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Bill Clinton #1
Bill Clinton: An American Journey: Great Expectations
Bill Clinton, forty-second president of the United States, is the quintessential baby boomer: on the one hand blessed with a near-genius IQ, on the other, beset by character flaws that made his presidency a veritable soap opera of high ideals, distressing incompetence, model financial stewardship, and domestic misbehavior. In an era of cultural civil war, the Clinton administration fed the public an almost daily diet of scandal and misfortune.
Who is Bill Clinton, though, and how did this baby-boom saga begin? Clinton’s upbringing in Arkansas and his student years at Georgetown, Oxford, and Yale universities help us to see his life not only as a personal story but as the story of modern America.
Behind the closed doors of the house on the hill above Park Avenue in Hot Springs, the struggle between Clinton’s stepfather and mother became ultimately unbearable, causing Virginia to move out and divorce Roger Clinton. Dreading confrontation, Bill Clinton excelled in almost every field save athletics. But the fabled success of the scholarship boy would be marred by the decisions he came to make regarding Vietnam and military service—choices that haunt him to this day.
We watch with a mixture of alarm, fascination, and awe as Bill Clinton does so much that is right—and so much that is wrong. He sets his cap for the star student at Yale, young Hillary Rodham, seducing her with his dreams of a better America and an aw-shucks grin. Wherever he goes, he charms and disarms—young and old, men and women...and more women. He becomes a law professor straight out of college; he contests a congressional election in his twenties—and almost wins it. He becomes attorney general of his state and within two years is set to become the youngest-ever governor of Arkansas, at only thirty-two.
Yet, always, there is a curse, a drive toward personal self-destruction—and with that the destruction of all those who are helping him on his legendary path. His affair with Gennifer Flowers strains his marriage and later nearly scuttles his bid for the presidency. He is thrown out of the governor’s office after only one term and suffers a life-shaking crisis of confidence. Though with the stalwart help of a female chief of staff he regains his crown, it is clear that Bill Clinton’s charismatic career is a ceaseless tightrope walk above the forces that threaten to pull him down—the most potent of them residing in his own being.
Imbued with sympathy, deep intelligence, and the storyteller’s art, this extraordinary biography helps us, at last, to understand the real Bill Clinton as he stumbles and withdraws from the 1988 presidential nomination race but enters it four years later, to make one of the most astonishing bids for the presidency in the twentieth century: the climax of this gripping political, social, and scandalous journey.
From the Hardcover edition.
Who is Bill Clinton, though, and how did this baby-boom saga begin? Clinton’s upbringing in Arkansas and his student years at Georgetown, Oxford, and Yale universities help us to see his life not only as a personal story but as the story of modern America.
Behind the closed doors of the house on the hill above Park Avenue in Hot Springs, the struggle between Clinton’s stepfather and mother became ultimately unbearable, causing Virginia to move out and divorce Roger Clinton. Dreading confrontation, Bill Clinton excelled in almost every field save athletics. But the fabled success of the scholarship boy would be marred by the decisions he came to make regarding Vietnam and military service—choices that haunt him to this day.
We watch with a mixture of alarm, fascination, and awe as Bill Clinton does so much that is right—and so much that is wrong. He sets his cap for the star student at Yale, young Hillary Rodham, seducing her with his dreams of a better America and an aw-shucks grin. Wherever he goes, he charms and disarms—young and old, men and women...and more women. He becomes a law professor straight out of college; he contests a congressional election in his twenties—and almost wins it. He becomes attorney general of his state and within two years is set to become the youngest-ever governor of Arkansas, at only thirty-two.
Yet, always, there is a curse, a drive toward personal self-destruction—and with that the destruction of all those who are helping him on his legendary path. His affair with Gennifer Flowers strains his marriage and later nearly scuttles his bid for the presidency. He is thrown out of the governor’s office after only one term and suffers a life-shaking crisis of confidence. Though with the stalwart help of a female chief of staff he regains his crown, it is clear that Bill Clinton’s charismatic career is a ceaseless tightrope walk above the forces that threaten to pull him down—the most potent of them residing in his own being.
Imbued with sympathy, deep intelligence, and the storyteller’s art, this extraordinary biography helps us, at last, to understand the real Bill Clinton as he stumbles and withdraws from the 1988 presidential nomination race but enters it four years later, to make one of the most astonishing bids for the presidency in the twentieth century: the climax of this gripping political, social, and scandalous journey.
From the Hardcover edition.
816 pages, Hardcover
First published August 30, 2003
16 people are currently reading
195 people want to read
About the author
Nigel Hamilton
44 books87 followersNigel Hamilton is an award-winning British-born biographer, academic and broadcaster, whose works have been translated into sixteen languages.
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Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews
August 27, 2024
This is one of those books that ends up not being at all like what I thought it was going to be. Usually when that occurs I tend to think that perhaps I had unrealistic (or perhaps a better word would be flawed or even misguided) expectations concerning the book. And this can go both ways: a book could end up being much better than I was expecting, or it could be much worse and not what I was expecting. Unfortunately, Nigel Hamilton's biography of Bill Clinton's early years landed firmly in the latter category for me.
From the beginning, Hamilton seemed focused on one thing: sex. Being that the subject is Bill Clinton, that's not entirely unwarranted, given his history. Yet Hamilton focuses on it to the point of distraction, even before Clinton grows up. This reads more like a tabloid psychobiography at times than a serious study of a man who obviously had some major flaws in this arena. Hamilton starts out by talking about Southern culture: a patriarchal, repressed society where men can abuse their wives, be alcoholics, and the women have to put up with it. Hamilton then contrasts this with the atypical maternal grandmother and mother of Clinton - strong women who paved their own paths and did what they wanted to regardless of what others thought. Both women were formidable figures in young Clinton's life, and in their own ways contributed to some of the difficulties that he experienced later on as an adult.
An example of the overwrought psychoanalysis can be found on pages 316-317, with Hamilton going into intimate detail about the intimate activities of Clinton and one of his mistresses, Gennifer Flowers: "Her bed was 'built for a king' - a four-poster canopy 'draped with luxurious fabrics and buried in soft, sensuous pillows' - and she had her king to grace it. This psychosexual dynamic would fuel their twelve-year affair: the king, so powerful, so universally admired in public, coming secretly to his morganatic queen, pleasuring and being pleasured by her." I was starting to think that I was mistakenly reading one of those Harlequin romance novels.
Given the long, disturbing history that Clinton had with women both prior to and once he became President, I expected this area of his life would merit significant discussion in the book. But I did not expect - nor think it necessary - for this one subject to so totally dominate the narrative. Additionally, I could have done without flowery descriptions about Flowers' bed. That is just one of many such instances that Hamilton includes in the book. Another is a cringe-inducing metaphor of Flowers' bed being a ship and Clinton going "overboard" on his "lovecraft" (page 416).
Perhaps some of this is due to the passage of time; when Hamilton wrote this book, Clinton had left office only a couple of years before. So his sexual exploits, including the impeachment, were not too distant in the rearview mirror. Now, going back to this stuff almost seems... quaint, when compared with the current state of politics and what we have witnessed recently with a more recent former president.
Another aspect of the book that I was not at all expecting, and am less tolerant of Hamilton including to the extent that he did, is the almost continual references to John F. Kennedy. While Clinton briefly met JFK on a high school trip to D.C. in the early 60s, Hamilton constantly talks about Kennedy's sexual proclivities (even describing him on page 158 as a "Wham, bam, thank you, ma'am" type of sexual partner). That was another description that I could have done without, and had absolutely nothing to do with Clinton's story. At best, beyond their one brief meeting, JFK should have merited only an occasional reference. Yet he is peppered throughout the book, and almost always concerning sex.
Finally moving away from that, the rest of the book is not particularly good either. Hamilton calls Robert Reich a "midget". Now that is a word that I had not seen in print in quite some time, nor had I expected to see it. Hamilton makes numerous mistakes, such as calling one of Clinton's step-fathers "Jim Dwire" when his first name was actually Jeff (page 424). He refers to CBS journalist Steve Kroft as being with ABC (page 635). On page 147 he writes that George Bush was an Ambassador, but this was well before he was appointed Chief Liaison to China by Gerald Ford.
As for Clinton himself, he does not come across well here. Hamilton shows him to be a smooth operator, lying to get out of service in Vietnam, double-speaking on personal and political matters, having an endless string of mistresses, and being more interested in moving up than in serving the best he could where he was at the time. He and Hillary are painted as an extremely ambitious couple who used people up and then spit them out once their usefulness was at an end.
Hamilton did okay when writing about the 1992 presidential election that saw a three-way race between Clinton, incumbent President Bush, and billionaire Ross Perot (Hamilton really shows Perot to have basically been a kook despite his vast wealth). I do think that Hamilton at times over-relied on his extensive interviews with certain figures from Clinton's life such as his long-serving Chief of Staff Betsey Wright. Clinton has such an interesting pre-presidential story that I thought there was much more for Hamilton to mine here than simply remaining fixated on his sexual peccadilloes. It is to this book's detriment that he does so.
Grade: D-
From the beginning, Hamilton seemed focused on one thing: sex. Being that the subject is Bill Clinton, that's not entirely unwarranted, given his history. Yet Hamilton focuses on it to the point of distraction, even before Clinton grows up. This reads more like a tabloid psychobiography at times than a serious study of a man who obviously had some major flaws in this arena. Hamilton starts out by talking about Southern culture: a patriarchal, repressed society where men can abuse their wives, be alcoholics, and the women have to put up with it. Hamilton then contrasts this with the atypical maternal grandmother and mother of Clinton - strong women who paved their own paths and did what they wanted to regardless of what others thought. Both women were formidable figures in young Clinton's life, and in their own ways contributed to some of the difficulties that he experienced later on as an adult.
An example of the overwrought psychoanalysis can be found on pages 316-317, with Hamilton going into intimate detail about the intimate activities of Clinton and one of his mistresses, Gennifer Flowers: "Her bed was 'built for a king' - a four-poster canopy 'draped with luxurious fabrics and buried in soft, sensuous pillows' - and she had her king to grace it. This psychosexual dynamic would fuel their twelve-year affair: the king, so powerful, so universally admired in public, coming secretly to his morganatic queen, pleasuring and being pleasured by her." I was starting to think that I was mistakenly reading one of those Harlequin romance novels.
Given the long, disturbing history that Clinton had with women both prior to and once he became President, I expected this area of his life would merit significant discussion in the book. But I did not expect - nor think it necessary - for this one subject to so totally dominate the narrative. Additionally, I could have done without flowery descriptions about Flowers' bed. That is just one of many such instances that Hamilton includes in the book. Another is a cringe-inducing metaphor of Flowers' bed being a ship and Clinton going "overboard" on his "lovecraft" (page 416).
Perhaps some of this is due to the passage of time; when Hamilton wrote this book, Clinton had left office only a couple of years before. So his sexual exploits, including the impeachment, were not too distant in the rearview mirror. Now, going back to this stuff almost seems... quaint, when compared with the current state of politics and what we have witnessed recently with a more recent former president.
Another aspect of the book that I was not at all expecting, and am less tolerant of Hamilton including to the extent that he did, is the almost continual references to John F. Kennedy. While Clinton briefly met JFK on a high school trip to D.C. in the early 60s, Hamilton constantly talks about Kennedy's sexual proclivities (even describing him on page 158 as a "Wham, bam, thank you, ma'am" type of sexual partner). That was another description that I could have done without, and had absolutely nothing to do with Clinton's story. At best, beyond their one brief meeting, JFK should have merited only an occasional reference. Yet he is peppered throughout the book, and almost always concerning sex.
Finally moving away from that, the rest of the book is not particularly good either. Hamilton calls Robert Reich a "midget". Now that is a word that I had not seen in print in quite some time, nor had I expected to see it. Hamilton makes numerous mistakes, such as calling one of Clinton's step-fathers "Jim Dwire" when his first name was actually Jeff (page 424). He refers to CBS journalist Steve Kroft as being with ABC (page 635). On page 147 he writes that George Bush was an Ambassador, but this was well before he was appointed Chief Liaison to China by Gerald Ford.
As for Clinton himself, he does not come across well here. Hamilton shows him to be a smooth operator, lying to get out of service in Vietnam, double-speaking on personal and political matters, having an endless string of mistresses, and being more interested in moving up than in serving the best he could where he was at the time. He and Hillary are painted as an extremely ambitious couple who used people up and then spit them out once their usefulness was at an end.
Hamilton did okay when writing about the 1992 presidential election that saw a three-way race between Clinton, incumbent President Bush, and billionaire Ross Perot (Hamilton really shows Perot to have basically been a kook despite his vast wealth). I do think that Hamilton at times over-relied on his extensive interviews with certain figures from Clinton's life such as his long-serving Chief of Staff Betsey Wright. Clinton has such an interesting pre-presidential story that I thought there was much more for Hamilton to mine here than simply remaining fixated on his sexual peccadilloes. It is to this book's detriment that he does so.
Grade: D-
November 14, 2016
UGH. Could not get rid of this book fast enough. From constantly reminding the reader that males are biologically and intrinsically predisposed to have multiple partners and therefore cannot be faithful or monogamous to calling the term 'homelessness' a New Age word for poverty I have little respect for this work.
January 11, 2021
Excellent biography of the 42nd president from his roots in Arkansas all the way to the eve of the 1996 election. I've read at least a dozen or close to two dozen books on the man and I would say this was a fairly well balanced and fair portrait of the man - both his strengths and weaknesses.
October 21, 2018
I failed to research the book before reading and thought it was through his Presidency. First disappointment. The author is either mesmerized, titillated or approving of Clinton's sexual behavior and compares him to JFK since he tells us over and over and over throughout the 689 page book. Oh yes and we need to be repeatedly told of Clinton's fondness for oral sex.
More noteworthy we learn:
1. He needs to be loved and is narcissistic therefore he cannot fire people and has others to it.
2. He never takes responsibility for bad decisions and blames others.
3. He is intelligent, a master campaigner and great with people.
4. Hillary is more intelligent and disciplined and they are co-candidates.
Oh yes, he is a womanizer, liar, draft dodger and more importantly sex addict who prefers oral sex in case you didn't pick that up as we were told multiple times.
More noteworthy we learn:
1. He needs to be loved and is narcissistic therefore he cannot fire people and has others to it.
2. He never takes responsibility for bad decisions and blames others.
3. He is intelligent, a master campaigner and great with people.
4. Hillary is more intelligent and disciplined and they are co-candidates.
Oh yes, he is a womanizer, liar, draft dodger and more importantly sex addict who prefers oral sex in case you didn't pick that up as we were told multiple times.
July 8, 2024
You can also see this review, along with others I have written, at my blog, Mr. Book's Book Reviews.
Mr. Book just finished Bill Clinton: An American Journey, by Nigel Hamilton.
This was an extremely thorough look at Bill Clinton’s life leading up to his election to the presidency. It is the first of a two-volume biography by Hamilton.
There was no topic that stood out as being better, or worse, covered than anything else, with one exception. I do have to address something I saw in an Amazon review on the book: “Did Kitty Kelley write this book? Hamilton writes more about Clinton's penis than his politics.” The second sentence was an exaggeration, although sometimes, it felt like it wasn’t. There were several times in which I wished the book could operate under courtroom procedures: we will all stipulate that William Jefferson Clinton does have a penis, we stipulate that he used it a lot, the jury is therefore instructed that, as a matter of law, they must accept that as proven fact and there is therefore no reason to be able to introduce evidence on it.
Hamilton’s obsession with going on and on about sexual exploits was what cost this book an A+. Obviously, no biography on Clinton would be complete without the topic, but I would have been extremely happy to see him limit the discussion on sex. That could be done without cutting a single word about the political and other consequences to Clinton.
This was one of those books that was very long, but didn’t feel like it. It was a fast paced narrative and, even though I have a few others that I’d like to read first before I get to his sequel on the presidential years, I am definitely looking forward to that one.
I give this book an A. Goodreads requires grades on a 1-5 star system. In my personal conversion system, an A equates to 5 stars. (A or A+: 5 stars, B+: 4 stars, B: 3 stars, C: 2 stars, D or F: 1 star).
This review has been posted at my blog, Mr. Book’s Book Reviews, and Goodreads.
Mr. Book originally finished reading this on July 8, 2024.
Mr. Book just finished Bill Clinton: An American Journey, by Nigel Hamilton.
This was an extremely thorough look at Bill Clinton’s life leading up to his election to the presidency. It is the first of a two-volume biography by Hamilton.
There was no topic that stood out as being better, or worse, covered than anything else, with one exception. I do have to address something I saw in an Amazon review on the book: “Did Kitty Kelley write this book? Hamilton writes more about Clinton's penis than his politics.” The second sentence was an exaggeration, although sometimes, it felt like it wasn’t. There were several times in which I wished the book could operate under courtroom procedures: we will all stipulate that William Jefferson Clinton does have a penis, we stipulate that he used it a lot, the jury is therefore instructed that, as a matter of law, they must accept that as proven fact and there is therefore no reason to be able to introduce evidence on it.
Hamilton’s obsession with going on and on about sexual exploits was what cost this book an A+. Obviously, no biography on Clinton would be complete without the topic, but I would have been extremely happy to see him limit the discussion on sex. That could be done without cutting a single word about the political and other consequences to Clinton.
This was one of those books that was very long, but didn’t feel like it. It was a fast paced narrative and, even though I have a few others that I’d like to read first before I get to his sequel on the presidential years, I am definitely looking forward to that one.
I give this book an A. Goodreads requires grades on a 1-5 star system. In my personal conversion system, an A equates to 5 stars. (A or A+: 5 stars, B+: 4 stars, B: 3 stars, C: 2 stars, D or F: 1 star).
This review has been posted at my blog, Mr. Book’s Book Reviews, and Goodreads.
Mr. Book originally finished reading this on July 8, 2024.
March 4, 2025
I highly anticipated this book as I consider Bill Clinton one of the best presidents in my lifetime and the author Nigel Hamilton one of my favorite biographers. Unfortunately both ended up disappointing me.
First Hamilton; I was impressed with his three volume bio of FDR but this Clinton bio is nothing but a hatchet job. There is very little substance; much if it is just amateur psychoanalysis of Clinton's many faults. Hamilton seems to feel that Clinton is the poster boy for the narcissism of the Baby Boomers. You know the writer has it in for his subject when he starts discussing his sexual proclivities and even the size of his penis. Gimme a break. This is isn't a serious book, just titillation.
I also identified quite a number of factual errors. None were serious but the sheer number call into question everything else Hamilton alleges. And he alleges a lot. Clinton is portrayed as a sex obsessed scoundrel, a serial liar and a lazy governor.
Now as to Clinton himself; It is hard to disregard Hamilton's negative characterizations. The man obviously has many flaws but he also has many gifts. Unfortunately Hamilton really doesn't get into anything of substance. Many successful people claim humble origins but Clinton is the real deal. Came from nothing and accomplished much. Hamilton acknowledges that Clinton is one of the most gifted campaigners of his generation but except for the last few chapters that concerned his 1992 presidential election there is very little detail.
This is volume 1 of 2. Needless to say i will not read 2. l guess I'll have to find another bio to learn more about the man.
First Hamilton; I was impressed with his three volume bio of FDR but this Clinton bio is nothing but a hatchet job. There is very little substance; much if it is just amateur psychoanalysis of Clinton's many faults. Hamilton seems to feel that Clinton is the poster boy for the narcissism of the Baby Boomers. You know the writer has it in for his subject when he starts discussing his sexual proclivities and even the size of his penis. Gimme a break. This is isn't a serious book, just titillation.
I also identified quite a number of factual errors. None were serious but the sheer number call into question everything else Hamilton alleges. And he alleges a lot. Clinton is portrayed as a sex obsessed scoundrel, a serial liar and a lazy governor.
Now as to Clinton himself; It is hard to disregard Hamilton's negative characterizations. The man obviously has many flaws but he also has many gifts. Unfortunately Hamilton really doesn't get into anything of substance. Many successful people claim humble origins but Clinton is the real deal. Came from nothing and accomplished much. Hamilton acknowledges that Clinton is one of the most gifted campaigners of his generation but except for the last few chapters that concerned his 1992 presidential election there is very little detail.
This is volume 1 of 2. Needless to say i will not read 2. l guess I'll have to find another bio to learn more about the man.
December 17, 2024
This book is no political biography and is not as its title would suggest ‘An American Journey.’ If you are looking for a book that deals simply in the sexual and rumour mill of Clinton’s life then this is the book for you but if you are looking for a book on the whole pre-presidency life of Bill Clinton then look elsewhere. It lacks so much information on his years as governor and for a book on a politician it references politics little. A disappointing read to be sure. The narrative is clunky and for such a large book most of the writing is waffle in particular when discussing anything other than sex, for that seems to be the prime focus of this book. The sex life of Bill Clinton, not the life of Bill Clinton.
May 12, 2010
Bill Clinton, forty-second president of the United States, is the quintessential baby boomer: on the one hand blessed with a near-genius IQ, on the other, beset by character flaws that made his presidency a veritable soap opera of high ideals, distressing incompetence, model financial stewardship, and domestic misbehavior. In an era of cultural civil war, the Clinton administration fed the public an almost daily diet of scandal and misfortune.
Who is Bill Clinton, though, and how did this baby-boom saga begin? Clinton’s upbringing in Arkansas and his student years at Georgetown, Oxford, and Yale universities help us to see his life not only as a personal story but as the story of modern America.
Behind the closed doors of the house on the hill above Park Avenue in Hot Springs, the struggle between Clinton’s stepfather and mother became ultimately unbearable, causing Virginia to move out and divorce Roger Clinton. Dreading confrontation, Bill Clinton excelled in almost every field save athletics. But the fabled success of the scholarship boy would be marred by the decisions he came to make regarding Vietnam and military service—choices that haunt him to this day.
We watch with a mixture of alarm, fascination, and awe as Bill Clinton does so much that is right—and so much that is wrong. He sets his cap for the star student at Yale, young Hillary Rodham, seducing her with his dreams of a better America and an aw-shucks grin. Wherever he goes, he charms and disarms—young and old, men and women...and more women. He becomes a law professor straight out of college; he contests a congressional election in his twenties—and almost wins it. He becomes attorney general of his state and within two years is set to become the youngest-ever governor of Arkansas, at only thirty-two.
Yet, always, there is a curse, a drive toward personal self-destruction—and with that the destruction of all those who are helping him on his legendary path. His affair with Gennifer Flowers strains his marriage and later nearly scuttles his bid for the presidency. He is thrown out of the governor’s office after only one term and suffers a life-shaking crisis of confidence. Though with the stalwart help of a female chief of staff he regains his crown, it is clear that Bill Clinton’s charismatic career is a ceaseless tightrope walk above the forces that threaten to pull him down—the most potent of them residing in his own being.
Imbued with sympathy, deep intelligence, and the storyteller’s art, this extraordinary biography helps us, at last, to understand the real Bill Clinton as he stumbles and withdraws from the 1988 presidential nomination race but enters it four years later, to make one of the most astonishing bids for the presidency in the twentieth century: the climax of this gripping political, social, and scandalous journey.
Who is Bill Clinton, though, and how did this baby-boom saga begin? Clinton’s upbringing in Arkansas and his student years at Georgetown, Oxford, and Yale universities help us to see his life not only as a personal story but as the story of modern America.
Behind the closed doors of the house on the hill above Park Avenue in Hot Springs, the struggle between Clinton’s stepfather and mother became ultimately unbearable, causing Virginia to move out and divorce Roger Clinton. Dreading confrontation, Bill Clinton excelled in almost every field save athletics. But the fabled success of the scholarship boy would be marred by the decisions he came to make regarding Vietnam and military service—choices that haunt him to this day.
We watch with a mixture of alarm, fascination, and awe as Bill Clinton does so much that is right—and so much that is wrong. He sets his cap for the star student at Yale, young Hillary Rodham, seducing her with his dreams of a better America and an aw-shucks grin. Wherever he goes, he charms and disarms—young and old, men and women...and more women. He becomes a law professor straight out of college; he contests a congressional election in his twenties—and almost wins it. He becomes attorney general of his state and within two years is set to become the youngest-ever governor of Arkansas, at only thirty-two.
Yet, always, there is a curse, a drive toward personal self-destruction—and with that the destruction of all those who are helping him on his legendary path. His affair with Gennifer Flowers strains his marriage and later nearly scuttles his bid for the presidency. He is thrown out of the governor’s office after only one term and suffers a life-shaking crisis of confidence. Though with the stalwart help of a female chief of staff he regains his crown, it is clear that Bill Clinton’s charismatic career is a ceaseless tightrope walk above the forces that threaten to pull him down—the most potent of them residing in his own being.
Imbued with sympathy, deep intelligence, and the storyteller’s art, this extraordinary biography helps us, at last, to understand the real Bill Clinton as he stumbles and withdraws from the 1988 presidential nomination race but enters it four years later, to make one of the most astonishing bids for the presidency in the twentieth century: the climax of this gripping political, social, and scandalous journey.
April 4, 2011
Buku ini merupakan sebuah buku biografi tidak rasmi/bebas mengenai bekas Presiden Amerika Syarikat (AS) yang ke-42,Bill Clinton atau William Jefferson Clinton. Ia juga merupakan bahagian atau volume pertama. Di dalam buku ini,penulis,Nigel Hamilton membincangkan kisah hidup Clinton ketika kecil sehingga memenangi pilihanraya presiden pada tahun 1992. Buku ini juga unik kerana Hamilton lebih memfokuskan perbincangan kepada keperibadian dan tingkah laku Clinton,terutamanya yang berkaitan dengan kecenderungan seksualnya. Kisah perjalanan politiknya agak kurang dititikberatkan di dalam buku ini.
Bill Clinton merupakan seorang yang unik. Penulis menyatakan bahawa Clinton merupakan seorang yang sangat bijak dan berkarisma. Beliau merupakan seorang yang sangat cemerlang dari segi akademik. Ini dianggap sebagai sesuatu yang unik dan istimewa jika diperhatikan latar belakang keluarga Clinton yang berasal daripada Hope,Arkansas (sebuah tempat yang mundur di AS) dan dibesarkan di dalam keluarga yang berpendapatan sederhana dan keluarga yang porak-peranda (bapa tiri Clinton merupakan seorang pemabuk). Namun,beliau ditakdirkan untuk mencapai begitu banyak kejayaan dari sudut akademik dan politik. Namun,pada masa yang sama,Clinton turut melakukan perkara-perkara yang juga mampu menjejaskan (kadang-kala mampu menghancurkan) karier politiknya. Inilah yang menjadi topik utama perbincangan yang ingin disampaikan oleh penulis. Namun begitu,bukan hanya perkara-perkara yang negatif sahaja yang dibincangkan,tetapi juga perkara-perkara positif mengenai Clinton.
Buku ini merupakan sebuah biografi yang menarik. Kepada mereka yang ingin melihat susur galur perjalanan karier politik Clinton,mungkin buku ini tidak begitu sesuai untuk dibaca. Namun,buku ini tetap memberikan maklumat,tetapi,dengan perspektif yang berbeza. Dari segi bahasa,penulis menggunakan tahap bahasa Inggeris yang agak tinggi dan agak mengelirukan. Jadi,para pembaca perlu mempunyai daya tumpuan yang tinggi untuk membaca buku ini. Namun,pada masa yang sama,cara penceritaan yang disampaikan penulis agak istimewa dan mempunyai gaya sendiri serta mengandungi unsur-unsur humor. Malahan,Hamilton juga menggunakan beberapa perumpamaan yang agak tidak masuk akal,tetapi kelakar bunyinya. Saya juga mencadangkan supaya membaca terlebih dahulu buku JFK: Reckless Youth,juga hasil tulisan Nigel Hamilton kerana beliau seringkali menghubungkaitkan di antara John F. Kennedy dan Bill Clinton (secara kebetulan,JFK merupakan idola bagi Clinton).
Bill Clinton merupakan seorang yang unik. Penulis menyatakan bahawa Clinton merupakan seorang yang sangat bijak dan berkarisma. Beliau merupakan seorang yang sangat cemerlang dari segi akademik. Ini dianggap sebagai sesuatu yang unik dan istimewa jika diperhatikan latar belakang keluarga Clinton yang berasal daripada Hope,Arkansas (sebuah tempat yang mundur di AS) dan dibesarkan di dalam keluarga yang berpendapatan sederhana dan keluarga yang porak-peranda (bapa tiri Clinton merupakan seorang pemabuk). Namun,beliau ditakdirkan untuk mencapai begitu banyak kejayaan dari sudut akademik dan politik. Namun,pada masa yang sama,Clinton turut melakukan perkara-perkara yang juga mampu menjejaskan (kadang-kala mampu menghancurkan) karier politiknya. Inilah yang menjadi topik utama perbincangan yang ingin disampaikan oleh penulis. Namun begitu,bukan hanya perkara-perkara yang negatif sahaja yang dibincangkan,tetapi juga perkara-perkara positif mengenai Clinton.
Buku ini merupakan sebuah biografi yang menarik. Kepada mereka yang ingin melihat susur galur perjalanan karier politik Clinton,mungkin buku ini tidak begitu sesuai untuk dibaca. Namun,buku ini tetap memberikan maklumat,tetapi,dengan perspektif yang berbeza. Dari segi bahasa,penulis menggunakan tahap bahasa Inggeris yang agak tinggi dan agak mengelirukan. Jadi,para pembaca perlu mempunyai daya tumpuan yang tinggi untuk membaca buku ini. Namun,pada masa yang sama,cara penceritaan yang disampaikan penulis agak istimewa dan mempunyai gaya sendiri serta mengandungi unsur-unsur humor. Malahan,Hamilton juga menggunakan beberapa perumpamaan yang agak tidak masuk akal,tetapi kelakar bunyinya. Saya juga mencadangkan supaya membaca terlebih dahulu buku JFK: Reckless Youth,juga hasil tulisan Nigel Hamilton kerana beliau seringkali menghubungkaitkan di antara John F. Kennedy dan Bill Clinton (secara kebetulan,JFK merupakan idola bagi Clinton).
January 9, 2014
This book does clearly reveal an interesting personality Bill Clinton had and does so very objectively. The great lesson though is that despite seeming soft, indecisive and escapist he is one guy who can take a punch better than most seemingly tough guys. Its a good read that also enables one to learn greatly about the American politics.
It actually seems Obama's second term campaign was a cast from this book.
It actually seems Obama's second term campaign was a cast from this book.
April 5, 2010
This book is a fascinating book about the complexities of Bill Clinton. He is an enigma in many ways and the book clearly portrays them and the elements of his character.
The book does not trash Clinton neither does it praise him out of order.
It is a good book to learn about Clinton.
J. Robert Ewbank author "John Wesley, Naturall Man, and the 'Isms'"
The book does not trash Clinton neither does it praise him out of order.
It is a good book to learn about Clinton.
J. Robert Ewbank author "John Wesley, Naturall Man, and the 'Isms'"
April 17, 2008
Fascinating, sad, relevatory, sensationalistic
July 8, 2015
Interesting book with some good insites into the life and times of President Bill Clinton.
February 18, 2023
Superbly written
April 10, 2023
A tattletale biography that focuses on pre-1992 Clinton, emphasising Clinton's infidelity rather than a genuine, passive historical commentary on Clinton's political genesis.
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