From Publishers Weekly
The Chinese government's seizure of half of this book's run (8,00o of 16,000 copies) made major news. The offending shot, of Clinton touching the Dalai Lama's hand while listening to him speak during a meeting, wouldn't normally get a second glance in the U.S., since it is only the P.R.C. that considers the religious leader a dangerous dissident. The rest of the 227 b&w shots presented here, representing the more than half-million frames veteran White House photographer McNeely took while following the president between 1993 and 1998, do a superb job of capturing Clinton's complexities. Artistically, the two most moving shots are of the president bathed in the ethereal glow of candles after lighting one in memory of his recently deceased mother at Kazan Cathedral in Moscow in 1994, and of the president, Russian president Boris Yeltsin and two interpretersAall in stark silhouetteAconferring at the Vancouver summit in 1993. Photographs of Bill and Hillary Rodham Clinton convey them as two temperamentally different poles of a shared dream, and shots of the president and the vice-president, both sharing jokes and in deep discussion, showAas eminent historian Douglas Brinkley (The Unfinished Presidency, etc.) observes in his astute introduction to the history of presidential portraiture and of McNeely's workAwhat is probably one of the most well-defined first- and second-man teams in U.S. history. (Oct.)
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.
From School Library Journal
Adult/High School-As the official White House photographer from 1993 to 1998, McNeely had free access to document the Clinton Administration. From the 20,000 rolls of film he shot, he offers 200 of his best candid photos, all black and white. They show a wide range of presidential activities, from speech-writing sessions and meetings with world leaders to private family moments. Only very brief captions accompany the central photo section, but further insights are provided in a lively introduction by historian Douglas Brinkley and an interesting afterword by McNeely himself. Unfortunately, this layout and the lack of an index challenge readers to appreciate fully the photographic qualities and stories inherent in the photos, and make it difficult to find specific subject matter. For example, one photo shows Clinton and Gore in a strikingly relaxed and personal moment with the Dalai Lama "in Vice President Gore's office." Over 100 pages later, another picture shows an uncomfortable-looking Clinton with the president of China in a highly formal meeting "in the Blue Room." Both are fascinating images, but to realize their full implications, or even to find them, readers must read both introduction and afterword, awkwardly flipping back and forth to the photos referred to in the texts. Still, whether it is simply browsed for its human interest, appreciated for its photographic art, or read and studied for the insight it provides into both history and photojournalism, this is a valuable resource for citizens, students, or photography buffs.-Christine C. Menefee, Fairfax County Public Library, VA
Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.
