The Unique Voice of Hillary Rodham Clinton : A Portrait in Her Own Words

An autobiographical portrait of the first lady answers questions on a range of topics, from her husband's infidelities to her own involvement in Whitewater, and voices her beliefs regarding women's rights, childcare, and health-care reform.

At its best, this pastiche of excerpts from Hillary Rodham Clinton's interviews, speeches, offhand remarks and TV appearances provides a warm, intimate, informal portrait of the First Lady as woman, mother, wife, public figure, politician, activist, mainstream feminist and president's helpmeet. Assembled by freelancer Osborne without Rodham Clinton's assistance, the book reproduces her comments on topics ranging from her marriage, raising Chelsea and her relationship with her mother-in-law to her religious faith, health care, abortion, the Whitewater investigation and violence on television. She displays a resilient sense of humor, an iron will and a keen ambition, the last of which, one senses, has been subordinated to her devotion to her husband. Yet, while admirers of Mrs. Clinton will relish the personal nuggets, others may find this scissors-and-paste job a soporific exercise weighed down by too many platitudes, bromides and words carefully chosen for their effect on listeners?a compilation that does not do justice to her intelligence and political acumen. 50,000 first printing.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.

The First Lady's thoughts and visions are reduced to banalities in this compilation of her written and spoken words, arranged by topic. Snippets that include her views on her marriage, her husband, her daughter, and life in the White House portray Hillary Rodham Clinton as a one-dimensional dispenser of homilies. Her remarks about women, child welfare, and other policy issues are more substantive but are repetitive and appear to have been made at a political pep rally. The evolution of Hillary Clinton as a political force in her own right is well presented in David Maraniss's First in His Class (LJ 3/1/95) and Roger Morris's Partners in Power (LJ 8/96). This book does not do justice to Mrs. Clinton as a dynamic yet controversial leader. Not recommended.?Karl Helicher, Upper Merion Township Lib., King of Prussia, Pa.
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc.