As with most books written by politicians while in office (or at least aiming for one), Living History is, first and foremost, safe. There are interesting observations and anecdotes, the writing is engaging, and there is enough inside scoop to appeal to those looking for a bit of gossip, but there are no bombshells here and it is doubtful the book will change many minds about this polarizing figure. This does not mean the work is without merit, however, for Hillary Clinton has much to say about her experience as first lady, which is the primary focus of the book. Those interested in these experiences and her commentary on them will find the book worth reading; those looking for revelations will be disappointed.

Beginning with a brief outline of her childhood, college years, introduction to politics, and her courtship with Bill Clinton, Clinton covers a wide variety of topics: life on the campaign trail, her troubled tenure as leader of the President's Task Force on National Health Care Reform, meeting with foreign leaders, and her work on human rights, to name a few. By necessity, she also addresses the various scandals that plagued the administration, from Travelgate to Whitewater to impeachment, though she does not go into great detail about each one; rather, she seems content to simply state her case and move on without trying to settle too many old scores.

Along the way, she offers many apologies, though perhaps not the kind some would expect. She does not shy away from her "vast right-wing conspiracy" comment, for instance, though she does wish that she had expressed herself differently. Regarding the Monica Lewinsky scandal, she maintains that her husband initially lied to her, as he did the rest of the country, and did not come clean until two days prior to his grand jury testimony. Calling his betrayal "the most devastating, shocking and hurtful experience of my life," she explains what the aftermath was like personally and why she has elected to stand by her man. In all, Living History is an informative book that goes a long way toward humanizing one of the most recognizable, and controversial, women of our age. Shawn Carkonen

The early reactions to Hillary Clinton's much-anticipated memoir (no prepublication review copies were distributed) have amounted to a kind of referendum on the person rather than a review of the book. Everyone has a theory about Clinton and why she wrote her book, but few of the commentators have bothered to read the volume, and none seem interested in reflecting on how it stacks up as an autobiography. In fact, it stacks up pretty darn well. Certainly the book has faults. Many early critics have pointed to the almost 600 pages and called the book too long. Wrong again; in some places, it isn't long enough. For instance, Clinton virtually flies over the Gennifer Flowers affair, and the other women in Bill Clinton's life--except for Monica and Paula--are not mentioned at all. She could have gained some space by not tipping her hat to so many "good friends"; myriad people are so described. What Hillary does very well, however, is to give readers a sense of who she is, starting with an effective description of her childhood and college years that manages not only to reveal her character but also to evoke the era vividly and in great detail. Her evolution as a wife and mother, as First Lady, and as a political lightning rod is portrayed in an engaging fashion, and her discussions of political policy, while occasionally dry, are well reasoned and worth reading. The book works especially well when the private and public Mrs. Clintons come together; for example, when she spearheads the health-care wars as her own father is dying. Only true Clinton haters will refuse to see her as a woman of faith or dispute the fact she loves her husband. Those two qualities pervade the pages. Ilene Cooper
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