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)

Great Audiobook

Interesting, well spoken, insightful book written by one of the more underappreciated figures in the world. In light of the current world environment, this was a great book to read/listen to. Highly recommended.

Gotta Love Bill

Would you consider the audio edition of My Life to be better than the print version?

Absolutely. Listening to Bill read it himself brings the story to life. You can hear it in his voice, how much the story means to him.

What other book might you compare My Life to and why?

I'm not one to make comparisons. If I like something, I like it. And I like it a lot!

What about Bill Clinton’s performance did you like?

I've always loved the sound of his voice, the southern drawl with a touch of raspiness. I feel he sounds very sincere in telling his story.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

Yes, the part where he talks about his infidelity. I didn't expect him to be so brutally honest. I was surprised. I felt like I should give him a consoling hug after listening to that particular chapter of his life.

Any additional comments?

I look forward to listening to any other books that Bill might narrate himself again.

Insightful and easy to listen to.

I enjoyed listening to this on the way to and from work. I would have preferred an unabridged version. I appreciate President Clinton's candor and insights into politics and government and can't help but admire his courage and tolerance in the face of the political onslaught he endured. I must believe there is some element of political bias in these reviews which potential readers should take into consideration.

An excellent book

Read by President Clinton, his story comes to life in new and meaningful ways. Obviously aware of his shortcomings and failures, the President brings new meaning to the term progressive and new hope to many that there is still good in politics -- somewhere.

I did not like it too much

Is there anything you would change about this book?

I would expect more from a personality as Clinton. More about his conceptions of philosophy of life and less about the details on his administration. He talks very interestingly about his child and teenager life, very hard, indeed. Passes through his initial political initiatives very good (his impressions on Vietnam war, for example) and his period as Arkansas governor very fast. And the came all the details on his presidency, that made me abandon the reading.

What did you like best about this story?

His first 25 years.

How could the performance have been better?

Choosing another reader different as Bill Clinton. He does not habe the proper pronuntiation.

Could you see My Life being made into a movie or a TV series? Who should the stars be?

I don't know if the movie would have enough audience.

Bill At His Best!

I had the chance to work in his campaign and with Gore's advance team just a week after they were elected. All the stories we heard were explaind and he was honest about Moninca, His first mid-term election changed my life as well. I am not going into details here but lets say something I had worked for went down the drain that election night. Unlike Mr. bone spurs Clinton thought he was going to get drafted after school was over and just never did.

Good read, but very defensive.

Overall the book was a good read. President Clinton performed very well and his early childhood and upbringing was very interesting. Regarding his politics, I felt he was on the defensive for too much of the book. He could have focused more on his successes (something he discussed during the epilogue) and less so on the divisions between the Democrats and Republicans.

Great book and narration, but missing content

Overall, everything was great. Only problem for me is that Bill only narrates this abridged 6 hour version, and not the complete 50 hour long one. That’s my only complaint, otherwise it is great definitely recommend.

A Week in The Life

Extraordinarily candid, wonderful insight on the day to day type of activities a president experiences. Touching and warm. His relationship with his daughter is loving and encouraging for all parents. The strength of his marriage cannot be matched. A must read for all Clinton fans.

Yep, he's good.

This is VERY well read by the author.