1/31/20: Book Review: My Life by Bill Clinton

This memoir took me back into the fascinating, struggling, highs and lows of Bill and Hillary Clinton’s political careers in the 80’s and 90’s. It spans the era Bill Clinton became the longest serving governor of Arkansas, and went on to be president of the United States, twice. It was an interesting and enjoying romp down memory lane, and it also exposed so many details of the politics of the time which I was utterly clueless. Bill Clinton is one of the few national leaders I admired while in office, and I still admire the work he does with his foundation. So for me it was a joy to find out more about him, which in no way diminished my admiration of him. 

I was amazed to find that rightwing conservatives hated Clinton every bit as much as we liberals hate Trump. Living in California, I didn’t really see that detestation, which I find so interesting because I feel Clinton did more to help middle/lower class conservatives and any Republican president. 

The book is over 950 pages, and I feel he could have cut out 300 pages and it would have been a better read. On the other hand, there are many areas I wish he would have spent more time, like the Middle East peace talks, the Ken Starr witch hunt, and the budget debates. All in all, a satisfying read from a man who did so much to shape our current culture.