Rating: 4 stars
In trying my best to rate this for the quality of the book, and not my personal opinion of the author, I think that this book was a moving autobiography that blended politics and personal emotion almost seamlessly. I read this book over two years into Trump’s presidency, and maybe seeing all the havoc he’s wreaking in the White House is what makes me get so sentimental. I did get emotional at some points during this book. Hearing some of the quotes Trump has said, before, during and after the election, and knowing the things he’s done as president and before that, makes me so regretful at the outcome of the election and HOW CLOSE we were to avoiding it.
I thought that Hillary’s political discussions in this book, in terms of her beliefs about policy and politics, were pragmatic and logical. In terms of regarding her political opponents, I thought the narrative was a bit petty at times but I would definitely also be petty if I were in her position. Hillary definitely answers the question “what happened?” throughout this book. I love the way she gives empirical data and statistics to back up her claims about how the election would have turned out in her favor were it not for exterior factors, like the email scandal and FBI director Comey’s role in that, and Russian interference and cyber hacking. I thought that there was a good balance between Hillary showing how she was personally frustrated by the media’s attention on her emails and how the election was rigged, and using fact-based evidence for why what happened happened.
I was amazed at how genuine Hillary came across in this book. Obviously, I've heard the media chanting for the past 10 years about how she's untrustworthy and a liar. I don't think there's a way to believe that after reading this book. Well, listening I should say, since I listened to the audiobook read by Hillary. The way that she gets so worked up over the roles of racism, sexism, and fear in the 2016 election are extremely moving. Both for just the words written and hearing Hillary actually say them on the audiobook, I think it's very obvious how much she legitimately cares for her country and supporting everyone who lives here. She tried so hard to base her campaign on love and inclusion while Trump based his on hate, fear, and intolerance, and somehow it just got swallowed up by her reputation and the media.
For the personal bits, as I mentioned before I was quite moved. It’s very easy to see politicians as characters like in a book or movie, and forget they live lives like normal people. I loved seeing into Hillary’s life, beliefs, and values as a human being. That being said, I also think she sounded a little bit pompous at times, for example kind of complaining about not having a rags-to-riches story like Bill or Obama, and talking about her positive attributes rather arrogantly.
I admire Hillary as a person, and I recommend this book to people who, after the 2016 election, also found themselves wondering: what happened?
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