The Woman Who Wouldn't Talk: Why I Refused to Testify Against the Clintons & What I Learned in Jail [Paperback]

Susan McDougal (Author), Helen Thomas (Introduction), Pat Harris (Contributor)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 15, 2003

The New York Times bestseller and Book Sense 76 pick is now in paperback. This is the book by Whitewater warrior Susan McDougal that created a media sensation, with author appearances on Today, The O'Reilly Factor, Larry King, Crossfire, FOX Morning News, and The CBS Early Show; and a controversial review in The New York Times that generated chat all over the Internet, and the newspaper's own printed correction. Breaking her silence on the Whitewater affair and giving a moving portrait of what happens to women in American prisons, McDougal's book is a must-read for Americans of all political stripes and for everyone concerned about wrongful conviction and imprisonment. Black-and-white photographs are included.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

"There were four people who knew what went on in Whitewater," McDougal explains in her wry memoir (cowritten with a close friend and legal advisor). "Two of them were in the White House," and not about to talk, while McDougal's ex-husband, Jim, lacked credibility, leaving her as the sole credible witness. The problem was that nobody in the media or the office of independent counsel Ken Starr wanted to hear what she had to say: that Whitewater was just "a stupid land deal that went bad," and the McDougals weren't all that close to the Clintons anyway. McDougal offers up her full life story, including an Arkansas childhood and the raunchy antics of the Clinton-run statehouse, and details her turbulent marriage to Jim McDougal, exacerbated by his long-undiagnosed manic-depression. But she knows that readers want to learn about-her experiences being grilled, then jailed for contempt for refusing to give Starr his smoking gun-and she lays on the horrific details with righteous fury. She also recalls positive experiences with fellow inmates and supportive friends (and strangers) on her way to eventual vindication, and looks back on her travails with humor. Several personalities around "Clintongate" rushed their books out to take advantage of their fleeting notoriety and, in some cases, the rising anti-Clinton tide; McDougal's delay gives her account a historical and emotional perspective many of her predecessors lacked. Still, with Clinton out of the White House and the public's attention turned on Iraq, this book's sales may suffer from bad timing. Eight pages of b&w photos not seen by PW.
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

From Library Journal

In the 1996 Whitewater investigation, McDougal was indicted for fraud over a $300,000 loan, claiming that only her ex-husband, Jim McDougal, knew the money's intended purpose. Kenneth Starr, head of the Office of the Independent Counsel investigating Whitewater, offered her leniency if she would implicate President Clinton and Hillary Clinton. McDougal refused to testify, she writes, because she didn't want her statements about the Clintons' innocence twisted into perjury by the Starr Commission. She spent the next 21 months in prison on a charge of civil contempt. McDougal has written an engaging, sometimes gossipy, insightful biography, notable for its accounts of her different trials and more so for the depiction of life in women's prisons. She was never close to President Clinton but admires his tenacity in rising from his poor Arkansas roots to the presidency. McDougal herself comes across as a spirited and forthright person who does not hesitate to call Kenneth Starr a liar who would ruin lives in order to implicate the Clintons. Despite harsh treatment in prison and in court, McDougal refused to sacrifice her principles. This appealing memoir is recommended for public libraries.
Karl Helicher, Upper Merion Twp. Lib., King of Prussia, PA
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 400 pages
• Publisher: Basic Books (December 15, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 078671302X
• ISBN-13: 978-0786713028
• Product Dimensions: 5.5 x 1.1 x 8.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (56 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #368,680 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

54 of 60 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Ken Starr's and the OIC's obiturary January 27, 2003

By William F Harrison

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase

Susan McDougal, a truly remarkable woman, has written a remarkable book. One is not often treated to examples of moral heroism in this day of "what's in it for me", but McDougal's story deserves to be read by every person in America who has ever wondered why they should do the right and painful thing in the face of powerful enemies and overwhelming temptation to save one's self at the expense of another. This is a tale of heroines and heroes, of good friends and false friends, of villians and the lowest scum to ever stride a court room. Ken Starr and his cronies, and those in various jails and federal prisons who tried to assist him in breaking the spirit of this courageous and honest woman, have much for which to answer. If there is a god who metes out punishment and reward at the end of our days, I would not want to occupy Ken Starr's, or any number of other OIC prosecutors' and FBI agents' coffins. Buy this book and read it. Read it to your children and your grandchildren. It will make you all better people, and it is a hell of a good read and a lot of fun!

88 of 101 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars The Woman Who Wouldn't Talk December 31, 2002

By A Customer

Format:Hardcover

The writing in this book is lucid and devoid of exaggeration or self-pity. It is honest and sane, while covering a truly dishonest and insane period of American history. Through the painful experiences of author, Susan McDougal, Whitewater is revealed to have been a shameful witch-hunt, a ruthless attempt to bring down a popular American president. Susan describes her life with Jim McDougal, her early friendship with Bill and Hillary Clinton, the uncomplicated facts of the Whitewater land deal, and her ensuing persecution by the Independent Council, Kenneth Starr. Her descriptions of life in prison are disturbing, yet there is light and hope on every page in this book. Susan is a woman who has been "stoned in the square" for refusing to bear false witness against another human being, yet she has retained her decency, softness, intelligence, and even her sense of humor. Read this book!!!

132 of 155 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Great book by a true hero! December 17, 2002

By BartCop

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase

Susan went to jail for 21 months rather than play ball with a crooked monster named Ken Starr. She knew doing the right thing
would put her in prison, but she stuck to her guns. This book reads like she's sitting there talking to you.

Get this book!

Read about a real hero who doesn't throw or catch a ball.

Read about the meaning or courage, and standing up against the biggest bully on the planet - the out-of-control US federal government.

Susan - great book! You rock!

bart

bartcop.com