All Too Human: A Political Education [Hardcover]

George Stephanopoulos (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 11, 1999

All Too Human is a new-generation political memoir, written from the refreshing perspective of one who got his hands on the levers of awesome power at an early age. At thirty, the author was at Bill Clinton's side during the presidential campaign of 1992, & for the next five years he was rarely more than a step away from the president & his other advisers at every important moment of the first term. What Liar's Poker did to Wall Street, this book will do to politics. It is an irreverent & intimate portrait of how the nation's weighty business is conducted by people whose egos & idiosyncrasies are no sturdier than anyone else's. Including sharp portraits of the Clintons, Al Gore, Dick Morris, Colin Powell, & scores of others, as well as candid & revelatory accounts of the famous debacles & triumphs of an administration that constantly went over the top, All Too Human is, like its author, a brilliant combination of pragmatic insight & idealism. It is destined to be the most important & enduring book to come out of the Clinton administration.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

A Rhodes scholar with a healthy ego, the young idealist George Stephanopoulos thought he was ready for the obscure governor of Arkansas. But soon after he signed on as his presidential-campaign manager, the odds of Clinton's triumph soared, and so did the chance for calamity via Gennifer Flowers and other scandals. Stephanopoulos scrambled behind the scenes, squelching rumors, spinning major news organizations, artfully knifing Clinton rivals, and second-guessing public opinion--lessons that would serve him well when Clinton won.

For the next four years, Stephanopoulos was a few feet from the president, advising him on everything from Iraq and Waco to gays in the military and Paula Jones. More than any book yet--including Monica Lewinsky's--Stephanopoulos's memoir reveals what went on in the scary, occasionally hilarious world backstage at the White House. He casts stark light on characters from Yeltsin, "like a boiled potato slathered in sour cream," to the author's nemesis Dick Morris, whom he depicts bellowing for Clinton to bomb Bosnia. And nobody who's talking knows as well as Stephanopoulos the most passionate, mystifying affair of all, between Bill and Hillary.

But years of backroom scheming, screaming, and relentless political attacks took a toll. Stephanopoulos's face erupted in hives; he grew a beard. Slammed by clinical depression, he dangerously delayed medical attention, fearing the story might leak. This memoir could've been titled Prisoner of Spin. Written with the jittery cadence of a bookie, All Too Human is a lively look at the complex and motley cast of characters who rule the world. --Rebekah Warren

From Library Journal

National fame came early to Stephanopoulos, who by age 31 was President Clintons first director of communications until he was promoted to the vaguely defined, vulnerable position of senior advisor. He views Clinton as the best politician he has ever known, who could have accomplished much more if he were a better person. First Lady Hillary Clinton is portrayed as fiercely loyal and at times inflexible and ambitious. Ultimately, Stephanopolous fell out of favor for being a traditional liberal in an administration that increasingly believed that the era of big government was dead and also because he was a reputed news leaker, a charge he denies. The strengths of the book are also its weaknesses. An engaging, self-deprecating style, similar to that of Robert Reich, Clintons first secretary of labor (Locked in the Cabinet, LJ 4/1/97), is marred by an overabundance of italicized comments representing rejoinders that could have been used with devastating effect in confrontations but werent. A forthright honesty about his own faults dissolves into self-pity during an extended section on his fights with his major political foe, Dick Morris, the pollster who was brought on board to improve Clintons image but departed when his telephone antics with a prostitute were discovered. Stephanopoulos resigned at the end of the first term and recently condemned the Lewinsky affair as Clintons abandonment of presidential policies and more than a few trusted advisors in order to save himself. Overall, a fascinating if controversial insiders account of life inside the Clinton pressure cooker administration during its early years. A required purchase for public libraries.Karl Helicher, Upper Merion Twp. Lib., King of Prussia, PA
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 456 pages
• Publisher: Little, Brown and Company; 1st edition (March 11, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0316929190
• ISBN-13: 978-0316929196
• Product Dimensions: 6.6 x 1.4 x 9.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (275 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #478,039 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #40 in Books > Biographies & Memoirs > People, A-Z > ( C ) > Clinton, Bill

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

33 of 36 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Honest story of personal success, failure inside the beltway, May 3, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: All Too Human: A Political Education (Hardcover)

I think some readers and reviewers are missing the point of _All too Human_. In writing this memoir, Mr. Stephanopoulos is NOT attempting to give his audience an all-access look at the private lives of Bill and Hillary. He is offering us a look at HIS life and times (of which the Clintons, obviously, were an integral part) and he does so with candor and class. This tome is honest, forthright, and the author doesn't hedge on his true thoughts and opinions of his past situations, performance, peers, and boss (qualities many of the principles highlighted in the book are famous for not possessing). I praise his frank recounting of how he was working for himself as well as for the president and his agenda. Those who chide Stephanoulos for striving for personal success, and telling us how he pursued it, need to reevaluate their own career motives before they pass judgement. This book is strongly recommended to any young person eager to see what it takes to make it in DC politics and still have a conscience. And, as you read this, bear in mind that I'M A REPUBLICAN! Kudos to George for a job well done.

25 of 27 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A must for political readers, January 9, 2000

By 

Todd Winer - See all my reviews

This review is from: All Too Human: A Political Education (Hardcover)

I will make a bold statement: this is the best book by a political insider that has ever been written. First, Mr. Stephanopoulus should seriously consider a second career as a novelist. His writing is lucid; his physical descriptions vivid; and his self-analysis revealing. Second, Stephanopoulus perfectly captures what it was like to work in the Clinton White House. His public visibility gives his words great credibility and his willingless to admit mistakes and shortcomings is laudable. You fel as if you are personally traveling with George through a maze of political difficulties and rewards. You'll also feel closer to Bill Clinton, understanding him better as a person and appreciating his flaws and achievements as a president. All in all, the best political book of the year.

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Future Classic Political Memoir, December 13, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: All Too Human: A Political Education (Hardcover)

This book is a fascinating, and sometimes horrifying, view of the Clinton campaign, the Clinton White House, and Clinton himself. If you've ever wondered why, and then how, a principled person slowly loses principles, Stephanopoulos explains to us how he explained it to himself. Stephanopoulos has been wrongly charged with being too angst-ridden. It's not angst; it's introspection, which his former boss apparently does not engage in. Clinton has probably not examined why he surrendered his principles; he probably doesn't even recognize that he has done so. Was it betrayal for Stephanopoulos to write this book? No, not especially when compared to Clinton's numerous and massive betrayals. This book is valuable today, because it helps us understand the current president. It will be valuable tomorrow as a political memoir.