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)

Less than I expected

Clinton is smart, and although I wasn't expecting a "scholarly" work I was expecting something more substantive from a Rhodes Scholar.

Those who are easily impressed with vast quantities of facts will enjoy this book. But the sense I have from listening to the book (and Bill Clinton is an excellent reader, by the way) is that he simply "Googled" his life and has given us the descriptions that one finds for every link on Google.

I know that Clinton jogged a lot, I know how often he jogged, I know how many miles he jogged, I know the exact jogging routes he took. What I didn't learn from this book is why he jogs, what jogging does for him, how jogging makes him feel, what he thinks about when jogging. Nor did I understand how he could jog every day during the first primary season and gain 30 pounds. It's this style I found disappointing. Full of facts, bereft of substance.

"My Life" gave me the sense that Bill Clinton has come gained an intimate understanding of who he is and how others' lives have impacted him and how he has impacted others' lives. I wish he had shared that intimate aspect of his life.

An outstanding history of our time!

President Clinton tells a story of a generation not just his own history. As a contemporary of his, I found myself looking at the history I have lived through in a new, more insightful way. The book in important for anyone who wants to understand the dynamics of our time and the politics of hate and division that are currently overshadowing our lives. I am truly thankful to have the opportunity to read this book.

An honest look into Clinton's life and presidency

I found this to be a very well-rounded audio production. Listening to Clinton describe his difficult childhood in his own voice was probably my favorite part. And his honesty and humility when admitting his wrongdoings was also very impressive.
This is a must-listen for any fan of Bill Clinton or presidential events.

my life

I was captivated by President Clinton and how brutily honest, and HUMBLE he was. I believe that many people in our culure would benefit from learning about his journey, and how many people have such similar life situations, yet dealt with them far worse ways than President Clinton did. I have learned in life that it is so unwise to judge someone unless you have walked in their shoes, yet we have all judged him on tales from the media, and the other party trying to expose his faults. Well, guess what? we all have faults. It takes a big man to admitt his faults and so his humanity. I so loved this book! And he reads it himself....even better!

Fabulous for an abridged reading

I would have given 5 stars if it had been an unabridged reading! So disappointing not to get all the details of an unabridged read by the author's own voice. This book should, and I hope, shall be on lists of required reading for students. I only wish we could have had him for a 3rd term. How many lives need not have been lost.

This book gives me hope for the future of our country, that the programs he has established will give us another such talented and dedicated leader.

Great to Listen To

I really enjoyed this book. I thought Clinton was very open, seemed quite honest, and I learned a lot about him as a person as well as his political life and why he wanted to do a lot of what he did.

From Rags to The White House

One of the best books I've listen to and I'm sure it will turn into a run away Best Seller. We've had presidents that did worse but never faced impeachment for something that is not even a crime. Thank God Bill Clinton was not impeached. I plan to listen and re-listen to this book over and over; and the joy that our president Bill Clinton is actually reading this book to all of his admirers and fans. My oppurtunity to say, "We Love Bill Clinton and his little Family."

Book gives you an interesting open-written view

Interresting book, open written, more than between the lines text.
Good luck Bill!

The Dog Ate My Homework

I have to admit, I wasn't a big fan of this former president. I just didn't get him, I mean... a picture of Elvis on the airplane? But after listening to this book, I have gotten to see him better and have decided that I was right. I don't get him. I tend to be drawn to biographies of people who have received public attention. Those we hear of and have formed strong opinions about. It is always fascinating to listen to a person describe their own strengths and weaknesses. The reason they write their biography is usually to take me into a side of their life I might not have seen and facts I might not have been privileged to. I really wanted to understand this man and the truths of his thought process and the whole Monica thing. Unfortunately, his book reveals him as a whiner and excuse maker. I did get a better sense of what he wanted to accomplish. The trouble is that he didn't do it. He didn't seem to give any good reason for the failure, except the press wouldn't listen to me. Isn't that akin to "The dog ate my homework"? I wasn't aware he had attended such prestigious schools; he doesn't seem to use those skills in public speaking situations. I got the impression that a major portion of the work was from a ghost writer. As a biography it did its job I think, showed me the man as he wanted to be remembered. It just a shame that the man didn't have more to make him memorable.

Nice to hear about "his" life.

Its great to hear the president read his own book-you know he'll give his personal inflection to eliminate misunderstandings. Plus, it's like listening to him in person.