Clinton & Me

by Mark Katz

A whimsical account of life in politics chronicles the odyssey of the eventful life and times of the in-house humor writer for the Clinton administration, offering a unique view of American politics at work. 35,000 first printing.

Genres: Biography, Politics, Humor, Nonfiction, Memoir

400 pages, Hardcover

First published February 18, 2004

Reviews

[Christopher (Donut) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hard to remember much about this book, but I liked it a lot.

Mark Katz wrote jokes for Clinton and other Democrats and his book is funny and 'dishy.'

Slightly partisan but pretty middle of the road. I could recommend it to anyone.

[Todd · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very entertaining memoir about being Bill Clinton's joke writer -- with some notable compassion amid the humor (and exasperation). With all we've been through in the last 12 years, I'd forgotten how exhausting the Clinton administration was -- sometimes through its own faults, sometimes through its enemies'.

[Becky · Rating 5 out of 5]

Holy cow did I laugh a lot. It was very interesting to see what goes into a speech and the logistics behind it all. I've read it several times and it always cracks me up.

[Holly · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a fun, easy read. I read an "advanced reading copy" ($1 at a used bookstore) so I will assume the typos and formatting have been fixed.

I really enjoyed most of this book, though the first few chapters annoyed me a bit. First, the prologue teases you with an interesting Clinton-author exchange and then Chapter 1 painfully starts back at the author's birth and does a whole bio -- which ends up being helpful for reading the rest of the book, but made me impatient because I wanted more insider Clinton stories. But the book gets better and better as he gets closer and closer to the White House, and there are tons of cool/surprising stories about Stephanopoulos, Dukakis, Gore, Clinton, and others. (You have to be a Democratic political junkie to like this book at any level.)

I wasn't impressed with many of the jokes he came up with, but a few were great and it was fascinating to see how a zinger is created and makes its way through the review process and what it's like to have a political celebrity say the funny things that you wrote.

I was very impressed with the author. Not so much by the fact that he became Clinton's joke writer (that's due to a mix of luck, contacts, tenacity, and talent) but by his willingness to lay bare the mistakes he made due to stupidity and pride, as well as some truly humbling moments. I also thought the book's anecdotes held good insights for how to work collaboratively (especially on creative projects), when & how to take credit and when & how to give others credit, what not to do when you talk to the press (ok this might not come in handy in my own life, but it's still interesting), how to move up in a campaign, the importance of self-deprecating humor, and lots of other things that I have already failed to retain since putting the book down 2 days ago.

[Terry Sprouse · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is one of my favorite books. The author presents a fascinating and hilarious insider's look at the sometimes chaotic presidency of Bill Clinton. As the presidential humorous speech writer, Mark Katz, gives us a great "fly n the wall" viewpoint. He also covers the time he spent writing speeches for the dour Michael Dukakis.

[Alex Morgan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I felt proud actually understanding a few of the Clinton jokes, though my attempts at retelling them to my freshmen friends fell flat. Somehow they didn't seem to find jokes on a president they could barely remember all that amusing. I found it rather humorous.

[Carrie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great stories of writing for president's humor speeches. enjoyed the inside glimpses of the Dukakis campaign and the Clinton White House.

[Alana · Rating 4 out of 5]

A delightfully fun read with insights both into the political process and into the nature of comedy. If Katz sounds occasionally arrogant, such arrogance plays a key roll in any career in politics.

[Isabel Rose · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sooo funny!!

[Jason · Rating 4 out of 5]

Personalized by the author.