Hillary Rodham Clinton’s autobiography covers the years 2012 to 2016. Four years of hard work and planning to become the first female President of the United States. She, unfortunately, did not win that election. What Happened by Hillary Rodham Clinton, for me, was a very heavy read. Another book group member said it was an easy read. I suspect that, had I not been following this year’s U.S. election and Covid19 updates, it would have been very interesting. Hillary Rodham Clinton writes in a very conversational style. In her book she calls herself ‘nice’ as one of her problems; she speaks forthrightly about her opponent, Donald Trump. Accepting and explaining her mistakes, she recognizes her strengths: family, children, women and the value of policy to improve the lives of her countrymen and women. She dedicates a section specifically about the difficulties women face when they even think about approaching the proverbial ‘glass ceiling’, let alone dare to reach for it. Her description of the convoluted and pressure cooker nature of American politics has not lessened my confusion. She also discusses what she sees as the voter inequities of the Electoral College. Gun control, emails and Russian cyber interference are all topics she addresses in her book. A very detailed writer, she included many names, dates and events. Some I recognized from different news reports, but very many I did not.
Her family, all important to her, she speaks with great love for her mother Dorothy, who passed away in 2011 at age 92. She calls her husband, Bill Clinton, her best friend and does write very briefly of marital troubles. No details there! She writes lovingly and with great pride in her daughter Chelsea and her granddaughter Charlotte.
“But the politics of cultural identity and resentment were
overwhelming evidence, reason and personal experience.”
~ Hillary Rodham Clinton, What Happened (Page 50)
Author: Hillary Rodham Clinton
Copyright: 2017
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Paperbacks
Type: Autobiography
Format: Paperback
ISBN: 978-1-5011-7556-5
ISBN: 978-1-5011-7840-5 (pbk)
ISBN: 978-1-5011-7557-2 (ebook)
**Author's note: This update only includes the photo of the book cover. The text and book information is unchanged.
