On the Make: The Rise of Bill Clinton [Paperback]

Meredith L. Oakley (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 1, 1996

Required reading about the whys and wherefores of Bill Clinton's lifelong campaign for the presidency. --The Wall Street Journal

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Oakley, who has covered Clinton for the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette since 1979, here offers an uneven account of his political career in Arkansas. She observes at the outset that Clinton has managed to appear great without actually being so. Arguing that he lacks principles, Oakley calls deceptive Clinton's claim that he tried to stop his stepfather's beatings of his mother and notes his broken 1990 campaign promise to serve four years as governor. She makes simplistic analyses: University College at Oxford, where Clinton was a Rhodes scholar, is "a bastion of leftist thinking"; Clinton's first gubernatorial term, beginning in 1979, "essentially boiled down to more spending and bigger government." Oakley may have gathered much information on Clinton over the years, but she has not reshaped it into a coherent, compelling, credible narrative. Photos not seen by PW.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

From Library Journal

The numerous friends, political opponents, legislators, and members of the media who contribute to Gallen's oral biography present a generally favorable impression of Bill Clinton as a precocious young man, progressive governor, and expert presidential campaigner. Negative comments about the draft and Vietnam protests are limited, and Clinton's reputed sexual activities are shown to be based more on rumor than fact. However, vivid descriptions of Clinton's arrogance and bad temper and questions about his character make this a balanced account. Much of the book recounts Clinton's years as governor of Arkansas, where he is remembered for winning more battles than he lost despite opposition from a conservative, stubborn general assembly and for helping to reform the education system of a state where "high school football was a major cultural force." This folksy composite of his pre-presidential years shows Clinton to be a complex, very human, political leader. Oakley, an associate editor of the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette who has covered Clinton's career since 1979, presents a thorough expose of President Clinton's formative Arkansas years. She includes full descriptions of the "Slick Willie" phenomenon; complex relationship with his wife, Hillary; the draft controversy; the reputed sexual liaisons; and Whitewater. But this is primarily a lengthy, detailed narrative of Clinton's political development, which culminated in five elected terms as governor and his successful 1992 presidential campaign. The intricacies of Arkansas politics will be of most interest to its citizens and readers fascinated by the legislative process in action, but this well-written and controversial study of Clinton's roots will generate much interest. Although Oakley will probably be in greater demand, both titles provide differing, complementary perspectives of Clinton the politician and are strongly recommended for public libraries.
Karl Helicher, Upper Merion Twp. Lib., King of Prussia, Pa.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

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Product Details

• Paperback
• Publisher: Regnery Publishing (February 1, 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0895267195
• ISBN-13: 978-0895267191
• Product Dimensions: 8.7 x 5.8 x 1.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.7 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #7,792,748 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars One of Two Great Ones, October 2, 1997

By 

[e-mail] (Philadelphia, PA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: On the Make: The Rise of Bill Clinton (Paperback)

This is, next to David Maraniss' bio, the best one available. Although Oakley spends too much time glorifying Arkansas Democrat Editor John Starr, she does present a look at Clinton from his home crowd, the people who have known him longer than anyone else. At times she seems almost jealous of Clinton's success. This remains, however, a definite book to read if you want to get inside Bill Clinton's head and stroll around for a while.

1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A good read., March 25, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: On the Make: The Rise of Bill Clinton (Paperback)

This bio of Clinton is not as easy to read as the Maraniss book; however, the effort to plough through it is well worth it. Because Oakley had covered Clinton for so many years, she offers far greater detail and insight into the inner workings of his years as governor. Sometimes she provides too much detail which, unless you are a true policy wonk, you may find tedious.

The result is an insightful and generally balanced view of our most gifted politician who is also a complicated and enigmatic man.

1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Now read this!, September 17, 1998

By 

Donna G. Moore (Ripley, MS USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: On the Make: The Rise of Bill Clinton (Hardcover)

Great Bio. Here's an excerpt from page 68. Taken from a statement made by Clinton's friend, Clifford Jackson during their student days at Oxford. " One incident stands out very clearly in my mind," Jackson said. "We were talking about politics. Bill recounted a story he told to be true. He had heard a ... staff member telling about a White House secretary walking into the Oval Office...to find Lyndon Johnson and a certain attractive young woman...engaged in sex on the Oval office floor. She was on top of the president ,and she had a peace symbol on a chain dangling between her breasts." Jackson recalled the look of amusement on Clinton's face as the anecdote unfolded." Sure..it was a funny story...but the impression I got was that Bill thought it was so neat that Johnson could get away with something like that."

So, as I said, great book!