HRC

State Secrets and the Rebirth of Hillary Clinton

By: Jonathan Allen, Amie Parnes

Narrated by: Kimberly Farr

Length: 15 hrs and 48 mins

Publisher's summary

The mesmerizing story of Hillary Clinton's political rebirth, based on eyewitness accounts from deep inside her inner circle

Hillary Clinton’s surprising defeat in the 2008 Democratic primary brought her to the nadir of her political career, vanquished by a much younger opponent whose message of change and cutting-edge tech team ran circles around her stodgy campaign. And yet, six years later, she has reemerged as an even more powerful and influential figure, a formidable stateswoman and the presumed front-runner for the 2016 Democratic presidential nomination, marking one of the great political comebacks in history.

The story of Hillary’s phoenixlike rise is at the heart of HRC, a riveting political biography that journeys into the heart of “Hillaryland” to discover a brilliant strategist at work. Masterfully unfolded by Politico’s Jonathan Allen and The Hill’s Amie Parnes from more than two hundred top-access interviews with Hillary’s intimates, colleagues, supporters, and enemies, HRC portrays a seasoned operator who negotiates political and diplomatic worlds with equal savvy. Loathed by the Obama team in the wake of the primary, Hillary worked to become the president’s greatest ally, their fates intertwined in the work of reestablishing America on the world stage. HRC puts listeners in the room with Hillary during the most intense and pivotal moments of this era, as she mulls the president-elect’s offer to join the administration, pulls the strings to build a coalition for his war against Libya, and scrambles to deal with the fallout from the terrible events in Benghazi—all while keeping one eye focused on 2016.

HRC offers a rare look inside the merciless Clinton political machine, as Bill Clinton handled the messy business of avenging Hillary’s primary loss while she tried to remain above the partisan fray. Exploring her friendships and alliances with Robert Gates, David Petraeus, Leon Panetta, Joe Biden, and the president himself, Allen and Parnes show how Hillary fundamentally transformed the State Department through the force of her celebrity and her unparalleled knowledge of how power works in Washington. Filled with deep reporting and immersive storytelling, this remarkable portrait of the most important female politician in American history is an essential inside look at the woman who may be our next president.

©2014 Random House Audio; 2014 Jonathan Allen and Amie Parnes

Critic reviews

New York Times Bestseller

USA Today Bestseller

"Books on contemporary political figures rarely have pinpoint timing, but this one does... [Allen and Parnes's] most persuasive accomplishment is to show, backed by impressive detail, the ways in which Clinton never really abandoned domestic politics." –Jodi Kantor, New York Times Book Review

"[HRC] provides useful context and intelligent analysis, and a highly readable account of her tenure at Foggy Bottom... pumped full of colorful you-are-there details." –Michiko Kakutani, New York Times

"Deeply reported... a revealing window into the le Carré-like layers of intrigue that develop when a celebrity politician who is married to another celebrity politician loses to yet another celebrity politician, and goes on to serve the politician who defeated her." –Washington Post

Engrossing and Fun

When Jon Allen writes something like this, I certainly will pick it up and read it. Both Allen and Parnes have written an engrossing, fun and provocative look of Hillary Clinton and the very foundation of Hillaryland. The book dives into not just her incredible evolution of candidate to stateswoman but also the evolution of her operation and her views. I supported Hillary in 2008 and this book cemented my view in her ability to lead, to evolve, to be transformational and a leader not just here in America but across the globe.

In addition, this book does provide some juicy tidbits and red meat for political junkies. I came to dislike the operation that Hillary had in 2008 and appreciated the book diving into what "Hillary 2.0" would look like. It also takes an honest look at her record as Secretary of State.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It was well performed and gave a frank, honest and astute look at Hillary Clinton. I would recommend this book to any political junkie or informed voter.

Good stuff

HRC was excellent. The book. Not necessarily the woman. One thing that you can say about her and Bill is that prize loyalty as the highest value.

Initially!

If you could sum up HRC in three words, what would they be?

Hillary: Competent and Wise.

What three words best describe Kimberly Farr’s performance?

Straightforward and monotone.

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

NO

Any additional comments?

I found my attention span waned about three quarters through book.

The inside story

HRC is written by two journalists Jonathan Allen and Amie Parnes. The book attempts to be neutral while providing in depth recounting of Hillary Clinton from defeat in the 2008 democratic primaries to Obama, her stint as Secretary of State up to 2013. It also is a revealing window into the layers of intrigue that develops when a celebrity politician who is married to a former U.S. President loses to yet another celebrity politician and goes on to serve the politician who defeated her. The author’s emphases the Clinton’s loyalty and disloyalty list and loyalty emerges as a theme through the book. The author’s claim that during her tenure as Secretary of State, Bill Clinton was busy building a base of support for Hillary to run in 2016. The author’s state that Hillary’s term as Secretary of State showed she had strong leadership and organizational skills and a “workmanlike enhancement of diplomacy and development” with “deliverables” those were real but not high-profile. She elevated the stature of State, which had lost influence to the CIA and pentagon. The author’s went into detail about the “Benghazi affair”, her flu and head injury and her work with the Clinton foundation. The author’s state that people who ended up working with Hillary developed great respect for her and liked her. This book retraces much of the same ground covered by “The Secretary” by Kim Ghattas, but with less “I was there” feel and much more political and foreign policy content. The author’s portray Hillary as adept at mastering complicated policy material, attention to detail and obsessed of an “unrelenting work ethic.” They also indicate Hillary was adept at nurturing personal relationships around the world. Hillary Clinton is one of those people that one either loves or hates, there is no in between. This book is interesting no matter which group one falls into. Kimberly Farr did an excellent job narrating this 16 hour book.

Madam President foretold

Certainly not a fully balanced look at Hillary's political history but proves she will be a force to be reckoned with in 2016. She will have to over come her age and Bengazi, but she will have the momentum of history on her side and a network of supporters consumed by getting her in office.

Disappointing

This book wasn’t for you, but who do you think might enjoy it more?

People who are big Hillary fans will probably enjoy this book.

Has HRC turned you off from other books in this genre?

Not necessarily. I enjoy reading all sorts of political biographies. My problem with this book had more to do with the fact that the book was mostly cheerleading for the Hillary camp and had very little to any objective criticisms.

If you could play editor, what scene or scenes would you have cut from HRC?

If I could play editor, I would prefer more objective analysis of HRC and less puff. Hillary is an accomplished figure in today's society and will most likely be remembered for a long time in American history. She doesn't need anyone waving pom poms for her.