Hillary Rodham Clinton

Starred review from October 19, 2015
After decades in the public eye, Hillary Rodham Clinton is still an enigma, as Blumenthal (Tommy: The Gun That Changed America) emphasizes in this compelling portrait of the former U.S. Senator and Secretary of State’s journey from budding activist to presidential aspirant. Ticketed from an early age for great things—her college commencement speech was covered by Life magazine—she baffled mentors by joining then-boyfriend Bill in Arkansas, rather than pursuing her own high-profile career. Blumenthal hits the highlights—becoming First Lady of Arkansas and then the nation, winning a Senate seat, joining Obama’s cabinet—and the lowlights, including Whitewater, Bill’s infidelity, and the attack on the U.S. Embassy in Benghazi. The most engrossing chapters give context to Hillary’s choice to marry her fate with Bill’s, and chronicle the tense weeks leading to the assassination of Osama bin Laden while she headed the State Department, yet the sense that Clinton still struggles with being a public figure dominates. B&w
photographs and political cartoons appear throughout. Ages 12–up.

October 15, 2015
Like Cynthia Levinson's Hillary Rodham Clinton: Do All the Good You Can (2016), Blumenthal's biography covers Clinton's childhood to her current campaign to become the Democratic candidate for president in 2016 but, written for an older audience, goes into greater depth and detail. Particularly notable is Blumenthal's consistent focus on how, throughout her public life, Clinton has been held to sexist double standards. No man would ever be subjected to the scrutiny and criticism she has endured for things as mundane as hairstyles and fashion choices or for her decisions to pursue a professional career in Arkansas and policy roles in her husband's administration. Blumenthal also offers a sympathetic and especially poignant discussion of Clinton's emotional struggle during the Monica Lewinsky scandal and her determination to make her love for her husband and commitment to her marriage prevail over his betrayal and her anger. As astounding as Clinton's many accomplishments are, readers receive a balanced, wholly human portrait with all the flaws it entails. A richly detailed study that is as perceptive as it is engaging. (photos, timeline, bibliography, chapter notes) (Biography. 12-18)

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December 1, 2015

Gr 10 Up-More objective and even more comprehensive than Cynthia Levinson's Hillary Rodham Clinton: Do All the Good You Can (HarperCollins, 2016), this volume covers many aspects of Hillary Clinton's life and achievements, from her Illinois childhood to the early days of her current presidential campaign. Blumenthal focuses on the formative experiences that shaped Clinton's beliefs and how those principles have guided her actions throughout her life and influenced her choices about her education, work, marriage and family life, and political career. Clinton is presented as an intensely private person in a public life, and Blumenthal objectively discusses the contradictions between Clinton's beliefs and some of her actions and examines the many controversies and scandals that have been a part of the Clintons' lives since their early years in public service. Blumenthal's bibliography includes a wider spectrum of sources than the Levinson title and includes Clinton's books and statements, papers and memoirs from the Clinton archives, and sources critical of Clinton, but the text isn't documented. Small photos supplement the text, and "Drawn and Quartered" sidebar reproductions of negative and positive editorial cartoons illustrate public perceptions of Clinton's personality, life, and work. With 36 dense chapters, this book reads more like an adult work than a YA title and is occasionally dry. Its primary audience will be report writers and students who are highly interested in Clinton or politics. VERDICT A good option for libraries that need advanced research material about Clinton.-Mary Mueller, Rolla Public Schools, MO

Copyright 2015 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

November 1, 2015
Grades 7-12 Over the summer, a reporter e-mailed to ask about Hillary Clinton books aimed at kids for an article she was writing. I replied that almost all of the titles available were in series about first ladies or famous women, but that as election time grew closer, there should be more. The election may be a year away but, to say the least, the books have begun to arrive. The first two come from veteran nonfiction writers, both offering photo-assisted looks at Clinton for middle and older readers. Blumenthal's highly readable biography is an in-depth portrait that gives teens a real feel for the woman behind the politics. Though touching on familiar milestones and repeating oft-told anecdotes (Mrs. Rodham gives young Hillary permission to sock a bully; Hillary introducing herself to Bill after exchanging many glances), the smooth narrative produces an understanding of the influences that shaped Clinton and the reasons for the decisions she has made. Blumenthal doesn't shy away from the less savory aspects of the Clintons' relationship, or the trouble Hillary seems to invite thanks to her occasional tin ear. Also discussed are such controversial issues as Benghazi, while an author's note does an interesting job of explaining the occasional pitfalls or research. Call this one fair and balanced.If the last election taught us anything, it's far too early to be fitting the Oval Office chair quite yet, but these four books make clear that, regardless of the outcome, Clinton's place in history is already secure.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2015, American Library Association.)

March 1, 2016
Though definitely not a hagiography, this biography offers a frank yet positive account of Clinton's life through the 2015 announcement of her presidential candidacy. Beginning with her birth in 1947, Blumenthal chronicles Clinton's youth, marriage, and career, allowing her subject to emerge as inspired, driven, and occasionally socially tone-deaf. While it does not linger on the scandals that have touched the Clinton family, the text is nonetheless direct in its report of the Whitewater affair, President Bill Clinton's impeachment, and the whispers about infidelity that have been a consistent accompaniment to the Clintons' marriage. In an author's note preceding the copious bibliography and notes, Blumenthal acknowledges that Clinton's public story has been carefully controlled and crafted. Perhaps for this reason, the book doesn't offer much of a sense of Hillary the person. Instead, the author allows Clinton's accomplishments -- and sometimes her foibles -- to take center stage and suggest the woman behind the pantsuit. amy pattee

(Copyright 2016 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)