THE COMEBACK KID: The Life and Career of Bill Clinton

A biography of the presidential candidate discusses his childhood, his early political ambitions, his rise in politics, and controversies surrounding his past, and includes extensive interviews with Clinton and his wife. 30,000 first printing. $30,000 ad/promo.

Allen, who formerly worked in the Arkansas State Department of Education, began this biography of the 1992 Democratic presidential nominee as a doctoral dissertation; Portis is a former editor of the Arkansas Gazette. There is nothing scholarly about this work, however, and it fails as journalism as well, given the speed of events. Having promised to focus on Clinton's education policy and its impact on the Arkansas school system, Allen and Portis handle this superficially, though their account of Clinton's and his wife Hillary's roles in instituting teacher testing and of the state's lobbying and interest-group politics may enlighten some readers. Their real concentration is on the details--none of them new--of Clinton's upbringing, his marriage, his gubernatorial elections and especially his recent history: his alleged affair with Gennifer Flowers, his draft record, his marijuana use and his performance in the candidate debates and primaries. Hillary Clinton emerges as a powerful force. Allen and Portis seem undecided, however, about whether Bill Clinton is capable of true leadership and whether he will put good policies or good politics first. The book will be of interest mainly to those who have not read a newspaper in the last eight months. Photos not seen by PW .
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc.

If Clinton wins the White House, he should consider choosing as his press secretary either author of this subtle panegyric. ``This biography,'' write Allen and Portis, ``is a thorough examination of a man who dreamed of being president...from his earliest days.'' Thorough, perhaps, but also delicately biased. Portis (a former editor of the Arkansas Gazette--``whose editorial page,'' the authors note, ``had been a constant Clinton supporter through the years'') and Allen (who began the book as a graduate project at the Univ. of Mississippi) give the lion's share of quotations to Clinton-admirers: ``Bill Clinton was very enthusiastic and a very dedicated professor,'' says a former student of the governor in a typical statement. And, at times, the authors gloss over damning facts (e.g., a clear Clinton lie regarding a question about his college-drug use becomes a statement that's ``not entirely true''). But Allen and Portis are frank about their subject's titanic ambition and do an adequate job of tracing the candidate's earlier years (scarred by tragedy: his father died before Clinton was born; his stepfather died when Clinton was 21; and, in 1984, Clinton's younger brother went to prison for cocaine distribution). Of most interest are the in-depth coverage of Clinton's years as governor, which convincingly portrays Clinton as a man passionate about reform, particularly in education; and the concluding chapter, which--while swiping at Ross Perot (``wild promises'') and proclaiming that Clinton will defeat Bush ``if the campaign becomes one of ideas and issues'' instead of ``personal attacks''--urges Clinton to give up his overriding fear of losing and to take the risk of stating ``hard truths'' in the upcoming campaign. By no means a definitive biography, but not flack-fluff either; and, for all its slant, the most informative text available on the man who would be President. (Sixteen pages of photographs- -not seen.) -- Copyright ©1992, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.

Biographies of presidential candidates published in election years frequently show evidence of being hastily written. This one on Democratic presidential candidate Clinton is no exception. It contains factual errors, apparent contradictions, and sometimes awkward writing. Another characteristic of many election-year biographies is lavish praise of their subjects. However, despite an introduction (not written by the coauthors) that places Clinton "clearly in a class with the framers of the Constitution of the United States," this book is generally balanced in its treatment of the Arkansas governor. Its principal contribution is its explanation of the candidate's educational reform program in his home state. The book will be useful to some lay readers who wish to learn more about Clinton, but its appeal is not likely to last much beyond the November election. If Clinton wins, much better popular biographies will be written. If he loses, few general readers will be interested. For other election books, see "On the Campaign Book Trail," LJ 3/15/92, p. 110-12.--Ed.
- Thomas H. Ferrell, Univ. of Southwestern Louisiana, Lafayette
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc.