Bill and Hillary: The Politics of the Personal
“Chafe understands, as do too few historians and biographers, that the personal and public lives of political figures cannot be separated . . . [and he] is quite right to insist that the stories of Bill and Hillary Clinton prove the point.”—Jonathan Yardley,The Washington Post“Riveting . . . Chafe sees clearly what we who were there, chronicling the Clintons in real time, missed.”—David M. Shribman,The Boston Globe“The strength of this book lies in Chafe’s reconstruction of the Clinton’s early lives and the way their connection affected the decisions Bill Clinton made as Governor of Arkansas and as President . . . [Bill and Hillaryis] a welcome reminder of the great promise that the Clinton “co-presidency” initially held, and of the attributes, from Clinton’s intellect to his willingness to engage on racial issues and his ability to connect with people, that made those of us who saw him sworn in truly believe, for a time, in ‘a place called Hope.’”—The Toronto Star“Chafe . . . delivers a superior portrait of how the dynamic between Bill and Hillary Clinton affected their achievements in public life.”—Publishers Weekly(starred review)“An engaging look at the personal relationship behind one of the most powerful political marriages in the nation’s history.”—Booklist“An illuminating glimpse behind the scenes.”—Kirkus“General readers and political junkies will enjoy this reasoned account.”—Library Journal“Not since Franklin and Eleanor has a power couple in the White House fascinated the public as much as Bill and Hillary. How did their personal journeys—especially their marriage—shape the Clinton years? For those of us who worked with the Clintons, this book, by one of the nation’s best historians, brings a keen eye and fresh insights to the intersection of their personalities and their exercise of power.”—David Gergen, senior political analyst for CNN and adviser to four U.S. presidents“A fascinating analysis of how Bill and Hillary Clinton’s different family backgrounds and complicated marital history shaped their political fortunes. William H. Chafe documents how the personal relationship between these two brilliant but flawed individuals created blind spots and self-defeating behaviors that often undermined their ability to further the political and ethical goals they sincerely supported. Beautifully written.”—Stephanie Coontz, author ofA Strange Stirring:The Feminine Mystiqueand American Women at the Dawn ofthe 1960s“In this mesmerizing account, one of the most astute historians of our era pulls back the curtain on the struggles and passions of the world’s most powerful couple. William H. Chafe takes readers behind the scenes to reveal Bill and Hillary as they have never been seen before.”—Elaine Tyler May, author ofAmerica and the Pill: A History ofPromise, Peril, and Liberation“In electrifying fashion, William H. Chafe reveals that the key to understanding the Clinton presidency is the tortuous relationship between Bill and Hillary. He shows that the First Lady’s domination of the president because of his sexual misadventures brought about the failures of his first years in office, but also steeled him to survive subsequent disasters, conspicuously the Monica Lewinsky affair. For any reader seeking to unravel the Byzantine politics of the 1990s, Chafe’s book is indispensable.”—William E. Leuchtenburg, author ofIn the Shadow ofFDR: From Harry Truman to Barack Obama“Only a writer as gifted as William H. Chafe could have written this splendid book. In luminous and page-turning prose,Bill andHillaryreveals how two strikingly independent individuals, each the product of difficult beginnings, together changed America and symbolized a new world for women. This is a deeply insightful and warmly empathetic portrait of personal ambition, a complicated marriage, and a powerful political partnership.”—Alice Kessler-Harris, author ofA Difficult Woman: The Challenging Lifeand Times of Lillian Hellman