Living History

Written by Hillary Rodham Clinton

Narrated by Hillary Rodham Clinton

Author of the Instant #1 New York Times Bestseller What Happened

The Phenomenal #1 Worldwide Bestseller—With a New Afterword​​

Hillary Rodham Clinton is known to hundreds of millions of people around the world. Yet few beyond her close friends and family have ever heard her account of her extraordinary journey. She writes with candor, humor and passion about her upbringing in suburban, middle-class America in the 1950s and her transformation from Goldwater Girl to student activist to controversial First Lady.

Living History is her revealing memoir of life through the White House years. It is also her chronicle of living history with Bill Clinton, a thirty-year adventure in love and politics that survives personal betrayal, relentless partisan investigations and constant public scrutiny.

Hillary Rodham Clinton came of age during a time of tumultuous social and political change in America. Like many women of her generation, she grew up with choices and opportunities unknown to her mother or grandmother. She charted her own course through unexplored terrain -- responding to the changing times and her own internal compass -- and became an emblem for some and a lightning rod for others. Wife, mother, lawyer, advocate and international icon, she has lived through America's great political wars, from Watergate to Whitewater.

The only First Lady to play a major role in shaping domestic legislation, Hillary Rodham Clinton traveled tirelessly around the country to champion health care, expand economic and educational opportunity and promote the needs of children and families, and she crisscrossed the globe on behalf of women's rights, human rights and democracy. She redefined the position of First Lady and helped save the presidency from an unconstitutional, politically motivated impeachment. Intimate, powerful and inspiring, Living History captures the essence of one of the most remarkable women of our time and the challenging process by which she came to define herself and find her own voice -- as a woman and as a formidable figure in American politics.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Simon & Schuster Audio
• Release date: Jun 9, 2003
• ISBN: 9780743567725

Hillary Rodham Clinton

Hillary Rodham Clinton is the first woman in US history to become the presidential nominee of a major political party. She served as the 67th Secretary of State after nearly four decades in public service advocating on behalf of children and families as an attorney, First Lady, and US Senator. She is a wife, mother, grandmother, and author of seven previous books, all published by Simon & Schuster.

Reviews for Living History

[Jahel Corbán Caldera · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I listened to the audiobook and tho it was nice to hear most of what she wrote, since it was an abridge version, the disconnect between thoughts and moments was palpable. Nonetheless it was nice to hear her tell her side of story from the Clinton administration and all the trial and tribulations they had to endure. I’ve always liked her, but she does have a hard time being relatable. But after a few minutes of hearing her talk, you do start to connect with her.

[msaucier818 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

To be completely up front, I am a big fan of Hillary Clinton and was excited to read this book. I don't know why I haven't read it in the past since it has obviously been out for quite some time. I enjoyed reliving the history of the Clinton Administration as I was in high school and college during those years. It brought back a lot of memories and cleared up many things I had simply forgotten about.

I admire her strength of character and the way she told her story. Whether you agree with her politics or not, she has certainly been through some amazing and some difficult times, and her life story is fascinating. I wish she might have gone a bit more in depth in some parts of the history, and I wish she didn't name drop quite so often in the book, but overall I enjoyed the read.

[glenda morris · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

It was an easy to listen to and with Hillary reading made it more exciting to hear. Thanks

[bness2 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Excellent book to read during this election season. Shows the human side of Hillary. It matches nicely with what I have gathered about her over the years from the news. She is a dedicated public servant who should make an excellent president.

[jennysbookbag.com · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I read this during a rare moment when I was interested in political biographies. Fortunately the moment was short-lived.

[mhanover10 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I really enjoyed this book especially since it was read by Hillary. I totally forgot about all the investigations and it was interesting to hear what she had to say about things. You can hear in her voice what made her happy and angry. Her voice does change and she does chuckle a few times. I can't believe they almost left Chelsea in Russia!

[justindtapp · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

I wanted to read Mrs. Clinton's first memoir before reading Hard Choices. Years ago, I read a couple biographies of her, which made some controversial claims but included a few more facts and timeline checks than this memoir did.

It's a memoir, so you don't expect it to be soul-divulging, but her account is so whitewashed as to be almost unbelievable. Yes, all the investigations into her family's finances and personal lives by Republicans was unfair, but they also uncovered corruption and Clinton associates like Webb Hubble went to prison. Hillary writes that was "shocked" to find that her former partner was actually guilty of the charges leveled against him. So, while she blasts the entire investigation as a political game she hardly acknowledges that it uncovered crimes committed under her nose.

President Clinton told Monica Lewinsky that he'd made a concerted effort to remain faithful to Hillary after he turned 40. This indicates that he was not faithful previously, and we now know that his rendezvous with Ms. Lewinsky was only made possible by the Republican-led government shutdown that caused non-essential handlers to be out of the White House; Mrs. Clinton had made sure staffers knew to deal with Bill's "woman problem." None of that makes it into the memoir, she's shocked to find that Bill cheated on her, and spends little time reflecting on what an abuse of power it is for a boss to start a relationship with an unpaid intern. This whole account is so whitewashed, biographers will have fun with it a century from now.

That said, Clinton has had a remarkable career. She recounts her involvement making policy ranging from healthcare reform, CHIP, welfare reform (which alienated her former friends on the previous two issues), and women's rights. I found her friendship with Jackie Kennedy interesting, and she got to witness plenty firsthand as a quasi-ambassador, from abused women in Africa to dying AIDS patients in Southeast Asia. This comes across well in the book.

However, there is nothing in here about her management or leadership styles. How did she choose and develop her staff? What books influenced her thinking? How would she manage a government agency, let alone a White House? None of that is evident in the book (do only Republicans include such things in their memoirs, it seems to be a trend).

So, this was a good recap of the Clinton White House through the eyes of the First Lady, and a little bit of info about her successful Senate run, but not many details. 2 stars out of 5.

[hermit_1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I read this when it was first released. This memoir is written in an attempt to mold the readers perception of the author. Her writing style matches her normal Midwestern style of speech which we have seen her change based on her audience. Using what appear to be a straight forward style to engender trust and sharing; the book is an easy read. She is self deprecating where appropriate adding authenticity to her memoir. I am not sure if this memoir reflects how she sees herself or an image she is putting forth as her time as First Lady. A lot of research that has been released shows that this memoir is incomplete and distorted. Written for the public consumption to further her political ambitions. If she would have just used the facts of her life the book would still have been very interesting and even more compelling. There is no question that her life has been interesting and she has great ambitions for herself and the determination to go with them. There is nothing that will be new to the reader though she has allowed a glimpse of her view of things behind the curtain of her personal life. An interesting read.

[peggy.s · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Basically, this book is Mrs. Clinton's experiences living history as the First Lady. The beginning of the book is about her early life and experiences, but the bulk of the book is the 8 years she was First Lady. Not only does she discuss her duties, she goes into detail about the pressures of working while the Starr investigation went on and handling her husband's unfaithfulness. I did enjoy reading it - and learned that First Ladies do much more than I ever thought! At places, I did get tired of the lists of names she gave (members of committees, people she worked with, etc) - but all in all, I liked this book.

[melissarochelle_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

1/23/09 - Hillary Clinton is an amazing woman and I'm really sad that I ever doubted her. Now that I've finished the book, I still think she would have made a great POTUS, but Secretary of State is definitely a great position for her. As First Lady she traveled all over the world to further the rights of women and she actually made progress! Toward the end of the book, I feel like she really flew through the last few years of her time at the White House, but it's better than what Bill did in My Life. I would rather a little fast forwarding than going on and on.To her credit, she actually really discussed the Lewinksy issue. I think it's terrible that the Clinton years are tarnished by such a ridiculous scandal. Should Bill have cheated on his wife? No. Should he have lied about? No, but ANYONE would have lied about it. Should he have been impeached? NO! The Lewinsky business was private, it had nothing to do with his job as POTUS. Personally, I think Hillary is an amazing woman because she stayed with him after his indiscretions. 12/26/08 - I really wish I had read this sooner. I'm just a few chapters in, but I already feel better about voting for Clinton in the primary. I had serious voter's remorse because I really wanted to vote for Edwards, but chose Clinton (because Edwards was out of the race by primary time in AZ). It was one of the hardest decisions in my life, but it would have been a lot easier if I had read this book earlier.

[plankgeek · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

A candid, well-articulated account of her life and career. Ms. Clinton does her own reading, and is a good speaker.

[mariabiblioteca · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I listened to this abridged audio version while driving from Arkansas to Kentucky. Clinton was excellent company.

[the7ken7petersen · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Mrs R C, I apologise. Until I read this book, I had thought of you solely as Mrs Bill Clinton. I was wrong. This book is a tremendously dignified biography. Not unnaturally, it concentrates upon the period of the Bill Clinton presidency but, we learn about the things that made Hillary, Hillary. She is incredibly honest about her feelings when the Monica Lewinski story broke, but does not fall into the trap of turning this book into a swarded collection of soft porn stories. Hillary comes across as a woman with her own mind; someone who knows what she wants to do, and does it.but, I find it very hard to associate this lady with the pushy, overbearing character portrayed by her political enemies: admittedly, she could bias the book to make herself sound good, but I think that somewhere in five hundred and fifty pages, such a deception would have shown.The best thing about this book is that it gives the human side of the Clinton family, without being too sentimental, or too higher than thou. The Clintons are just an ordinary family, with extraordinary abilities.

[cee2_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I read this book partly because I agree with most of Hillary Clinton's political opinions and partly because I was curious about how she lived through some very embarrassing events. I found the interplay between public events and personal responses to those events very interesting. It's also fun to get an inside view of the workings of the White House.

[drpeff · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

well written. fascinating life she has had.

[yonsohn · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

A warning to the Hilary Haters: do not proceed to read the remainder of this review.A wise pundit once said of Hilary that she is the most polarizing political wife since Marie Antoinette. He is correct to a certain degree, yet Hilary is more intelligent and capable than Marie ever was. I could see her as POTUS... Worthy of her Yale Law degree, her writing is fluid and flawless. Easy read, yet with enough meat to chew on.

[angelic55blonde · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I really liked this book. Before I read it, I wasn't sure if I liked her but after I did, I definitely am a fan of Mrs. Clinton. This book is riviting and she wrote very well. I did wonder if there was not some sugarcoating going on since she is highly political and was aware of her political ambitions when she wrote this book. However, it does give a good glimse into her and her life. I really enjoyed this even if it was a little sugarcoated.

[sluce_6 · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

Couldn't finish, read about two thirds. OK only.

[ajgreep · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This book was much better than I expected. I read Bill's first and his was interesting, yet insanely long winded. Fortunately, Hillary's was a much easier go. I truly did learn a lot about her time in the White House and it was nice to hear her side of the story from a first person point of view, since the media villianized her so badly in the past (and still often does). Of course, it's a memior so it's 99.9% flattering, but people who criticize memiors for that should think twice - would you say bad things about yourself in your autobiography? I doubt it. Reading this book left me with a lot of respect for this woman, even if I don't agree with her on the issues all the time. But then again - who does? We all have our differing opinions and finding a 100% match is rare, and not just with our elected representatives. Overall, this was a great read - even if her constant comparisons of herself to Ms. Roosevelt were a little offputting after a while. I'd read it again.