My Life

Well not really my life but Bill Clinton's life. I just finished listening to our 42nd President read an abridged version of My Life. I'd been listening to it walking to/from work and it is an excellent way to spend the commute. I wish the audio version had not been abridged, I could have easily listened to another six hours. One thing that struck me was Clinton has this wonderful optimism though he's had many struggles. The first hour is about his younger years, before becoming an elected official. It's a good story, poor boy from Arkansas goes on to live the American Dream. He also uses this segment to instill in the reader the idea that he is a terribly flawed man, living two separate lives. One being the successful student/politician the other a private struggle with personal matters. Most of the rest of the audio describes the accomplishments of his administration and the fights with republican adversaries. Unfortunately he talks very little of international experiences or day to day life; unlike Hillary whose book was full of interesting stories. Thumbing through my hardcover copy of My Life it appears the written version is a much more personal story and I think would fill in what I felt was missing. So at some point I will have to tackle the book. It's about the size of a Tom Clancy novel but I'm sure not nearly as quick a read. I can probably skim through the parts I heard on audio which would make it go a lot faster. Maybe a project for next winter, I've got about six other books on my shelf lined up to read first.