My Life

By: Bill Clinton

Narrated by: Bill Clinton

Length: 6 hrs and 8 mins

Publisher's summary

President Bill Clinton's My Life is the strikingly candid portrait of a global leader who decided early in life to devote his intellectual and political gifts to serving the public.

It shows us the progress of a remarkable American, who made the unlikely journey from Hope, Arkansas, to the White House.

President Clinton's audiobook is also the most concretely detailed, most nuanced account of a presidency ever written, encompassing not only the high points and crises but the way the presidency actually works.

It is the gripping account of a president under concerted and unrelenting assault orchestrated by his enemies on the Far Right and how he survived and prevailed.

It is a treasury of moments caught alive, among them:

The roller-coaster ride of the 1992 campaign

The extraordinarily frank exchanges with Newt Gingrich and Bob Dole

The cost, both public and private, of the scandal that threatened the presidency

Here is the life of a great national and international figure, revealed with all his talents and contradictions, told openly, directly, in his own completely recognizable voice.

©2004 Bill Clinton (P)2004 Random House, Inc. Random House Audio, a division of Random House, Inc.

Critic reviews

• Audie Awards Audiobook of the Year, 2005
• Grammy Award Winner, Best Spoken Word Album, 2004

"My Life is, by a generous measure, the richest American presidential autobiography, no other book tells us as vividly or fully what it is like to be president of the United States for eight years." (The New York Times Book Review)

I voted for him twice, but....

...was somewhat disappointed. An interesting book but it did seem to gloss over some of his "issues" with other women - but then it is an autobiography. I enjoyed the descriptions of the Middle East Peace processes, and continue to be appalled by the $40 million crusade of Starr which resulted in nothing more than a sex tale. Not sure I bought the numerous mentions of how tough Clinton was on Osama et al. Given what we have now - I wish he could have had a 3rd term

Typical memoir

This was a great listen for hearing Bill Clinton's view of his Presidency. He covers things interestingly and is an eliquent speaker. He covers quickly the negative portions and glides past or totally skips others.

I will give this book three stars because it is well written and Bill Clinton is both intellectual and a great story teller. You will have to read a book that is critical of him to achieve a balanced view.

Good read

What did you love best about My Life?

Whether you are a fan of Bill Clinton or not, this is an interesting book. It was interesting to hear the history from his point of view.

Abridged version very succinct

Where does My Life rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

It was a nice narration by Bill Clinton- felt like he was in the car telling me his life story. An okay book

What was your reaction to the ending? (No spoilers please!)

The ending was no surprise. It's a nonfiction book. The full book would have been better

Have you listened to any of Bill Clinton’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

Have not listened to any prior books by Bill Clinton before. Have become more intrigued with the Clinton Family political story

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

The book actually gave me a better understanding for Bill Clinton- learning about his childhood and his path to presidency and after.

He told His Story

It just didn't go deep enough into how his life made him make certain decisions. It was fine but I just expected more revealing depth.

Great story.. the obvious is missing

Fascinating story and was rooting for bill the whole time . One of the reasons I purchased this book was to see how if I could get a candid answer about the Monica lowintski episode. But surprisingly wasn’t even mentioned. I thought he was set up and wanted the inside scoop. I guess I’d have to look for another book about that .

A president narrates his own book

While I am not a fan of Mr Clinton, I love that he narrated his own autobiography. It made the audiobook come to life and I enjoyed hearing him tell his story.

Not a great book but worth the listen

I believe, like many other reviewers here, that Bill Clinton is capable of writing a more engaging and insightful book that this one. It is very fact- and time-based but rarely offers the deep personal reflection on events that one hopes for in an autobiography. That said, however, it was interesting to hear all the details about Clinton's career and family in his own words and I would recommend this book to anyone who is interested in learning more about his life.

A large number of reviewers and people seem to have reduced Clinton's presidency to the Lewinsky affair and wish he would have spent more time on it. I, for one, was delighted that he discussed it in limited detail and tried to keep it a personal matter between him and his family. Don't look here for salacious details and hysterical rants about the affair. For that go to the Starr report or Lewinsky's own book.

Great Book a MUST LISTEN!

I learned so much about politics and the history of our country. I always though Bill Clinton was a Good President but now I think he was a GREAT President. He may not be a great or even good husband but I do not have to worry about that.

Our country has spent Billions of Dollars and killed so many people with a result of just more anger toward us in the world. I miss having a GREAT President.

A Great President, A Captivating Writer

The book was as good as you would expect from such a great President. It was both entertaining and insightful. We especially enjoyed his insight into his upbringing and how it affected his life. We found him to be forthcoming on his shortfalls as well as his triumphs. We found the abridged audiobook that he read to be the best, however, we read the entire book and found it to be entertaining but a bit more detailed than necessary. We would list it as a "must hear" on the abridged audio and a "should read" on the book. We are sure that it will probably not change anyone's opinion of President Clinton but we feel that we know him and understand him better from having read his book.