Memoirs of Hillary Clinton

WHAT HAPPENED Hillary Rodham Clinton Loot.co.za (R250) Simon & Schuster

HILLARY Rodham Clinton is the first woman in US history to become the nominee of a major political party. She served as the 67th Secretary of State, from January 21, 2009, until February 1, 2013, after nearly four decades in public service advocating on behalf of children and families as an attorney, First Lady and Senator. She is a wife, mother and grandmother.

“In the past, for reasons I try to explain, I’ve often felt I had to be careful in public, like I was up on a wire without a net. Now I’m letting my guard down.”

This is the Clinton that we saw and enjoyed so much on a recent episode of The Graham Norton Show.

Her new book, What Happened, is informative, revealing and a personal memoir. The book’s dedication sets the tone: “For the team who stood with me in 2016 and worked their hearts out for a better, stronger, fairer America. Being your candidate was one of the greatest honours of my life.

“This is the story of what I saw, felt, and thought during two of the most intense years I’ve ever experienced. It’s the story of American history and how I kept going after a shocking defeat; how I reconnected with the things that matter most to me and begin to look ahead with hope, instead of backwards with regret. It’s also the story of what happened tour country, why we are so divided and what we can do about it.”

At times pleasingly emotional, Clinton thankfully doesn’t hold back. She also reveals a charming wit that may have been less visible in her public life. She describes what it was like to run against Donald Trump, and details the mistakes she made. Campaigning is gruelling and the insight into what it is like “on the road” makes for engrossing reading. But equally engrossing reading are the chapters in the book that detail her personal beliefs, the matters of policy that chaptered her public life and those that will anchor her life out of office.

Clinton reveals that after the election she had intended to keep relatively quiet. She says that former presidents and former nominees often try to keep a respectful distance from politics – for a while.

“But these aren’t ordinary times, and Trump isn’t an ordinary president.” Surely there is nobody who could disagree with her about that. Whatever the reasons, Clinton was and remains a controversial figure. As a result, those who read What Happened might find in it little that will change their opinion of her. None who tread this Earth is without fault, not Hillary Rodham Clinton, nor her praise singers, nor her detractors.

Speaking at her alma mater, Wellesley College after the election she was asked: what do we do know? And answered “Keep on going.” – Julian Richfield