Reviews for What Happened

by Hillary Rodham Clinton

Library Journal
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

In addition to breaking down the events around the 2016 presidential election, Clinton also takes the opportunity to expound on her theories of public service and where (and how) the country must move forward. This is more than just a rehashing of the same arguments that played out during the election, although those are certainly included. The book talks about the email scandal, the James Comey press conferences, and what she could have done better. It is also part campaign diary, with a lot of insider information on how a presidential campaign functions. Clinton takes the chance to put forward her ideas on energy, civil rights, and health care, among other topics, many of which were lost in the barn-burning pace of the campaign. Their inclusion takes the book beyond a mere recap of the race and turns it into a starter map for future discussion of progressive ideas. Clinton's narration shows a side of her that was rarely seen throughout the campaign. She talks with passion about women's rights, recounting her history in the workplace, along with other personal stories; these are the moments when the book is at its best. -VERDICT For listeners looking for a rehash of the 2016 election, Clinton's thoughts on the outcome, and ideas for moving ahead.-Robin Bradford, -Timberland Regional Lib., Olympia, WA © Copyright 2017. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.


Book list
From Booklist, Copyright © American Library Association. Used with permission.

Let's get one thing out of the way at the top: Clinton takes personal responsibility for her loss in the 2016 presidential election and she does so multiple times throughout this memoir, which proves to be much more than a political autopsy. As in her previous books, Clinton is eagle-eyed about her faults and clearly recognizes where her statements and actions (deplorables, anyone?) worked against her. The headlines in the run-up to this book's publication have been all about her beef with Bernie Sanders and the toll that FBI director James Comey's unpredictable decisions took on her support, and, yes, there's plenty of meat on those bones. But in her wonkish way, and exhibiting a clear desire to figure out how it went wrong, Clinton goes much deeper than just examining the particulars of the campaign and the election. She digs deep, for example, into her campaign missteps in West Virginia's coal-mining country as a way of discussing why people vote against their economic interests. She also offers lessons learned from Trump to extrapolate about his presidency, which she does with prescience. There are a few incidents treated as nothing-to-look-at-here moments that could have used more discussion, especially Bill Clinton's tarmac meeting with Attorney General Loretta Lynch, which is dismissed in a few sentences. But the remarkably few sour grapes expressed in the book hardly comprise a whine. Writing in her smart, sometimes self-deprecating voice, Clinton brings much-needed perspective to the election, especially for her millions of supporters, who also want to know what happened and why.--Cooper, Ilene Copyright 2017 Booklist


Publishers Weekly
(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved

In the audio edition of her 2016 presidential campaign retrospective, Clinton sounds like Clinton: a strong, tough, smart, experienced woman. She's a little wobbly-voiced in the introduction, deeply concerned that people won't want to hear what happened, "especially from me," she states. But she quickly finds her clear, collected tone and rhythm, sounding slightly more relaxed and conversional than she usually is in speeches and interviews. She is emotionally composed even when describing her fury at Trump, at FBI director James Comey, at Senator Bernie Sanders, at the media. At one point in the book, she even says, "I wear my composure like a suit of armor-for better or for worse." Thus the drama is not so much in her reading as in the descriptions of her intellectual and emotional responses to events such as when Comey reopened the investigation into her email days before the election, the instant she learned she lost the election, or Trump's inauguration. The one jarring aspect of the audio is her long pronunciation of the indefinite article a, constantly interrupting the flow of her normal speech. It's Clinton's most personal book yet; hearing it read in her own voice further reminds listeners of the person behind the politician. A Simon & Schuster hardcover. (Sept.) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.


Library Journal
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Readers will find here much more than an analysis or explanation of the unexpected outcome of the 2016 presidential election. Clinton certainly addresses the campaign and its many twists and turns, but she also provides background on her path to becoming the first woman nominated for president by a major political party. She methodically describes the obstructions she faced, such as the traditional resistance to female officeholders at all levels, Russia's weaponized information, and the unique complications presented by her use of a private email account during her service as Secretary of State. One fascinating section describes a nearly hour-by-hour schedule for a typical day in the life of a presidential candidate. Clinton presents extensive statistics to demonstrate the inaccuracy of reasons offered by pundits for her loss, such as her unpopularity. She believes that winning three million more votes than the successful candidate dispels that interpretation. Throughout the book, Clinton describes the frustration her campaign experienced when her legislative message was constantly overshadowed by media coverage of her email mistakes or other nonissue-related stories. Clinton provides an engaging narrative about her background and effort to attain the country's highest office as well as a revealing expression of her emotions following her defeat. Verdict Readers interested in learning about the 2016 presidential campaign and Clinton will find this to be a satisfying and informative book.-Jill Ortner, SUNY Buffalo Libs. © Copyright 2018. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

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