The name Bill Clinton evokes several reactions among people, each with its own emotional subtext: economic prosperity, partisan conflict, sexual misconduct, and international peacemaking. In a long history of American presidential memoirs, Clinton adds his to the list in this book. It is lengthy, thoughtful, and carefully crafted. He attempts to provide insight into himself and his leadership while advocating for the policies his administration enacted during his presidency.
I was a Republican teenager from a Republican home during the Clinton years. This book evoked memories of loyal opposition. However, Clinton’s successes – combined with W’s relative failures and Obama’s relative successes – have moved me to consistently vote as a Democrat today. Clinton’s memories in this account allowed me to reimagine the history around me. His clear voice provides persuasive explanations for his policies.
The first half of this book is devoted to his life before the presidency. To me, this formed the most interesting part – how exactly he overcame many challenges to rise to the height of political power. Much of the second half (his eight-year presidency) was embroiled with tensions with Republicans and thus was not as enjoyable. However, his passionate advocacy for international peacemaking came through clearly, from Northern Ireland and Africa to North Korea and Israel/Palestine. Providing this rationale for foreign policies is perhaps the most valuable from a historical perspective, specifically how the personalities of the involved characters shaped the failure to find lasting Middle East peace.
Of course, this book was written well before the “Me Too” movement, and the power dynamics of sexual relationships do not make Clinton look good. He acknowledges missteps, both with Monica Lewinsky and with vaguely described earlier mistakes, but he spares readers gaudy details. He talks about personal growth that impeachment and marital/family rifts evoked. He never seems to fully grasp that a leader’s private life always comes out in the public portrait. I took this overarching lesson from events in the 1990s and hold onto it still.
Overall, this memoir is certainly needed to fill out the historical record. Some might criticize him for being too lengthy and thought-out, but isn’t this the job of a president, to care for her/his own country? Frankly, Clinton’s vision for the world is beautiful and good. If one is willing to think through the policy details with him, this book can be beneficial for dreaming the world’s “tomorrow.” Like the Clinton presidency itself, shortcomings in this portrayal’s self-awareness remain, but this frankly can be said for any of us.
My Life
By Bill Clinton
Read by Michael Beck
Copyright (c) 2006
Penguin Random House Audio
ASIN B0002PVAHU
Audio Length: 24:57
Genre: Autobiography/memoir, American Presidential History
www.amazon.com