The Life of Hillary Rodham Clinton - A Woman In Charge

Lots of details about Hillary' s early life that are not generally known. These details and interesting information flesh out and humanize this great lady, and it's a pity that so many young people don't know her.. I hope many people had the opportunity to read the book.

Really helpful in understanding Hillary by offering the personal as well as political history of her life. The writing was a little flat, too much like a research article. It did not engage me, but the information was helpful.

Hillary's life is unique enough to be compared to a memorable character's psyche and adventures in a novel. Carl Bernstein' s writing style is good enough to enjoy as a best selling novel--if not better. Besides the enjoyment of content and style, being non-fiction and supported with hundred of notes, I appreciate its history as well.

Carl Bernstein already had excellent credentials, at the least from his Watergate work during the Nixon era. The book is the product of over a hundred interviews of those close to Hillary Clinton. Interviews were of Clinton supporters as well as opponents. More importantly, he was able to take advantage of the journals of one of Hillary's closest friends, intimately involved in a Clinton campaign, and which were created for a book not written. "Woman In Charge" is primarily factual. Bernstein from time to time inserts his conclusions about what inferences should be drawn from the evidence. However, one of the book's best features is that Bernstein has provided so much source material that the readers are able to draw their own inferences from the evidence presented.

Very honest review and clearly written by an unbiased supporter. The 100th anniversary of women's right to vote is in 2010. Bernstein sees Hillary ready to meet destiny as the first female President of the United States in 2016.

I am currently reading this book and have trouble putting it down. Even though I lived through the events recounted here, the book reads like a suspense novel, and although I know how it turned out, I'm totally gripped by the story. It is clear-eyed, very well sourced by people on the record, not anonymous Hillary-haters, and although Bernstein points out negatives, you will end up with a lot of sympathy for her and a deeper understanding of what keeps her going. She is certainly battle-tested. A terrific read, highly recommended.

I have read 8 other biographies of Hillary Clinton and her own memoir. This book was, by far, the best of them all. While many of the incidents discussed have been done before, none were done more clearly and placed in context as well as Mr. Bernstein has done. His organization was masterful. It is so hard when many things seem to happen concurrently to make sense of it all in a logical, readable way. This book really helped me sort out my feelings about Mrs. Clinton like no other.

A unbiased look into what makes Hillary tick. A good account of how she handled most of her live's difficulties and is a good prediction of how she will handle her duties when elected president in 2016. Book ended before her first run. She is handling her present run with her strength of character already seen in this book!

If you're curious about Hilary Clinton (and anticipating that she'll run in 2016), this is a good, exhaustive look at her childhood, adulthood, life with Bill, and her own dreams and aspirations. Well-written and easy to follow. Loved it.

During this insane election year I wanted to know about Hilary as much as I could. How Bernstein acquired so much knowledge is actually kind of frightening. Bottom line for me she is still the hippy she was in law school, cares for children, down and out of luckers--the ones without voices. The only negative thing is she becomes MAMA BEAR when you endanger her family and will go for you with both paws buddy, but that doesn't bother me. I like those devoted to family! She is qualified and has her heart in the right place and although I wish no one had a "football case" she is the most reasonable person to handle the stupid thing. THINK about it folks.

Excellent. Good writing. Helped me to be more aware of how complex the situations are to build ones background while seeking a political office. Bernstein gave information and stilled revealed the personal side of the story of HC.

This book says nothing about the Clinton Foundation scandals or her cattle futures payoff. Although the Foundation scandals are more recent, the cattle futures scandal is old history. Generally Bernstein is a square shooter, but I had to buy Clinton Cash to get more up to date and accurate info.

The Hillary camp has put out word that Bernstein's book is "a yawn," but that springs from a desire to mislead. Bernstein's account is nuanced, new in many ways, and demonstrates a lot of excellent "shoe leather" reporting which Bernstein then turns into a terrific "read." He writes a lot better then his former editorial partner, Bob Woodward.

Bernstein's basic message is that Hillary, despite all of her many flaws and failures, has tried to do good things. The glaring omission in Bernstein's book is abundant evidence that the Clintons turned their party into an instrument that advanced the interests of the corporation just as surely as the Republicans ever did. One has just to look at the legislation that was passed under that "dual" presidency. The Clintons "rolled over" in a major way for just about anything that the corporate world wanted during those "glorious" economic days of the 1990s. But a couple of months after Clinton left office, the Nasdaq fell from 5,000 to below 2,000, and millions of people lost their life savings. As I remember it, Bill Clinton walked around for years while the tv cameras rolled talking about how amazing the American economy was. Did he never see the poverty in New Orleans and other places? Pensions disappeared during the nineties, prisons were privatized, the trade deficit ballooned, millions of manufacturing jobs disappeared and more immigrants were held in detention centers than ever before. Where was Hillary through all of this? Apparently, these were not her issues. I just wish that the very talented Carl Bernstein had spent some time talking about the legacy of the 1990s and where that legacy has actually put the Democratic party.

Carl Bernstein, a journalist who, along with Bob Woodward, won a Pulitzer Prize for their Watergate coverage, has written a detailed, even handed account of the life of Hillary Clinton. This is no political screed. It's neither a left-wing hierography deifying her, nor a right-wing diatribe demonizing her, but a well thought out, well-researched, even handed account of her unusual life as an active first lady and politician.

For those looking for a substantive and informative work on Hillary Rohdam Clinton, this is it.

Have always been impressed with Carl Bernstein, but this time he let me down - found the book too long, too boring, and left me totally unable to get a clear picture of what he thinks about Hillary Clinton.

A lot of detail about how manipulative and stubborn she was during Bill's governor and president positions. I hope she has changed. Maybe a bit overboard on quotes from friends about how bright she is.

In this 2016 election, it is very important to read this book, "A Woman in Charge..." by Carl Bernstein, especially if your vision of Hillary Clinton is colored by 40 years of political attacks from Clinton enemies. All of Hillary's adult life, she has fought for civil rights, children's rights and women's rights. Even in the southern state of Arkansas in the 70's, she was instrumental in getting the first rape crisis center in Fayetteville and the first legal aid center at the University of Arkansas. She and her husband had a vision for the Democratic Party, to have it be inclusive of all Americans, no matter social status, race, ethnicity, religion, etc. And they realized that vision. From that time on, any time Bill ran for office, the Clinton enemy attack machine was in full force, and a large focus of that attack was on Hillary: she's too liberal, she's too aggressive, she's a radical feminist, she's a corporate sellout.... What she is and what she's learned is that her goals have to be tempered with practicality and pragmatism. She reads the landscape: seeing the obstacles, recognizing which ones are malevolent and taking expedient action accordingly. Bernstein's book lays it all out, dirty laundry and all. To me, the biggest mistakes she (and Bill) have made were in "circling the wagons", protecting self instead of trying to be forthcoming. And that led to political mountains made out of molehills and a tarnished perception of Hillary Clinton. Bernstein has written a must read book if one wants to try to understand Hillary Clinton.

I found this to be fairly a balanced biography. I am not a fan of Hillary and wanted a deeper understanding of her character and story, and this book provides that.

This book goes into great detail of her early life, college years, Bill and the Arkansas years and the two terms of the Clinton White House. Unfortunately it has very little about her US Senate career, (which is why I gave it 4 Stars and not 5), and ends as she embarks on her first presidential primary run.

After reading this I can't say that I admire her, but I do have a greater appreciation that she is not the character portrayed by either the left or the right. I would recommend this book and hope that the author has a follow up to go into greater detail of her senate career, and take us through her primary against Obama and her tome as Secretary of State.

Watching the Democratic National Convention this year, I realized that I know surprisingly little about Hillary Clinton, particularly about her life before Bill Clinton's presidency. I thought I'd try to rectify that by taking a look at what seemed like the best biography (i.e. neither a hit job, a tabloid, nor a hagiography) of Mrs. Clinton on the market. As it happens, I think that Bernstein did a nice job with this book, presenting Clinton with full acknowledgement of her considerable good qualities and her persistent flaws. I would recommend this book highly this election season, as a good way to cut through the world of myth that has grown up around Hillary.

Some things that I'm taking away from reading the book:

1. Core to Hillary's outlook and vocation is her midwestern Methodist upbringing. This seems consistently to drive her best qualities such as her pursuit of social endeavors (i.e. Children's Defense Fund, the CHIP program) that help people in practical ways. It also has shaped her personal life profoundly, in ways such as her resistance to divorcing Bill and to her general caution.

2. It’s easy to admire much of Clinton’s work before she became famous. She did take quite a few steps--such as initially working as a children’s advocate rather than as a corporate lawyer like the rest of her law school classmates--that show an authentic commitment to the public good.

3. Bernstein often calls upon Clinton’s self-description as having a “conservative mind and a liberal heart.” This, too, struck me as true of Clinton who, no doubt, has generally progressive policy positions but whose personality and political instincts (cautious, shy, private, self-reliant) are essentially conservative.

4. Hillary Clinton comes off much better than Bill Clinton. Bill’s multiple sexual proclivities are certainly the curse that haunt their personal and political lives. Over and over, the Clintons make decisions intended to protect their own privacy, usually as a way of hiding an embarrassing indiscretion of Bill’s, and their attempts to maintain privacy end up making them look guilty of something. When you look at all of the “scandals” that have plagued the Clintons for decades, they tend to be pretty empty, except for Bill’s sex scandals. Hillary comes off as the devoted partner who has tremendous capacity to forgive and an even larger faith in her husband’s political vocation.

5. Though the Clintons have always been ambitious, I am inclined to see Hillary Clinton’s dogged pursuit of the presidency as a product of the vicious attacks that she and Bill endured during his presidency. I think that she and Bill went into his presidency with noble intentions to do good for people, and many (most) of their intentions were spoiled by the constant and largely baseless attacks and ultimate impeachment. I think that Hillary Clinton would like to be President as a way of saying to Newt Gingrich, Kenneth Starr, and company, “We won.” I think that Hillary Clinton still has a desire to do good in the world, but I think that more noble purpose sits side-by-side with her ambition to prove her enemies wrong. This story arc may make a great biopic in about 50 years, but it is not necessarily Mrs. Clinton’s best trait.

On the whole, A Woman in Charge gives a deep and complex portrait of Hillary Clinton, and I would recommend it as the best way I’ve seen so far of learning about the woman who will likely be our next President.

The book was written when Hillary Clinton was running for president 8 years ago. I was expecting that the book would be current and appropriate to the present time instead of a recycled item. A lot has gone on in Hillary Clinton's life in the last 8 years which the book does not cover.

On the virtual eve of the Presidential election, it is important to gather information about the candidates from the most unbiased resources available. It is virtually impossible to find an unbiased source regarding the two current candidates for the mainstream parties. Both candidates are highly polarizing. Seeing that this book is authored by a highly respected journalist (as most know, of course, one of the journalists who broke the Watergate story and received the Pulitzer Prize for public service in 1973) this book is a great candidate for someone looking for a balanced, unbiased view.

This book was actually written before Hillary's first campaign for president, when she ran against Barack Obama in 2008. It continues to be a good window into her character, her political ambitions and her approach to running her life and those around her.

Early in the book you may be of the impression that he is a fan of Hillary because of how quickly and glibly he ignores or dismisses many of the charges commonly raised by her detractors. Some he treats with disdain, without explaining why, in his opinion, they have no basis. By the time the book is concluded (and this audio version is actually abridged) you are left with the impression that he may easily dismiss the more marginal complaints against her because he is afraid that with all the documented failings and flaws in her character and career that it may appear as simple Hillary bashing.

This is not to say that he does not praise her at times. He does, in fact, ascribe to her a desire to do the right thing. She frequently fails to accomplish this, however, because of a disconnect between her words and her actions. As Bernstein describes it, she has "a difficult relationship with the truth." He ascribes to her high ideals, but at the same time recites countless examples of an inability to live up to those ideals. She can talk the talk, and may even appear to believe it, but she cannot walk the walk.

This paints a picture of a political pragmatist who may have begun with high ideals, but in the end simply pursues her own agenda at any cost. Truth is a casualty because she does not trust anyone enough to understand her, and, he concludes, she may not be able to face the truth herself.

She is associated with constant lies. He even refers to her as "a specialist in 'fudging' the facts." if character matters, Hillary means serious trouble. While she preaches honesty and integrity, she fails to practice it. She insists on transparency, but hides her motives and actual actions.

None of this even mentions, of course, the famous emails, and the repercussions from her failure (refusal?) to follow the law with regard to them.

As obvious as it is that Bernstein wishes to be unbiased, and may even be giving her the benefit of the doubt on certain issues, the portrait he paints ultimately of Hillary Clinton is not a flattering one. While the ideals may appear to be high, and while he does give her the benefit of the doubt in proclaiming she really believes in these ideals, it is patently obvious from the facts reported that she is systemically unable to honor or live up to such ideals.

When Bill Clinton was President, I did not care for him. That was because, I grew up in a very political conservative environment. Where George Bush was better than Clinton and Bob Dole was better than Clinton. I have since moderated out quite a bit. I have come to realize that Bill Clinton was a better president than George Bush and (a better president than) Bob Dole (ever could have been), that what Clinton presided over, may have caused the prosperity and peace that became the 1990's.

Reading this book has helped me moderate my political views on Clinton, I saw Hillary has a real person, not a liberal monster, as she is portrayed. This book has changed my view, as well as other family members, to appreciate Hillary Clinton as a person and what she has done and gone through as a person.

Reading this book has shown me what kind of leader and person that is Hillary Clinton that I voted for her in the 2008 Presidency. I viewed her as the better candidate and was the better person to lead this country. If she runs for president again, I may very well vote for her.

That is why I give this book a five star. If you want to know Hillary, this is the place to start.

This has changed my view of Clinton, where now I am reading plenty of books on Bill Clinton.

"A Woman in Charge" is a very expansive biography of the former first lady. It's got a balanced tone and a lot of interesting facts about her and her husband, President Clinton. There's an exhaustive examination of her involvement in the Whitewater scandal, as well as insight into her relationship with her parents.

The downside of the book is that there's not a lot of information about her years in the U.S. Senate and her feelings following the Lewinsky scandal. The book is very light on those years, which I think are incredibly important.

Bernstein traces Mrs. Clinton's life from her grandparents to her initial years as a Senator. In the process we learn that she is not the raving "lefty" as many portray her, is truly religious, probably twice saved Bill Clinton from himself through her determination to make the marriage work and her more pragmatic perspectives, would probably have achieved significant notability on her own (w/o Bill), and had achieved success leading a major effort to reform Arkansas education (though Bernstein offers very little data on its impact on pupil achievement).

On the other hand, we also learn that it was primarily her actions that undermined Bill and the Democratic party during his first two years as President - primarily through her actions aimed at reforming health care. The group's secrecy (membership, discussions, and decisions), her refusal to compromise (eg. no phase-in, little/no industry or Congressional input), and antagonizing key Senators such as Bradley, Byrd, and Moynihan by her remarks and attitude. Other major mistakes included the White House Travel Office firings, shuffling Secret Service protection staff, block press corp access to the West Wing, remaining aloof form local society and charity involvement, attendance at numerous White House meetings and use of the term "We" to describe actions and intent (made Bill look weak), removing Whitewater material from Vince Foster's papers after his suicide, her obvious Whitewater conflict of interest through personal Rose law firm involvement, and Hillary's refusal to release Whitewater documents or settle the Paula Jones lawsuit early on.

"A Woman in Charge" also relates that Hillary learned from her early mistakes. She withdrew from White House meetings, became involved in the local society, began her Senate campaign with a "listening tour" that helped squelch "carpetbagger" charges, and began her Senate career with modesty and attention to custom.

Bernstein's book says little about Hillary's vote to authorize invading Iraq, details of her Senate career, or early campaign strategy. Thus, readers are left to judge for themselves how well Hillary has improved from the past.

A Woman in Charge is a largely sympathetic view of the life of Hillary Rodham Clinton. It is worth reading for its revealing account of Senator Clinton's childhood (her father appears to have been more depressed and more verbally-- and perhaps physically-- abusive than generally depicted) and for a detailed review of her many travails and occasional triumphs during her years as First Lady. The observations of certain political figures, notably former New Jersey Senator Bill Bradley and the late Senator Daniel P. Moynihan of New York (both of whom expressed concerns about Clinton's self-righteousness and possible arrogance) are also of interest to those wondering how Senator Clinton might perform if elected president.

A Woman in Charge is largely sympathetic to its subject, but also explores Clinton's less attractive qualities. Author Carl Bernstein has conducted numerous interviews and assembled an extensive bibliography to pen a detailed depiction, including numerous first-hand accounts, of Hillary Clinton's early years and of her role as First Lady. If A Woman in Charge has flaws, they are that Clinton's years in the Senate are given short shrift and that the accretion of detail does not include much analysis of the patterns characterizing Clinton's behavior.

For those readers who are considering alternative looks at Clinton's life, Jeff Gerth's and Don Van Natta's Her Way provides a more analytical and meaningful look at Clinton as a political figure, although that volume fails to provide some of the colorful detail offered in A Woman in Charge. The two books provide sufficiently different perspectives to make both helpful reading for those seeking insight on Senator Clinton.

Judging by the title, Bernstein intended this book to be an in-depth character portrait of Hillary Clinton. Against that backdrop, the book is a failure. It's not so much a portrait as an orderly regurgitation of material that's appeared in other forms and accounts - especially the Monica Lewinsky section.

I enjoyed this book, it contributed to my understanding of Mrs. Clinton's experiences, but it didn't expand my knowledge of who she is. At the book's end, Bernstein asserts Mrs. Clinton has, at times, been overly private, and it's damaged her political capital and image. True or not, it's an interesting conjecture, but unfortunately the only time Bernstein truly injects himself into this book - which only makes the vast preceding body seem emptier.

I listened to A Woman in Charge on audio CD narrated by Dick Rodstein. Rodstein's tone is overly dramatic for the narrative. His performance is much better suited for a WWII television documentary than this modern political story.

I began reading this book by Carl Bernstein with a little hesitancy. Have read so many books about political people that were either a whitewash or dug for more than what really was there. I was very pleased with the work he did. Bought it only because of his name. He did an outstanding job with Hillary. He did not hesitate to saw where she was wrong or point out the faults whe has yet he was clear in those cases in which he thinks she was wrongly accused. Begins in childhood and goes to the time of her running for the Senate. I am exicted by this book.

J. Robert Ewbank author "John Wesley, Natural Man, and the 'Isms'"

And the lives of Hillary Rodham and Bill Clinton are proof.

But just because people I don't like don't like you, doesn't mean you should be President.

This book attempts to clear away at least some of the smoke about Hillary that has been generated by both sides (although mostly from the right, in my view).

I believe it is largely perceptive and well-centered in doing so. Although it suffers by the way in which it goes over the plagues and scandals of Bill's administration. Both those visited on them by Clinton-haters, and those they brought on themselves.

The length at which Bernstein does so is especially disheartening because it comes at the expense of fully defining her more recent move out from under the President's shadow.

But the book does identify and articulate many of her qualities that some of us find...a bit spooky. Even we who have supported both her and her husband, and who saw, and continue to see, that she was singled out to be trashed. Often for reasons that had nothing to do with the good of the country, and in fact was contrary to it.

I definitely recommend this book if you are wanting to get better acquainted with the character of Hillary Clinton. The author was unbiased and sought to display her from every angle, the good and the bad. I came away with a greater sense of what makes her tick; an understanding of what keeps her and hubby together.
He does a great job by giving quotes and portraying their personal feelings in various situations that lets one see what makes her stay. Her and Bill are co-dependent. Neither would have reached their height without the other. One's weakness is made up in the other's strength and vice versa. Both had such a passion to leave a mark on this world for the good, to help the down and out, to make this a better place for all to live. In spite of the sexual weaknesses and some of the perhaps shady decisions she made in her law practice, they both wanted to make a difference. This is what was a magnet, attracting them to each other. Clinton did no more than Kennedy, he just got caught with his pants down while he was in office, not after the fact. While it is immoral, there are a lot of lessons to be learned about our society in general. It really makes us stop and look at the values and norms we are dealing with today. The book goes into great detail about the politics which I do think was necessary to fully understand the person; however, it seems a little wordy at times, making the reading a little slow. But I would definitely recommend.

Very well written book about Hillary Clinton. Helped me get to know her as a human being. I am sick of the spin given to us by the media. Who is she really? Sinner or saint? We see a young, idealistic person become bogged down by her husbands affairs. We see a brilliant young person full of potential give that up to become a politicians wife. We sense her disappointment in the what ifs. What if I had become my own independent person, could I have become the first woman president?

I have so much more respect for Hillary now than ever before. She is a compassionate, caring person albeit with a steely outside. Thank you to the author for letting me make my own conclusions about this person. Thank you for presenting the facts to me in an objective way. Thank you for probing into the truth.

Hillarys autobiography itself is so parsed and carefully written I did not get a real sense of who she is. But this book allowed me to understand her. I highly recommend it whether you are a fan or not. I read books on every president. Its worth knowing who are leaders really are.