My Life (Part A)

De: Bill Clinton

Narrado por: Michael Beck

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, and his extraordinary capacity for hard work, to serving the public.

It shows us the progress of a remarkable American, who, through his own enormous energies and efforts, made the unlikely journey from Hope, Arkansas, to the White House—a journey fueled by an impassioned interest in the political process which manifested itself at every stage of his life: in college, working as an intern for Senator William Fulbright; at Oxford, becoming part of the Vietnam War protest movement; at Yale Law School, campaigning on the grassroots level for Democratic candidates; back in Arkansas, running for Congress, attorney general, and governor.

We see his career shaped by his resolute determination to improve the life of his fellow citizens, an unfaltering commitment to civil rights, and an exceptional understanding of the practicalities of political life.

We come to understand the emotional pressures of his youth—born after his father’s death; caught in the dysfunctional relationship between his feisty, nurturing mother and his abusive stepfather, whom he never ceased to love and whose name he took; drawn to the brilliant, compelling Hillary Rodham, whom he was determined to marry; passionately devoted, from her infancy, to their daughter, Chelsea, and to the entire experience of fatherhood; slowly and painfully beginning to comprehend how his early denial of pain led him at times into damaging patterns of behavior.

President Clinton’s book is also the fullest, 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: the day-to-day bombardment of problems, personalities, conflicts, setbacks, achievements.

It is a testament to the positive impact on America and on the world of his work and his ideals.

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 ten-year-old boy watching the national political conventions on his family’s new (and first) television set.

• The young candidate looking for votes in the Arkansas hills and the local seer who tells him, “Anybody who would campaign at a beer joint in Joiner at midnight on Saturday night deserves to carry one box. . . . You’ll win here. But it’ll be the only damn place you win in this county.” (He was right on both counts.)

• The roller-coaster ride of the 1992 campaign.

• The extraordinarily frank exchanges with Newt Gingrich and Bob Dole.

• The delicate manipulation needed to convince Rabin and Arafat to shake hands for the camera while keeping Arafat from kissing Rabin.

• 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. A unique book by a unique American.©2004 Bill Clinton; (P)2004 Books on Tape

Reseñas de la Crítica

"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.... And he can write.” --Larry McMurtry, The New York Times Book Review “My Life is, without question, the best written U.S. presidential tome of all time.” --Douglas Brinkley, Financial Times “A hell of a good story.” --Frank McCourt, Entertainment Weekly“It’s an almost voluptuous pleasure to read Clinton when he’s recounting and analyzing a political race or a legislative battle, whether it’s one of his own or somebody else’s.” —The New Yorker “Consistently fascinating.” --The Seattle Times“Clinton talks with disarming frankness [and] writes with grace and fluidity. . . . He is also a born storyteller.” --The New Republic“Might just be the perfect representation of the man himself.” --The Plain Dealer “Clinton has many tales to tell, particularly a rich, sometimes moving account of his years before the public life, fit for future analytical historians and biographers. . . . The personal and the political are intertwined. . . . Clinton’s story very much reflects the man we know.” --The Nation “He manages to create the distinct impression that he is sitting in the living room talking to the reader. . . . Anyone who is geninely interested in American politics will find his insights and anecdotes fascinating. . . . The book helps to elucidate the question of ‘how he did it.’ ” --Deseret Morning News“It’s a saga worthy of Cecil B. DeMille, a rags-to-riches tale full of the stuff of human frailty, with a cast of hundreds, complete with low-life villians and high-minded heroes and, as such stories require, an upbeat ending. . . . The 1990s come to life once again as a time of uncommon tumult and riveting personalities. . . . The personalities on parade are as vivid as the events.” --Newark Star-Ledger“ Tremendously interesting and entertaining. . . . Clinton’s is a truly American story to which the average person can relate. . . . Future politicians will find it a must-read, and average Americans will identify with the highs and lows we all experience as we make our way through life.” --Chattanooga Times Free Press “Takes readers through a strong account of the achievements and failures of his administrattion. . . . No other presidential memoir is likely to be so lively. . . . Bill Clinton is hard to dismiss, and so is an account of his extraordinary life.” -- The Tennessean“A reading of MyLife is a necessity for lovers of good autobiograpy. It reads like a down-home history of a life and, thus, anchors Clinton as a superb storyteller. . . . Candid. . . . Honest. . . . Stimulating.” --Huntsville Times

My Life

This is a candid view of Bill Clinton's life; not only personal, but an honest account of his time in office. This makes our political system look like a 3 ring circus that the parties (Republican) turn our government into.
It is also great that he is reading it.....it is after all his story. I loved it!!!!

Pretty Good

It was fascinating to get a better look at Bill Clinton the man. It was great to learn more about politics and policy. But even Bill Clinton couldn't make the dryest politics interesting to someone like me who has always found government studies and history boring. I'm trying, and this was a step in the right direction, but I did find myself drifting off to other places during parts of this very long book, and not missing at all what I had missed. Still this was a worthy listen and I don't regret having some new insight under my belt. And it turns out I like him a great deal more than I thought I did.

Yes, it's long... and I enjoyed every bit of it

The book is long and I see some reviews complain about that. I found every bit of it interesting and I feel I have a much greater understanding of how American politics work, and I like the vision Clinton had for the US and its role in the world. I liked that he tried to provide a unified view of his life and how it all comes together, including his interesting childhood. I can't help believing he is quite sincere and liking him.

The bits about international relations where particularly interesting to me. Clinton can provide unique insight into how that works, and talks at length about the Israel-Palestine conflict in a way that makes it much more concrete, including how leaders' personalities influence the process.

One criticism I had is that I think he minced words too much about his sex scandals. It would be important to hear the true story of all that, but especially on the first ones back in Arkansas, he doesn't give details and only talks about "not having had a perfect life". I don't say that out of curiosity for salacious details, but because this is so central in how people think about Bill Clinton and how it would provide a better window into his personality and life.

The narrator's performance is great, places emphasis on the right places and made me enjoy the Southern American accent quite a bit.

Long-winded

I'm two-thirds of the way through volume 1, and I'm thinking that the abridged version might have been more appropriate for the casual reader. Clinton's every word may be of interest to budding politicians and historians, but I'm tiring of the minutiae of how many votes he lost in a rural Arkansas county when he raised the fees for car tags and then how many he won back during his third gubernatorial campaign. With seemingly zero attempt at brevity, Clinton seems to be cataloging every event of his life and only occasionally provides some reflection on the events. Nevertheless, it is a fascinating autobiography of a charismatic leader.

Kathleen, you are talking about the abridged

Just a correction. It is the abridged (4 hour) version that is read by Bill Clinton in person. This one (complete 2-volume set) is done by a narrator.