1.03.2011

Rebekah's Review on American Evita: Hillary Clinton's Path to Power

DISCLAIMER: I am not a hard-core Republican who is programmed by the tea party to hate Hillary Clinton.

I'm registered as an unaffiliated voter, and in the last election, I voted about half Democratic, half Republican, and I even voted for a Green Party candidate. (My husband says that was a wasted vote, but I sincerely thought that candidate was best equipped to do the job.)

In fact, when I was preparing for the 2008 primaries, I decided to vote in the Republican primary because there was a County Council race that, after reporting on, I felt very strongly about. There weren't enough Democratic candidates to be contested, but there were nine Republicans that needed to be narrowed to three.

Had I voted in the Democratic primary, I would have voted for Clinton. So those are my Clinton views.

What I didn't know then: This book talks about how she made herself over to being a ladylike first wife rather than co-president when it became clear that she was hurting her husband in polls. It also describes how she marketed herself as the victim after all the sex scandals (she had at least one affair, too), when she really was doing damage control on her husband's image to keep her chances of running for office viable.
 
Author: Christopher Andersen
Genre: Nonfiction, biography
Length: 292 pages
Published by: Avon Books
In: July 2004

How much you have to think: Between ★★ and ★★★★, depending on how you want to read the book. There's not really a lot of abstract political theory or anything like that, but there are a lot of historical references. To truly appreciate what's going on, you need to be familiar with the history. But it's not necessary.

Can't-put-it-down factor: ★★★
This is a very fascinating, but very disturbed woman.

Emotional magnitude: ★★★
If you voted for her, you might feel a little guilty because underneath her hard shell is a cold robot. After reading this book, I'm pretty sure she's evil. You feel sorry for her at the beginning because her parents clearly screwed her up permanently. And you feel sorry for her when Bill's making out with someone in the bathroom at their wedding reception. And that's about where the pity ends. I was absolutely furious when I read about Hillary and Bill preparing a 6-year-old Chelsea for Bill's re-election campaign as Arkansas governor. They would grill her with things opponents might say and teach her exactly what she should say until she cried -- at the dinner table. I'm all for family dinners, but not that kind. Just an example.

Do I recommend it?: ★★★
It's not a must-read-before-you-die book, but if you think this woman is some kind of hero, you need to read it. And if you hate her, you need to read it. Andersen is actually really skilled at telling both sides of the story and trying to maintain a balanced view. He shows her as a human being, at least until she stopped being one, sometime around the beginning of her husband's presidential campaign.

How favorite it is:
I like it because it's very enlightening about very public figures, but it wouldn't bother me if I never read it again. Unless she runs for president again.

No comments: