State of a Union: Inside the Complex Marriage of Bill and Hillary Clinton [Hardcover]

Jerry Oppenheimer (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 18, 2000

A stunning depiction of the first couple -- one which explodes current myths, exposes true details, and will make national headlines.

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

Having taken on such politically significant figures as Martha Stewart and Rock Hudson, Oppenheimer aims to lay bare the real Bill and Hillary.
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From the Publisher

Amazon has removed a comment attributed to Jerry Oppenheimer, upon receipt of information that the comment was not made by Mr. Oppenheimer. We want our customers to be aware of the fact that the statement was not posted by Mr. Oppenheimer, nor endorsed by him.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 312 pages
• Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers; 1st edition (July 18, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0060193921
• ISBN-13: 978-0060193928
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6.1 x 0.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (34 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,685,006 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

23 of 24 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Interesting and Fair, July 21, 2000

By 

Alex "alex_799" (STAATSBURG, NY, United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: State of a Union: Inside the Complex Marriage of Bill and Hillary Clinton (Hardcover)

At a time when political correctness rules the coverage of the Clintons, and their many flaws are handled with the utmost caution, I found this book to be a refreshing breath of fresh air. It is true that the author probably does not like the Clintons very much, but this may be because -- as his book reveals -- they are not really very likable people. A book well worth taking a look at!

28 of 31 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An Unexpected Pleasure..., July 25, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: State of a Union: Inside the Complex Marriage of Bill and Hillary Clinton (Hardcover)

I liked this book. In fact, I really liked this book. Rather than being gossip column drivel, I found it objective, intelligent and refreshing in both its content and approach. If this (prolific) author is to be discredited on the basis of his link to The National Enquirer, let's not forget that Clinton's own counsel, David Kendall, is also The National Enquirer's lawyer. This detail did not stop Kendall from being chosen as the president's top attorney and in fact, may have worked in his favor, since much of the Clinton presidency has turned out to be a tabloid sideshow. Well done Mr. Oppenheimer, and two thumbs up.

40 of 46 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars I learned why people like the Clintons, July 23, 2000

By 

Laura Hornbeck (Van Alstyne, TX USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: State of a Union: Inside the Complex Marriage of Bill and Hillary Clinton (Hardcover)

Because the author goes into so much detail about both Bill and Hillary Clinton's childhood and personal families, I was able to get a fuller, more human picture of them. It was very helpful to me, as I have been honestly unable to comprehend why anybody would trust or like either one of the Clintons. Reading this gossipy book with all its quotes from childhood friends, stories from Hillary's mother, brothers, cousins; the friends of Bill's mother, etc. honestly helped me to flesh out these people and realize that they are not, after all, monsters. They have become something much different from what they envisioned in their youth because of their willingness to sacrifice personal principle for political power, but they are not monsters.

I appreciated learning that many people liked Hillary at Wellesley and Yale Law School because she was genuinely friendly and did many kind things for others. I could imagine why Bill fell for Hillary and vice-versa, and how their relationship began as a genuinely passionate one.

Likewise, I found it very believable that Hillary said something to the effect that she would never be able to go through all the rigors of politics if she didn't know that "they were saving the world." From the beginning of their relationship, Hillary believed that Bill was a semi-messianic figure who would attain the presidency, that he and she would be able to get into the government and create lots of positive (to her mind) changes that would help lots of people. Just like any messianic figure, people would oppose him. Unfortunately, that's a delusion. If she had been less idealistic and more realistic, she might have demanded faithfulness and either forced him to change or divorced him. Either of those outcomes would have spared us from the Clinton presidency. At any rate, I liked this book very much.