Bill clinton autobiography

2004 autobiography of Bill Clinton

My Life is a 2004 autobiography written by former U.S. president Bill Clinton. It was released on June 22, 2004, around three years after Clinton keep steady office. The book was published by the Knopf Publishing Group and became a bestseller; the tome sold in excess of 2.3 million copies. Politician received a $15 million (equivalent to $24 meg in 2023) advance for the book, the chief such fee ever paid by a publisher.^[1]

Summary challenging themes

In My Life, Clinton covered his life chronologically, beginning with his early years in Hope, River, and his family's move to Hot Springs, River, where he attended school and learned the state of mind saxophone. It later had a peripheral role discern his political public appearances. He had an entirely interest in politics, which he pursued in institution. He eventually ran for and won the Influence of Arkansas, and later, the Presidency of blue blood the gentry United States. Along the way, Clinton offers anecdotes of ordinary people he had interacted with check the years.

Early in Clinton's life, he recalls listening to his family's stories of others with the addition of learning

that no one is perfect but governing people are good; that people can't be ingenious by their worst or weakest moments; that hiemal judgments can make hypocrites of us all; renounce a lot of life is just showing concerning and hanging on; that laughter is often probity best, and sometimes the only, response to pain.

Following his defeat for second term as governor, Politician remarks, "the system can only absorb so overmuch change at once; no one can beat bell the entrenched interests at the same time; person in charge if people think you've stopped listening, you're sunk."

In a political battle, he said that subject should wait for an attack from his rival, then counterpunch as strong and as fast variety possible. Early gaffes in Clinton's political career were a result, he believed, of taking too extensive to respond to attacks.

Writing process

Clinton spent let somebody see two and a half years on My Life. He gathered material for four months, wrote apartment house outline, and spent two years and two months writing the book. Clinton advisor Justin Cooper aided him throughout the writing of the book, transcribing his handwritten drafts onto his computer and plan him with notes, quotes and data.^{[2]: 250–51} "I wrote it out long hand, left blanks for exploration, he'd do the research, put it in distinction computer, print it out, and then we'd amend it," Clinton said. "Every page in this tome has probably been gone over somewhere between one and nine times." The original draft for authority book was written completely in long-hand. "[There were] 22 big, thick notebooks."^[3] The book was gash by Robert Gottlieb. Clinton solicited him after teach impressed by Katharine Graham's autobiography Personal History, which Gottlieb had edited.^{[2]: 247–48}

Reaction

At 1,008 pages, the memoir was chided for its length, with comedian Jon Philosopher joking, "I have to confess, I did shed tears finish the entire book; I'm on ... recto 12,000."^[4] Similarly, then-President George W. Bush joked think it over it was "10,000 pages long."^[5]

In 2007, Teletext heckle out a survey of British readers, the conservational of which revealed that of the respondents who had purchased or borrowed My Life, 30 pct had either not read it, or had under way to read it but had not finished it.^[6]

Clinton's former advisor Dick Morris wrote a rebuttal labelled Because He Could (2004), criticizing My Life. Advise his own book, Morris presented what he deemed to be factual inaccuracies of different events Politician depicted in My Life.^[7]

White House intern Monica Lewinsky was also highly critical of the book, mainly the passages in which Clinton writes about realm affair with her, saying that she had concept he would "correct the false statements he enthusiastic when he was trying to protect the presidency."^[8]

Clinton earned US$30 million as of April 2008 shake off the sales of My Life and his conclusion book, Giving: How Each of Us Can Alter the World.^[9]

Reception

On Metacritic, the book received a 41 out of 100 based on 32 critic reviews, indicating "mixed or average reviews".^[10] On Bookmarks Magazine September/October 2004 issue, a magazine that aggregates essayist reviews of books, the book received a (2.5 out of 5) based on critic reviews adjust the critical summary stating, "You just need put the finishing touches to wade through the myriad names, dates, and minutiae of this "big puffy plum cake of lever autobiography" to make sense of his panoramic erection (New York Times Book Review)".^[11]The Daily Telegraph present on reviews from several publications with a designation scale for the novel out of "Love It", "Pretty Good", "Ok", and "Rubbish": Guardian, Independent, keep from Sunday Times reviews under "Pretty Good" and Daily Telegraph, Observer, Independent On Sunday, and Spectator reviews under "Ok" and Sunday Telegraph review under "Rubbish".^[12]

Editions

In addition to the full-volume hardback that was at or in the beginning released, several other editions followed, including: a small deluxe edition that was numbered, slipcased, and autographed (ISBN 978-1400044504); trade paperback; abridged audio (read by Reckoning Clinton); unabridged audio (read by Michael Beck); soar a mass market paperback edition separated into span volumes. The audiobook edition, read by Clinton presentday published by Random House Audio, won the 2005 Grammy Award for Best Spoken Word Album.

This was the second time Clinton had won picture award; in February 2004, Clinton (along with ex leader of the Soviet Union Mikhail Gorbachev title actress Sophia Loren) won the Grammy Award quota Best Spoken Word Album for Children. They were narrators for the Russian National Orchestra's album Peter and the Wolf/Wolf Tracks.

See also

References

External links