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A review by kate_elizabeth
What Happened by Hillary Rodham Clinton
4.0
I first checked out this book last year and ended up returning it without reading it because, you know, this shit is exhausting. I think Hillary was in the midst of her book tour then and the whole thing just felt a little off-putting to me. I'm not sure what made me think of it now—the Mueller report coming out, maybe?—but I felt ready for it. And lo, was I ever.
The thing about Hillary Clinton is that we all know her, or we feel like we do, because she's been living a public life for so long. Because of that, and the nature of her husband and his work and his shortcomings (there are many), she's also got a lot of baggage—most of which I don't think is her fault, but it all swirls together to make it very easy to forget that she's a human like the rest of us. This book, written honestly and candidly and filled with emotion, makes that simple-seeming idea very easy to remember.
There are eye-rolling moments here, sure. Clinton takes responsibility for much of what happened but also points fingers, though she does her best to back up those moments with impartial facts (remember those?). But there are also so many moments of clarity and emotion and humor and insight that push back on the common tropes ("she's so guarded" (well who wouldn't be after the shit people throw at her?), "she's so wonky" (and proud of it)). I felt, in some way, like I got to know Clinton as a person for the first time, which is both a) not my right or something she owes me or any of us and b) incredibly refreshing.
Basically what I took from this book is that Hillary Clinton really wanted to be president because she really wanted to govern. The idea of implementing policy excited and motivated her. You can dislike her or disagree with her vision or her (very detailed) policy proposals, but at the end of the day the idea of a qualified, experienced president who actually wants to do the work of governing should be the bare minimum we all desire from our leadership.
And because it has to be mentioned: Hillary Clinton is snarky af, and I am pretty much here for it.
The thing about Hillary Clinton is that we all know her, or we feel like we do, because she's been living a public life for so long. Because of that, and the nature of her husband and his work and his shortcomings (there are many), she's also got a lot of baggage—most of which I don't think is her fault, but it all swirls together to make it very easy to forget that she's a human like the rest of us. This book, written honestly and candidly and filled with emotion, makes that simple-seeming idea very easy to remember.
There are eye-rolling moments here, sure. Clinton takes responsibility for much of what happened but also points fingers, though she does her best to back up those moments with impartial facts (remember those?). But there are also so many moments of clarity and emotion and humor and insight that push back on the common tropes ("she's so guarded" (well who wouldn't be after the shit people throw at her?), "she's so wonky" (and proud of it)). I felt, in some way, like I got to know Clinton as a person for the first time, which is both a) not my right or something she owes me or any of us and b) incredibly refreshing.
Basically what I took from this book is that Hillary Clinton really wanted to be president because she really wanted to govern. The idea of implementing policy excited and motivated her. You can dislike her or disagree with her vision or her (very detailed) policy proposals, but at the end of the day the idea of a qualified, experienced president who actually wants to do the work of governing should be the bare minimum we all desire from our leadership.
And because it has to be mentioned: Hillary Clinton is snarky af, and I am pretty much here for it.