Hard Choices

June 30, 2014
The once and possibly future Democratic presidential candidate looks back on her adventures as Secretary of State in this diplomatically phrased memoir. Clinton (Living History) recounts her handling of four years of world crises and conflicts, including nuclear negotiations with Iran and North Korea, the killing of Osama Bin Laden, the Arab Spring, the attack on the U.S. compound in Benghazi that killed four Americans, countless joustings with the Chinese, the Russians, and Congressional Republicans and journeys stumping for human rights, women's rights, and LGBT rights. The charisma that made her an international celebrityâ"When was the last time you fell in loveâ¦" gushes one star-struck attendee at her "town hall" meeting in Turkeyâcomes through in her warm prose and self-deprecating humor. But the book's role as a potential campaign autobiography precludes the candor that ex-diplomats sometimes uncork in their reminiscences. Clinton carefully strike hawkish poses and distances herself from some of the Obama Adminstration's wrangles with the Israeli government; she defends American "values" as the idealistic soul of its foreign policy even as she struggles unconvincingly to square interventions against some Middle Eastern dictatorships with support for others. Clinton's calculated mix of soaring rhetoric and tacit realpolitik reveals much, but not everything. Photos.

July 1, 2014
Former Secretary of State Clinton tells-well, if not all, at least what she and her "book team" think we ought to know.If this memoir of diplomatic service lacks the preening self-regard of Henry Kissinger's and the technocratic certainty of Dean Acheson's, it has all the requisite evenhandedness: Readers have the sense that there's not a sentence in it that hasn't been vetted, measured and adjusted for maximal blandness. The news that has thus far made the rounds has concerned the author's revelation that the Clintons were cash-strapped on leaving the White House, probably since there's not enough hanging rope about Benghazi for anyone to get worked up about. (On that current hot-button topic, the index says, mildly, "See Libya.") The requisite encomia are there, of course: "Losing these fearless public servants in the line of duty was a crushing blow." So are the crises and Clinton's careful qualifying: Her memories of the Benghazi affair, she writes, are a blend of her own experience and information gathered in the course of the investigations that followed, "especially the work of the independent review board charged with determining the facts and pulling no punches." When controversy appears, it is similarly cushioned: Tinhorn dictators are valuable allies, and everyone along the way is described with the usual honorifics and flattering descriptions: "Benazir [Bhutto] wore a shalwar kameez, the national dress of Pakistan, a long, flowing tunic over loose pants that was both practical and attractive, and she covered her hair with lovely scarves." In short, this is a standard-issue political memoir, with its nods to "adorable students," "important partners," the "rich history and culture" of every nation on the planet, and the difficulty of eating and exercising sensibly while logging thousands of hours in flight and in conference rooms.Unsurprising but perfectly competent and seamlessly of a piece with her Living History (2003). And will Hillary run? The guiding metaphor of the book is the relay race, and there's a sense that if the torch is handed to her, well....

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September 1, 2014
The once and possibly future Democratic presidential candidate looks back on her adventures as Secretary of State in this diplomatic memoir. Clinton identifies and reflects upon the many choices that defined her tenure as secretary of state, including nuclear negotiations with Iran and North Korea, the killing of Osama bin Laden, the Arab Spring, and the attack on the U.S. compound in Benghazi that killed four Americans. Clinton narrates parts of the audiobook, and, although her voice is agreeable enough, her tone can be confusing. It often feels as if she is smiling or even laughing in her narration—while the text warrants this sometimes, it also feels more disruptive than enjoyable. Chalfant does a solid job of keeping a consistent and engaging tone throughout much of the production, but feels different enough from Clinton that it can feel a bit disjointed for the listener. A Simon & Schuster hardcover.

January 1, 2014

Billed as a memoir, this book might be something more. Clinton uses key events during her tenure as secretary of state--e.g., the killing of Osama bin Laden, the Arab Spring, tensions with Iran and North Korea--to comment on U.S. foreign policy and the importance of U.S. world leadership.

Copyright 2014 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

August 1, 2014

Although readers will not find the answer to whether Clinton will run for president in 2016 in this wonkish memoir of her tenure (2009-13) as President Obama's first secretary of state, they will come to appreciate her observation that "in diplomacy there is less room for humor." The levity and homespun stories of family, found in abundance in Clinton's previous memoir Living History, are mostly lacking here. Instead, readers will find a sometimes gripping but at times dry recounting of the many foreign-policy challenges that roiled America in the wake of the George W. Bush administration. Clinton's practice of the art of statecraft is vividly described in chapters about such hot spots as Afghanistan, Pakistan, Russia (the portrayal of neo-Cold War president Vladimir Putin is arguably her best depiction of any international figure), the 2010 Arab Spring uprising, and the attack on the U.S. embassy in Benghazi. Rambling discussions on China, Latin America, and some specific issues such as climate change, energy, and jobs could have been trimmed. VERDICT Overall, Clinton's appraisal will appeal mostly to informed readers of current history and politics who will likely approach it with the same tenacity that Clinton demonstrated as secretary of state. [See Prepub Alert, 1/6/14.]--Karl Helicher, Upper Merion Twp. Lib., King of Prussia, PA

Copyright 2014 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.