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[Prospero]

It's much better than some reviews let on, at least so far (I'm about 200 pages in). It looks like book critics just skimmed it in the rush to publish something as soon after the release date as they could.

Mostly the book is a mix of personal stories, recollections of important American historical events, and relatively hardcore political analysis (like how a given candidate made a tactical error that ended up costing him an election, for example). The political material is a somewhat harder read than everything else, but it's well worth it, and on the whole the pages are flying by.

Favorite quotes so far:

--On learning door-to-door retail politics in Arkansas:

Spoiler

...I think it works better than TV air wars. You could talk, but you had to listen too. You had to answer voters' tough questions face-to-face. Of course, you could still be demonized, but at least your adversaries had to work harder to do it. And when you took a shot at your opponent, you had to take it, not hide behind some bogus committee that expected to make a killing from your time in office if its attacks destroyed the other candidate.

--On campaiging for McGovern in 1972:

Spoiler

I worked South Texas with Franklin Garcia, a tough labor organizer with a tender heart, and his friend Pat Robards. One night Franklin and Pat drove Hillary and me over the Rio Grande to Matamoros, Mexico. They took us to a dive with a mariachi band, a halfhearted stripper, and a menu that featured cabrito, barbequed goat head. I was so exhausted I fell asleep while the stripper was dancing and the goat head was looking up at me.

 

[MrAngryFace]

I cut a hole in the cover where the mouth was but it still isnt providing a very accurate experience I dont think.

Is there some alternate cover with monica im not aware of? Like an amazon.com special release?

 

[Prospero]

From what I've heard, actually, there's almost nothing about the Scandal in it--fair enough, though, since most people have heard enough about that already.

 

[miyuru]

Not even a word?

 

[Prospero]

One review I read said he spent 10 pages total on Lewinsky, out of 950+. I can't verify that, since I'm reading it straight through, not cheating with the index.

And to be fair, it's pretty apparent from what I've read so far that Monica was only one of many women he wanted to write about. The only true complaint I'd have against the writing so far is that there are so many girls to keep track of when he's talking about his pre-Hillary years that they all blend together.

 

[pollo]

Im a little bit more than halfway into it, and Im finding it kind of interesting. Especially since I was pretty young in the early 90's, so it gives a good historical account of what happened when I wasn't old enough to care about the economy or politics. Clinton stresses his changes in economic policy a lot, and the first 200, as mentioned before, are worth reading. They highlight his early days as a young boy growing up in Arkansas then through his years at Georgetown and Oxford, and gives a good account of why he was a draft dodger.

Hell I seriously would try to dodge the draft if I was a Rhodes scholar @ Oxford as well =/.

His writing starts to get less and less specific (less personal) when he gets to his years as governer. I think this is due to the fact he doesnt wanna disclose any of his personal life. Read: Gennifer Flowers.

Anyways I recommend you guys pick it up. If you hate the guy you always could read it for historical content - which the book does a good job of covering.

 

[Incognito]

I have it, not that far yet because of college. But that just ended, so I'll be really getting into it along with the 9/11 commission report.