Book Description
This text introduces students to both primary sources and analytical essays and is designed to encourage critical thinking about the history and culture of African Americans. The book presents a carefully selected group of readings organized to allow students to evaluate primary sources, test the interpretations of distinguished historians, and draw their own conclusions.
Customer Reviews:
A Key To Understanding African-American History.......2002-12-15
This book chronicles the strivings of blacks from Reconstruction to present day. It breaks up the chapters into the different time periods in American history. Each chapter is filled with essay and documents that futher explain black life. The many articles are insightful and allow one to jump back to the time period. It also deals with many of the black leaders ideologies. This book is for any person who enjoys history and is interested in the long and obstacle-filled past of black Americans.
Good Beginning for Understanding African American History.......2001-07-02
Thorough, detailed, and not monotonous, this is a book that I would recommend for anyone who wants to learn about African-American history, not hust through the eyes of scholars and professors, but through those who had had direct contact with the changes in African-American society. I would strongly urge those who want to learn more about African-American history to begin right here.
Book Description
Demonstrates how HR managers can play a more integral and dynamic role in their companies' growth by running human resources like a business. Shows how to shift focus from the administration of traditional personnel programs to proactive support for organizational goals.
Book Description
On September 11, 2001, hours after the terrorist attacks on New York and Washington, the eminent military historian Victor Davis Hanson wrote an article in which he asserted that the United States, like it or not, was now at war and had the moral right to respond with force.
An Autumn of War, which opens with that first essay, will stimulate readers across the political spectrum to think more deeply about the attacks, the war, and their lessons for all of us.
Customer Reviews:
Good book for the critical thinker.......2006-02-27
An Autumn of War provides excellent insight into the reactions of the American people after the attacks of 9/11. When seeing the rubble of the World Trade Center and the desperate innocent civilians jumping to their deaths from the windows in the upper stories of the building, it is difficult imagining any person of the free world opposing a counter-attack on bin Laden. What followed, however, with our continued conflict in Iraq, is a different story. The essays included in this book were written in the immediate aftermath of the attacks, from September to December 2001. Victor Davis Hanson is a fantastic historian, but I question if the book might have had greater value had it been written and published today, five years later. In light of what has happened since the attack, some of his reasoning seems a bit shortsighted and some analogies not quite right, for example, the idea that we were attacked because the Islamic world envies our freedom. Might they have attacked us instead because of more self-serving motives, for example, because they feel that our lifestyle, particularly the ease with which electronic information is transmitted via the Internet, is an intrusion in their world, where they wish to maintain the status quo that allows a few select people in power to control the masses?
I also feel that the analogy made between the ease with which we defeated Nazi Germany and Japan in World War II, and the supposed ease with which we will defeat the terrorists, is not a good analogy, because when we defeated Nazi Germany and Japan, we defeated a country's government, its central establishment. The terrorists and insurgents are not necessarily sanctioned by their country's government, and are difficult to attack with bombs and other weapons because they lack a centralized leadership. Five years have passed, bin Laden is still at large, and the threat of terrorism is still discussed on a daily basis in the news. Whether or not we have been successful in our war on terror depends on how we define success.
This is an excellent book for those seeking a controversial issue on which to practice their critical thinking skills, yet less impressive than Hanson's other works.
A credible viewpoint from a historian........2005-04-28
This book is a collection of essays written in the weeks after 9/11. His viewpoints on this new warfront are very well thought out, researched and for the most part based on history, not just of battles and wars, but cultures as well. In short, he seem's to see this war in somewhat simplistic terms of "us or them" and "do or die" where pacifism, denial, and self-blame ("we brought this on ourselves because of our foriegn policy, etc.") could be the terrorists biggest weapon, ultimately giving them the upper hand. Some may feel his views are cold or callous but taking into a military historians account, war itself is cold and callous. In a true war between 2 cultures, there is often no room for taking into account the other sides "feelings", especially when they are so hell-bent on destroying you. His views are hard to argue with because many are based on historical facts that have time and time again proven true. And although these are in fact new times in a more advanced civilization, the motives, beliefs and desires for the most part remain the same (they want to kill us - for various reasons - and we want to live). He does a great job in laying out his case for an offensive and aggressive response to America's "new" enemies.
Wow.......2005-02-21
The author combines knowledge of history, shewd and smart judgements, and extreme readability. Everything I am read by him is Excellent. This book is a series of essays written in the year after September 11th which lay out the road ahead for America. It is emotionally gripping, saddening, yet hopeful. (I read it in 2005 and it isn't dated at all.)
A good collection.......2004-08-22
A good collection of essays writen after 9/11, worth reading. What prompts this review is the one and two star reviews running here. The usual hysteria from the usual gang of academics and naifs. Such reviewers love the insult even more than I. Bigoted, they write. Rightwing. Racist. Even Neo Con is strutted out, used as a pejorative, as if the reviewer knows what a Neo Con is, or was, which the reviewer clearly does not. Ignore the one or two star reviewers who are each and every one 'blame America' types, malcontents and Democrats all. Buy this book for your 'by the pool' or 'in the park' reading on current affairs.
Disappointing.......2004-07-21
The chapter on General Sherman was great - but then he was one of my ancestors and I could be biased. The chapters are acollection of essays and do vary considerably.
The other chapters were almost all were flawed because Hanson's polemic is based on much better understanding of the Classics and, to some degree, the West than the contemporary world or Islam. Sometimes this is clear because either the reasoning or overly broad conclusions are visible to a careful reader. Other times the neo Con bias informs the selection and presentation more subtly.
Overall more pompous than profound.
Average customer rating:
|
The Oxford Guide to Classical Mythology in the Arts, 1300-1990s: 2 Volumes
Jane Davidson Reid , and
Chris Rohmann
Manufacturer: Oxford University Press, USA
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ASIN: 0195049985 |
Book Description
Daring in concept and astonishing in scope, The Oxford Guide to Classical Mythology in the Arts is a unique reference work: a topically classified chronology of more than 30,000 artworks from circa 1300 to the present day that take as their theme the subjects of Greek and Roman mythology. In more than three hundred major entries, alphabetically arranged by subject, artworks are listed in chronological order, delineating the history of artistic interest in the subject, including painting, sculpture, music, dance, opera, drama, and literature over the last seven centuries. By bringing together information heretofore segregated by discipline, time period, or other constraint, Jane Davidson Reid has created an invaluable tool for the study of the history of the arts in the Western world. Ranging from Achilles to Zeus, entries cover all the important mythic beings of the classical world, from gods, goddesses, and heroes to nymphs, shepherds, and satyrs. A headnote to each entry identifies the subject, briefly describes relevant events and episodes recounted in Greek and Roman myths, and explains thematic cross-currents represented in the list of artworks that follows. A list of classical literary sources follows the headnote. Each listing of an artwork includes the artist's name, the title of the work, and the date of its creation, publication, or first performance, as appropriate. Also noted are the medium or genre of the work, the present location of works in the fine arts, and other pertinent information. Sources of data on each artwork appear in each listing. Enhanced by a comprehensive system of cross-references, a complete list of the sources of data cited in the listings, and an extensive artist index, which will enable readers to locate works by a given artist across numerous entries, this work presents its vast body of data in a way that is easily accessible to specialist and nonspecialist alike. No other work equals its interdisciplinary scope; no other work matches its usefulness to historians of the arts; and no other work possesses its appeal to scholars, students, and general readers interested in classical mythology and its enduring popularity in Western traditions of artistic expression.
Book Description
As Woodward and Bernstein's All the President's Men was to Watergate, Firewall will be to the Iran/Contra cover-up. The independent prosecutor in the Iran-Contra investigation reveals the extraordinary duplicity of the highest officials of Ronald Reagan's presidency and the paralyzing effects of a cover-up that only now is completely disclosed. Firewall is the story of the most dangerous breach of presidential authority since Watergate. Far more than the madcap operations of Oliver North, the Iran-Contra conspiracy gave rise to a constitutional confrontation that pitted the executive, legislative, and judicial branches of government against one another. The conflict, which desecrated the rule of law, reached into the White House itself, as two presidents deeply involved in illegal clandestine activities attempted to thwart investigations by Congress and the courts. The story begins in 1984, as President Ronald Reagan's first term in office was ending, and continues through 1993, through a quagmire of outright falsehoods by high-ranking officials, secret Swiss bank accounts, unreliable intermediaries, and shredded documents. An experienced and steely prosecutor, Judge Lawrence E. Walsh built up a powerful team of lawyers that pursued the truth, through a painstaking review of the secret transactions that brought forth the dramatic revelations from some of the key players. Only his vivid account exposes the full extent of the cover-up and the explicit roles of the president, the vice president, the secretary of state, the secretary of defense, the attorney general, and the director of the CIA, among others. Firewall draws on testimony and evidence that finally puts ultimate responsibility for the Iran-Contra scandal and its cover-up where it belongs and makes clear that honorable men who pretended to be out of the loop were actually caught in a web of deception for which they had only themselves to blame.
Customer Reviews:
A SHARPLY AWAKENING ANTIDOTE TO THE CURRENT SOPORIFIC LIES AND DECEIT.......2007-05-24
We at this point in history are required to grow misty eyed at the sudden recent discovery some twenty years later of alleged carefully hand written diaries beautifully bound of the now hallowed Reagan's recollections of times and events he later swore under oath he could not recall. We must remember earlier alleged handwritten diaries said to have been passed poolside at Managua's Intercontinental Hotel prior to a devastatng earthquake, from the scrawny hand of the elder Howard Hughes to an author later revealed as a fraud.
Let us rather bravely face the truth about the Reagan dynastic empire, run by papa bush (who claimed to be "out of the loop" while actually weaving it), and father to our present peril. Judge Walsh tells all, and then some, and describes all the subterfuge used to prevent his careful and judicious investigation from bearing any other fruit than an Ollie North career change.
As incredible as it may now appear, this book bears the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth, supportable in a court of law as verifiable. Read it and watch how far down this darkly machiavellian path we have now proceeded, from this former time a generation ago in which the courts could still have possibly considered objective truth such as this.
This thick tome merits a place of honor upon your night reading stand. A more complete report may not be found in one place, but scattered throughout several other books and journals of that time. The criminals received no other punishment for their crimes against humanity and our Constitution than continued residence in the Oval Office.
Venceremos. No hay mal que dura un siglo.
A Study in Integrity.......2005-11-15
The Iran-Contra case is well known as a bipartisan bludgeon. Are the news outlines of it accurate? Was the affair a minor bureaucratic transgression preyed upon by liberal hacks; a deceitful attack on the constitutional separation of powers (checks and balances); or a hyped media event?
Presiding (Republican) Judge Lawrence E. Walsh skillfully relates the jurisdictional history of the investigation and trial in `Firewall.' This includes the record of defendants Oliver North and Admiral Poindexter (both convicted), as well as Judge Silberman (known as `our ambassador to Iran' before he overturned the verdicts).
Media star Oliver North now makes an bountiful living hawking American `New-Order' patriotism for Australian Rupert Murdock. Admiral Poindexter left the current administration only after he sponsored a prospective internet website speculating (wagering) on terrorism targets. Judge Silberman was recently enlisted for an intelligence committee report (to obscure the 9/11 Commission findings?).
Though this may seem ancient history, the principals remain active. Walsh provides the best vehicle to examine their early history. You decide.
Patriotism? Self responsiblity? Rule of Law? Character?.......2003-12-18
This book is the story of a life-long Republican retired federal judge's seven year struggle to unravel the truth behind a vast government conspiracy to conceal willful violations of our country's laws by President Ronald Reagan and many members of his cabinet,CIA officials, members of his national security team and assorted Republican political operatives both inside Congress and out. Mr. Walsh does yeoman work in presenting the unvarnished truth he and his many assistants were finally able to decipher out of hundreds of thousands of original documents and the direct testimony of those his team were able to catch in their lies and bring into court under indictment. The complex legal issues and large cast of perpetrators makes this a difficult and necessarily repetitve slog, but the chilling story is one that Americans of any political persuasion need to be aware of. Lead by a naive President in the early stages of Alzheimers disease,and guided by a perverse notion of patriotic anticommunism that was the bedrock of cold war Republicanism, our top leaders deliberately violated laws put in place by Congress and even their own foreign policies relating to terrorism. When discovered these "patriots" launched an unprecedented web of lies and stonewalling to save Reagan from possible impeachment. Mr. Walsh was impeded at every step of his investigation and by all branches of the government. The importance of this account by Mr. Walsh is that irregardless of the legal results of the investigations, the truth of what happened and who did it is revealed for all to see. When this party touts its patriotism, beliefs in the rule of law and self responsiblity and the importance of character, remember what happened here.
Sometimes wordy, always chilling account of a very dark time.......2003-05-07
At times, this reads as a text book. At times, it reads as a spy thriller. Walsh goes into great detail on the investigation and attempted prosecution of those involved in the Iran-Contra scandal. This book is best suited for those interested in the affair, and are anti Reagan/Bush. I was moved by the compassion of Walsh when after interviewing Reagan, felt it would have been more damaging to our nation to try and prosecute Reagan when it was apparent alzheimers had set in. Walsh felt Reagan knew more then he said, but he also knew that the alzheimers would have been humilitaing to Reagan, and would have made prosecution impossible.
This book explains why Walsh did not get any convictions.......1999-06-08
While I was at times confused by the legal problems Walsh's team were confronted with, I did clearly understand why Lawrence Walsh did not get very far with his investigation. Mainly it was because the targets of his investigation had designed a highly secretive plot and had the protection of the CIA or the National Security Council. Documents were denied or shredded, subjects lied or refused to testify all on the basis of "national security" or out of a belief that Congress had no right to interfere in foreign policy. After reading this book, I was shaken by the realization that under the guise of a "higher purpose" or holy war our democratic principles could so easily be dispensed with. Oliver North and President Reagan were rewarded with national affection despite showing utter contempt for the rule of law! Iran-Contra was a true case of Machiavellian politics because all of our most sacred principles were run over for the sake of the dictators ideology - that the end justifies the means. Firewall reveals the incipient dictatorship lurking beneath our fragile democracy.
Book Description
Covering all aspects of America's new--and controversial--President's wife, this comprehensive biography offers an unprecedented view of our first baby boomer First Lady, and provides a better understanding of lawyer, board member, and commision member Hillary Clinton.
Customer Reviews:
Excellent updated summary of the H. Clinton career........1999-06-22
Good anecdotal material coupled with some excellent insights into the First Lady's life and personality.
Very good.......1997-09-29
I read this book twice, and I loved it both times!
Book Description
In this highly accessible introduction to American art since the 1970's, Linda Weintraub offers a musem goers a readable exploration of some of the most important artists and movements of the past decades.
Customer Reviews:
Out of the box art.......2007-07-03
Read this book for a non-traditional studio class and it was a great introduction to many contemporary artists I did not know.
Terrible writing and terrible art........2007-05-08
I can't believe that there are so many positive reviews for this book. Aside from any personal preferences, did anyone else notice that the text is FULL of grammatical mistakes? Even the artists' names are not spelled consistently the same way throughout an article. If you don't believe me, count the number of times she uses Mesa-Bains and then the number of times she uses Mesa-Baines.
Aside from that, the writing style is simply awful, although I guess with this kind of subject matter, it's hard to do much better. This book, along with my Studio Art class, has helped me to develop a strong disliking for most of the contemporary art that is gaining attention. It is thoroughly disturbing and pointless. None of the artists manage to successfully convey their messages. I am very glad to never have to see this book again.
A little of this and a little of that.......2001-02-03
as a MFA student thats currently being educated by "the institution" i find myself flip flopping between wanting to drop out or drop in...this book didn't save me but it sure put things in perspective, never before in a book have I seen cover such topics where you can find Barbara Kruger and James Luna and Joseph Beuys and Tomie Arai between the same cover's in a book. This book also addresses an important issue for me. race. The art world is racist and if you don't know that just look around, art is life and a reflection of society and if you dont know that its because your a white (sorry but its true). This book may not address it but it surely helps to have some artists of color represented (although they aren't near the best art makers).
An OK overview, but superficial.......1999-09-27
I guess this book is meant as a real "intro" text, but if you do know something about this art, it seems pretty lite. Clearly, lots of people like it, but Weintraub seems to bend so far over to make complex work accessible that she really over-simplifines. And the "art" in the book is so scattered and uneven, you don't get any deeper sense of what is going on, what the historical context of any of this might be.
Granted, there aren't many intro texts on recent art. So if this is one of the "better" ones, it's mostly for lack of competition. I wish there was some accessible middle ground between pop/gossip texts and academic tomes. This feels like it's written from someone really distant to the work, who's not always that well-informed.
Almost a bull's-eye.......1998-11-30
Anyone who wants to become familiar with intricacies of what can be the confusing world of post-modern art should read this book. The author does an excellent job of presenting an interesting cross-section of significant and fascinating collection of atypical artists. Pretty much every artist who is included has done their share of expanding the contemporary definition of Art in the Western and Non-western tradition. Over all, this compendium of essays does much to open the door to widen the reader's perspective on what art can do. The one aspect of this book that is troublesome is that the author often seems to focus on only one or two aspects of an artist's works, a habit that is frustrating at best and misleading at worst. While doing outside research on one of the artists included, Mel Chin, I was convinced there were two artists with the same name, as the perspective provided in the book did not prepare me for the artist's full range of activities. Still, this complaint should not stop an interested party from purchasing the book. I for one did not feel my money ill-spent.
Average customer rating:
- When a Man Loves a Woman.............
- me, carolyn, and john f. kennedy
- Interesting
- Honest and Refreshing
- I commend him!
|
The Other Man: John F. Kennedy Jr., Carolyn Bessette, and Me
Michael Bergin
Manufacturer: Harper Paperbacks
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Binding: Paperback
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The Men We Became : My Friendship with John F. Kennedy, Jr.
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ASIN: 0060723904
Release Date: 2005-03-29 |
Book Description
The international supermodel and actor details his rise to fame in the fashion world and reveals for the first time the truth about his stormy, passionate, and now famous relationship with Carolyn Bessette.
This is the story of a small–town kid who moved to the big city, fell in love with a beautiful, mysterious woman, and found himself in competition with the most eligible bachelor in the world, John F. Kennedy Jr.
Now, for the first time, Michael Bergin reveals the truth behind a life lived in the limelight and a relationship shrouded in secrecy. From his early days growing up in a small blue–collar Connecticut town, to his meteoric rise as fashion icon and television star, to the passion he shared with the enigmatic and complex Carolyn Bessette, this is an inside look at the world of beauty, power, and celebrity.
In 1992, Michael and Carolyn met in a bar in New York City. She was unlike any woman he had ever known–sophisticated, successful, with bewitching charm and grace. An intensely passionate relationship was born. Not long after, Michael landed the coveted Calvin Klein underwear campaign, and his career took off. The future looked bright, and Carolyn and Michael seemed destined for a long and happy life together.
But it was not to be. Four years later Michael was an international fashion icon and Carolyn was Mrs. John F. Kennedy Jr.–however, the story doesn't end there. This is the truth about their lives, a tale full of warmth, humour, heartbreak, and tragedy.
Above all, The Other Man is a testament to the enduring power of love and a story about the painful choices we make with our all–too–human hearts.
Customer Reviews:
When a Man Loves a Woman....................2007-07-16
This book, to me, was not all that bad. I get tickled by the people who said "Well, Michael Bergin sure isn't a writer." No joke - he is a model.
I found this book refreshing in the fact that it was about a man pining after a woman. How often do you see that? All in all, I didnt think his writing was all that bad either. This book focuses on the relationship between Calvin Klein model Michael Bergin, and Carolyn Bessette (who ended up marrying John Kennedy, Jr, which eventually resulted in her untimely death since he was not as experienced at flying as he thought he was). There are parts of this book that are gut-wrenching and you can almost feel Bergin's pain as you read about how Bessette worked him like a "marionette", pulling his strings...pushing him away only to eventually pull him back closer. Although he says the book was to defend her, it just doesn't leave a very good image of her (3 abortions later) and bouncing between her husband's bed and her lovers bed.
If this book is true, I feel bad for Carolyn who obviously was looking for the happiness I dont think she ever found......and never will.
me, carolyn, and john f. kennedy.......2007-05-18
i bought this book about two years ago i never got to it until few weeks ago, and once i started i jusy could`nt put the book down not until i was forced by time.
the author is honest, and his heart and feeling are right there you can actually feel it. whoever claims tyhis is a poorly written book, i guess he never read anything written with a full heart (for example: "a royal duty" by paul burrell, the late princess diana`s butler).
Interesting.......2006-08-14
I usually don't read this type of book, but did purchase it and set it aside. I must admit that it was very interesting, although poorly written. For those who wrote reviews decrying his disloyalty, well, she wasn't that loyal either. Her name was CAROLYN not CAROLINE, Caroline is JFK, Jr's sister. I have read All that Remains, by Carol DeFalco Radziwill, and the personality that she describes Carolyn to have had is similar to Michael's description. I have never heard of him and really don't care what he has done to make a living. I believe Carolyn was neurotic and strange in many ways. She, also, must have had a very attractive side to her. I never saw her as "beautiful", but, obviously, others did. Including the author. It reads fast and it holds your attention. Certainly, not a must read, but entertaining.
Honest and Refreshing.......2006-07-12
Well, in reference to all of the people saying that Carolyn is not alive to defend herself-I didn't see too much in the book that really attacked her! It is evident to the last page that he was, and always will be, in awe of this woman(misguided as that may have been)! I don't see what all the fuss about her was, she was okay but not a supermodel or anything!! He really was in love with her! And that is sad, because if the account MB gave in this book about the mental torture he went through is true, then Carolyn was action-packed with issues. Anyone who has been in a relationship, or wanted to be in a relationship that ended up one-sided can attest to the mental torment you go through. This book is a horror story for those that have been there and done that. I just wonder if his poor wife is always living in the shadow of Carolyn, if he is always measuring her by the other woman because his obsession with Carolyn is probably still there. But anyway, this book is good because I really believe that this is how he thought the situation was. If it wasn't, he would try to make himself out to be much more macho. And about all the flings he had, sometimes when you are rebounding and hurt, you will do crazy things. I applaud his effort, and really liked this book.
I commend him!.......2006-06-14
The Other Man is a great book and a quick read. You continue to read and want to know what else is going to happen. The book is quite entertaining, but also leaves you with a respectable and sincere feeling from both sides.
Michael Bergin allows you to feel his ups and downs with Caroline. I hold much compassion for him. He was in a controlling relationship due to feelings. Feelings are stronger than people can imagine. He does personify Caroline as being a control freak, but that was the way she was able to lead the double life she held. This relationship took on a life of its own due to her power. Michael allowed her to control him more than he thought. He should be proud for all of his accomplishments, and yes she had a lot to do with it. He needed molding and he allowed himself to get molded by her. That's what happens when you are young and learning. He learned from her and she learned from him. It is all part of a growing relationship, although it ended. Like she said everything good has to end. Impact is what she left behind.
Overall, I feel compassion and lots of sadness for Michael Bergin. He led a life of hope. Hope that he could be with his soul mate. He honestly had so much respect for her when in return she didn't realize what she had. Caroline toyed with many emotions and that is a hard thing to take. I commend Michael. It takes strength to write and tell your story. He put his heart down on the table, although it was after her death. I believe he did it in a way that showed true love. He never degraded her, but showed much respect to her.
Book Description
First published in 1986, Racial Formation in the United States is now considered a classic in the literature on race and ethnicity. This second edition builds upon and updates Omi and Winant's groundbreaking research. In addition to a preface to the new edition, the book provides a more detailed account of the theory of racial formation processes. It includes material on the historical development of race, the question of racism, race-class-gender interrelationships, and everyday life. A final chapter updates the developments in American racial politics up to the present, focusing on such key events as the 1992 Presidential election, the Los Angeles riots, and the Clinton administration's racial politics and policies.
Average customer rating:
- the hobo philopopher
- Here's your crown King Nothing
- Not the best tutorial on how to sneak interns in and out
- Audio CDs are worth it because Bill narrates them himself
- A Gothic Tale of American Success
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My Life
Bill Clinton
Manufacturer: Knopf
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ASIN: 0375414576
Release Date: 2004-06-22 |
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An exhaustive, soul-searching memoir, Bill Clinton's My Life is a refreshingly candid look at the former president as a son, brother, teacher, father, husband, and public figure. Clinton painstakingly outlines the history behind his greatest successes and failures, including his dedication to educational and economic reform, his war against a "vast right-wing operation" determined to destroy him, and the "morally indefensible" acts for which he was nearly impeached. My Life is autobiography as therapy--a personal history written by a man trying to face and banish his private demons.
Clinton approaches the story of his youth with gusto, sharing tales of giant watermelons, nine-pound tumors, a charging ram, famous mobsters and jazz musicians, and a BB gun standoff. He offers an equally energetic portrait of American history, pop culture, and the evolving political landscape, covering the historical events that shaped his early years (namely the deaths of Martin Luther King Jr. and JFK) and the events that shaped his presidency (Waco, Bosnia, Somalia). What makes My Life remarkable as a political memoir is how thoroughly it is infused with Clinton's unassuming, charmingly pithy voice:
I learned a lot from the stories my uncle, aunts, and grandparents told me: that no one is perfect but most people are good; that people can't be judged only by their worst or weakest moments; that harsh judgments can make hypocrites of us all; that a lot of life is just showing up and hanging on; that laughter is often the best, and sometimes the only, response to pain.
However, that same voice might tire readers as Clinton applies his penchant for minute details to a distractible laundry list of events, from his youth through the years of his presidency. Not wanting to forget a single detail that might help account for his actions, Clinton overdoes it--do we really need to know the name of his childhood barber? But when Clinton sticks to the meat of his story--recollections about Mother, his abusive stepfather, Hillary, the campaign trail, and Kenneth Starr--the veracity of emotion and Kitchen Confidential-type revelations about "what it is like to be President" make My Life impossible to put down.
To Clinton, "politics is a contact sport," and while he claims that My Life is not intended to make excuses or assign blame, it does portray him as a fighter whose strategy is to "take the first hit, then counterpunch as hard as I could." While My Life is primarily a stroll through Clinton's memories, it is also a scathing rebuke--a retaliation against his detractors, including Kenneth Starr, whose "mindless search for scandal" protected the guilty while "persecuting the innocent" and distracted his Administration from pressing international matters (including strikes on al Qaeda). Counterpunch indeed.
At its core, My Life is a charming and intriguing if flawed book by an equally intriguing and flawed man who had his worst failures and humiliations made public. Ultimately, the man who left office in the shadow of scandal offers an honest and open account of his life, allowing readers to witness his struggle to "drain the most out of every moment" while maintaining the character with which he was raised. It is a remarkably intimate, persuasive look at the boy he was, the President he became, and man he is today. --Daphne Durham
Book Description
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.
Download Description
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 is the fullest, most concretely detailed, most nuanced account of a presidency ever written, and a testament to the positive impact on America and on the world of his work and his ideals.
Here is the life of a great national and international figure, revealed with all his talents and contradictions. Filled with fascinating moments and insights, it is told openly, directly, in President Clinton¿s own completely recognizable voice.
From the Hardcover edition.
Customer Reviews:
the hobo philopopher.......2007-09-19
This book was very long. I was going into a public building and I saw a woman reading this book with a highlighter. I asked; Is there really something to Highlight in that book? "Oh my gosh," she said. "This is a real history book of modern day politics."
So I bought it. It is enjoyable but one is left no doubt that Bill Clinton's political career is not over. And why should it be, I suppose.
Here's your crown King Nothing.......2007-09-19
Bubba sure does make `em mad.
For a good ol' boy who could eat chitlins with the best of them, Bill Clinton sure does provoke a lot of hostility and nastiness: But was he the beginning of the End for the American republic? Was his presidency, as a hyperbolic Washington friend of mine said long ago, a little like living "in Rome in the time of Caligula"?
Was Clinton a Chinese stooge, the real "Manchurian candidate", a stooge of special interests and warring bureaucracies that throttled Washington with their wretched excess? A communist? A socialist? A sexual predator? Fidel Castro's little clown? A useful idiot? The antichrist? Satan?
Based on the real Clinton record and this book, "My Life", which is the literary equivalent of a cup of clorox, I'd have to say: none of the above.
All told, in the grand scheme of history, even the little footnote that will be American history, clinton will barely be a coda, a footnote, a little inkstain , a creature barely capable of rising to the ankles of such Oval Office notables as Warren G. Harding, Rutherford B. Hayes, & Franklin Pierce. If he is so lucky.
Now: you've probably reached a pretty harsh indictment about me, my motives, checking out my 1-star and my acid little remarks about Bill Clinton. But I'm not a hater, no way: I voted for the man twice---yes, twice! Hey, what was the choice there? Bush I? Dole? Perot? You gotta remember, those were dark days for our beloved Republic.
I like Bill Clinton! Who wouldn't? hell, he's a genial, genuinely charming guy, though very little of that charisma, which propelled him from an existence in (had this been a less mobile society) gravitating from eating BBQ ribs all day to ruminating on the joys of the mechanical bull down at Bumpus's to the highest office of the most powerful nation on earth---though very little of that ocmes through in my life.
He's impossible to dislike. If BJ Clinton were a superhero, that would be his secret power: uber-likeability. Until he gets pissed off and flames out into an anger death spiral, his nostrils flaring, his eyes wild and furious, looking for all the world like actor Jamey Sheridan who played an okra-loving Satan in "The Stand." Or as Bill's own pleasingly plump little Devil in a Blue (stained) Dress Monica Lewinsky once confided to Linda Tripp, "He's a Magic Man, mama---he's got Magic Hands." Too true!
It's his magic thing, that charisma: it makes his impossible to dislike.
But he's also impossible to find interesting, in the same way that air, or borscht, or granola, is uninteresting. It's there. It has its uses. But what great ideas did the man have? What inspiring philosophy did he propound (aside form making the secret service check the silverware every time he and Mrs. C. left the white house. Did ja know that Mrs.C. senate office desks are stuffed, practically overflowing, with gewgags from air force one and the oval office, even now? True story. I sneeked a peek when she wasn't looking. And they say she has eyes in the back of her head, ha!). Anyway, Bill Clinton had the Magic. He said what the voters wanted him to say. He opened up his big Arkansas Hillbilly hands and just 'gave' us our prosperity. Even if he wasn't entirely hip to what Bush I called "the vision thing" when it came to the 1993 WTC attack, Marines hauled like cordwood through the streets of Mogadishu, the tech-fueled 2000 stock market collapse, or the economy dipping into Recession in the waning months of his presidency.
Trifling details.
Oscar Wilde once wrote a charming little story called "The Sphinx without a Secret", being a kind of dilettante's romantic diversion in search of what he believed to be the baffling, confounding mysteries behind his (unrequited) beloved, a society lady of the day with mysterious airs. The response was that she was a Sphinx without a secret: no mystery there, just nothing to say.
Nothing, nada, zed. Sound & fury, and all the rest of it, just bovine stupidity in a rapidly decaying little cakelette of flesh. Same with Clinton, only he wears boxers. Or FDR underoos.
Clinton is overrated, both in the field of Pro, and in the hellpits of Con. He's an avatar of the Age: lip-biting, apologetic, endlessly evasive, talking a great-game but doing very little. He's the New American Man! He's a Prince of the Buffet Table! He's said to be very good on the Links.
But given that Chief Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes warned us ages ago against being a Nation adrift, what is it Bubba really did?
Sorry, forget it. The baby-back ribs are delish.
JSG
Not the best tutorial on how to sneak interns in and out.......2007-08-05
Really odd that the biggest thing that defined his presidency is all but left out of the book. Very disappointing, of course I do not care to hear the details but the fact that my tax dollar for the 8 years he was in there was being spent paying the Secret Service to make sure to "hold all calls" while Monica was in there inspecting the underneath of the desk is really quite maddening. This is just a self centered bragfest of this guy talking about how he somehow came from the depths to become a leader. Well they got that part wrong because it also did not cover any of the time he was governor of the great state of Arkansas, oh my oh my is there some scandal there!
Women aside, or on the side however you want to take it, the book also is lacking any explanation into the Whitewater scandal as well as the death of Vince Foster. I guess everyone gets paid off so now we will never, ever know. Well ya never know friends some papers always end up appearing on a desk somewhere years later. I bet they had the same shredders from Arthur Anderson in there what do you want to bet?
Audio CDs are worth it because Bill narrates them himself.......2007-07-10
Its nice just from a historical perspective to have the audio version because Bill narrates the CDs. Bill Clinton was one of the most qualified people to be president the country ever had. He knew early in his life that he wanted to help better the country and put in the work to achieve his goal. Bill Clinton was a Rhodes Scholar. His education was earned, not given to him. In a public setting it is a pleasure to hear him speak and not butcher the English language.
A Gothic Tale of American Success.......2007-06-25
This is a gothic tale of American success. Bill Clinton became successful the old fashion way: by listening to his parents and teachers, drinking deeply intellectually, picking his fights and then "bobbing-and-weaving," working like hell, and when he made a wrong turn, he picked himself up and tried again.
Fat, un-athletic and so un-cool during most of his childhood in rural and then urban Arkansas, Clinton somehow survived the Elvis and James Dean eras unscathed. Given the antics of his alcoholic father, there is more than just a passing similarity between Clinton's family dysfunction and the subtext of Dean's movie "Rebel without a Cause."
Clinton was successful when most with his background have failed in part because he was a good observer of human nature and because he came from an unusually richly endowed environment where having such a talent mattered a lot. Even as it was populated by a textured mixture of both "real" and "homespun" intellectuals, racists, and other assorted scoundrels, no matter their station in life, these were people full of life and confidence, always on the go -- if not on the make; many of whom showed up later in Clinton's life. And like Bill, they reappeared in the second act as uncommon and unexpected success stories.
The subtext of this 994-page American drama is that with the right ingredients and a bit of luck, anyone in America can make it. And whether one believes this fully or not, Bill Clinton is living proof that it can, and did happen.
Whatever else one may think of Clinton, his presidency, his foibles, his life, his wife, this book proves that he has a heart, and that it is a good one. He became an intellectual heavyweight through sheer force of will and a desire to "do good," and to make a difference. He accomplished both.
What a good story, what a good life.
Five Stars
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