, takes a look at what life is like in the White House. Clinton talks about Christmas decorations, special events, and how hard the staff works. There is even a section of recipes in the back that have been adapted from actual dishes served at State Dinners and other important events. 

Living History - Hillary Rodham Clinton

Living History

Way back at Christmas, I picked up a stack of books from the second-hand store where my mother-in-law works.  Their inexpensive prices convinced me to a grab a few for which I normally would not have paid.  While I get most of my new reads from the library, it can be so nice to own a book and not ever have to worry about when it's due.  That applies especially in cases like this, where the book is one I won't be tearing through in under a week.

Living History chronicles Hillary Rodham Clinton's life up through her years as First Lady.  The memoir is a bit dated now; it was published in 2003.  Clinton has been and continues to be a polarizing figure in American politics.