What Happened

BOOK REVIEW | NONFICTION A Document for Permanent Consultation and Reference By GUILLERMO BRUNO | DEC. 9, 2017 WHAT HAPPENED by Hillary Rodham Clinton (New York: Simon & Schuster, 2017), 494 pp. In a few months, "What Happened" by Hillary Rodham Clinton has transcended frontiers. This book shows us the facts behind the 2016 United States presidential election. What captivated my attention was both the perspective the author chose to tell "her story" and the existence of strong evidence that supports it. Therefore, in my opinion, this essay constitutes a document for permanent consultation and reference. But, let's consider some of the reasons to come to this conclusion. When grieving is inevitable, you may write with resentment —what you feel when you do not receive what you deserve, it manifests itself in envy where darkness prevents you to cope with grief and to regain the balance lost— or do it with gratitude. Inspired by "The Return of the Prodigal Son" by Henri Nouwen; Hillary decided to express herself with love, joy, trust, gratitude, and courage. Since "gratitude" is the opposite of resentment, they cannot coexist. Thus, if we practice gratitude every day, it becomes a discipline, "the discipline of gratitude," the way to heal wounds, compatible with the Methodist belief "To do all the good you can…" By assuming this approach, with an unparalleled intelligence, she ensures herself a prominent place in history. So, it is not surprising that Mrs. Clinton extends her thanks to lots of people, including the 65,844,610 fellow Americans who voted for her, the Secret Service agents who protected her life as a presidential candidate, the members of her team, and the professionals who took care of her personal image. Moreover, she expresses her respect to the press corps who used to accompany her on the campaign trail. The Russians stained the 2016 election in an abnormal interference on the American democracy. They not only used the traditional state-run media, but the internet flooding the web with a vast network of fake Twitter and Facebook accounts —either "trolls" "accounts that real people run" or "bots" "short for robots" this is "automatic accounts"— to place malicious headlines targeted to undecided voters. The author says "… Putin himself had ordered a covert operation with the goal of denigrating and defeating me, electing Trump, and undermining the American people's faith in the democratic process…" Besides, I had never imagined that anger, sexism, discrimination, intolerance, disrespect, brutality and an opponent who would break all the rules of a civilized nation would invade the electoral process. Even though Hillary won 2,864,974 more votes than her adversary and captured nearly as many votes as Barack Obama to win in 2012 (65,915,795), she lost the Electoral College. However, these facts in themselves are historical milestones. Needless to say that President Trump owes his victory in the Electoral College to three states where he won by the smallest number of votes: Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, and Michigan. During the campaign, it seemed that nobody wanted to listen to Mrs. Clinton's proposals. To those who proceeded in that way, let me remind you some of the most relevant ones. She had proposed: a) to modernize America's infrastructure which included roads, bridges, tunnels, ports, airports, and broadband networks; b) to create new incentives to attract manufacturing jobs in hard-hit communities; c) to impose debt-free college: d) to improve training and apprenticeship programs to help people without college degrees get higher-paying jobs; e) to support small business; f) to expand clean energy production; g) to deploy half-a-billion solar panels in four years; h) to invest in scientific research; i) to establish new rules to make it easier for companies to raise wages and share profits with employees; j) to upgrade workforce protection with a higher minimum wage, equal pay for women, paid family and medical leave, and affordable child care; k) to support reproductive rights, women's access to birth control and abortion as defined in Roe v. Wade; l) to protect the rights of LGBT people; and m) to expand access to treatment, improve training for doctors and pharmacists, and reform the Criminal Justice System to help non-violent drug offenders —victims of the opioid and heroin epidemic— end up in rehab instead of prison. These and many other things could have come true with a slight increase in taxes on the wealthiest, which represent 1% of the US population… In spite of the idea that Peter Barnes explores in his book "With Liberty and Dividends for All…" fascinated Hillary, she decided to leave it on the shelf for further studies. By the way, do not forget that on June 22, 2000, President Bill Clinton announced the "Completion of the First Survey of the Entire Human Genome Project," one of the greatest legacies of his Administration. On that occasion, President Clinton said “… We are here to celebrate the completion of the first survey of the entire human genome. Without a doubt, this is the most important, most wondrous map ever produced by humankind... More than 1,000 researchers across six nations have revealed nearly all 3 billion letters of our miraculous genetic code… Today, we are learning the language in which God created life… With this profound new knowledge, humankind is on the verge of gaining immense, new power to heal. Genome science will have a real impact on all our lives... It will revolutionize the diagnosis, prevention and treatment of most, if not all, human diseases... by attacking their genetic roots…” Unfortunately, little has been done since then. With humor and candor, the author reveals what she and her team used to eat during the campaign trail. The "Mothers of the Movement" and the "Flint Water Crisis" moved me very much. It is true that we have to study "the long-term effects of automation and artificial intelligence, both on employment and national security." There are also some relevant quotes to take into account such as "in the twenty-first century, wars will be increasingly fought in cyberspace…," "…we need to get serious about cyberwar" where "government and the private sector need to work together to improve our defenses…" "… The United States should declare that a cyber attack on the American vital infrastructure constitutes an act of war and that it should receive a proportional response." Finally, "…the point of modern propaganda isn't only to misinform or push an agenda; it is to exhaust your critical thinking to annihilate truth…" It is no good trying to disregard the dangerous forces that shaped the outcome of the 2016 presidential election. Understanding the facts that threatened the democratic process is a must. Amid the darkness of today, this woman –undoubtedly a fighter– becomes the moral reserve of our time, an inspiration for millions of people all over the world to get involved, to raise our voices, to defend our rights, and to fight for the values we believe in and care for. To sum up, these are some of the reasons that lead me to recommend this masterpiece, and as the Gershwin brothers say "Who Could Ask for Anything More." Guillermo Bruno Guillermo Bruno was born in Argentina. He holds a Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) from the School of Legal Sciences, Universidad del Salvador (USAL), and a Master of Laws (LL.M.) in Air and Space Law from the Instituto Nacional de Derecho Aeronáutico y Espacial (INDAE). He has been a professor of law, a legal writer, a defender of animal rights, and a songwriter. RECENSIÓN DE LIBRO | NO FICCIÓN | ESPAÑOL Un documento de referencia y consulta permanente Por GUILLERMO BRUNO | DIC. 9, 2017 QUÉ PASÓ de Hillary Rodham Clinton (New York: Simon & Schuster, 2017), 494 pp. En unos meses, "Qué pasó" de Hillary Rodham Clinton ha trascendido las fronteras. Este libro nos muestra los hechos detrás de las elecciones presidenciales de Estados Unidos de 2016. Lo que cautivó mi atención fue tanto la perspectiva que la autora eligió para contar "su historia" como la existencia de pruebas sólidas que la avalan. Por lo tanto, en mi opinión, este ensayo constituye un documento de referencia y consulta permanente. Pero, consideremos algunas de las razones para llegar a esta conclusión. Cuando el duelo es inevitable, puedes escribir con resentimiento –lo que sientes cuando no recibes lo que mereces, se manifiesta en envidia donde la oscuridad te impide elaborar el duelo y recuperar el equilibrio perdido– o hacerlo con gratitud. Inspirada en "El regreso del hijo pródigo" de Henri Nouwen; Hillary decidió expresarse con amor, alegría, confianza, gratitud y coraje. Como la "gratitud" es lo opuesto al resentimiento, no pueden coexistir. En consecuencia, si practicamos la gratitud todos los días, se convierte en una disciplina, "la disciplina de la gratitud", la forma de sanar heridas, compatible con la creencia Metodista que expresa: "Haz todo el bien que puedas…” Al asumir esta postura, con una inteligencia incomparable, se asegura un lugar prominente en la historia. Por lo tanto, no sorprende que la Sra. Clinton extienda su agradecimiento a muchas personas, incluidos los 65.844.610 de estadounidenses que votaron por ella, los agentes del Servicio Secreto que protegieron su vida como candidata presidencial, los miembros de su equipo y los profesionales que se ocuparon de su imagen personal. Además, expresa su respeto por los cuerpos de prensa que solían acompañarla en la campaña electoral. Los rusos mancharon las elecciones de 2016 con una interferencia anormal en la democracia estadounidense. No solo usaron los medios estatales tradicionales, sino Internet inundándolo con una vasta red de cuentas falsas de Twitter y Facebook –sea con "trolls" “cuentas que las personas reales ejecutan” o con “bots” “abreviatura de robots”, esto es, "cuentas automáticas"– para colocar titulares maliciosos dirigidos a votantes indecisos. La autora dice: "... el mismo Putin había ordenado una operación encubierta con el objeto de denigrarme y derrotarme, elegir a Trump y socavar la fe del pueblo estadounidense en el proceso democrático..." Además, nunca imaginé que la ira, el sexismo, la discriminación, la intolerancia, la falta de respeto, la brutalidad y un oponente que quebrantaría todas las reglas de una nación civilizada invadirían el proceso electoral. Pese a que Hillary ganó 2.864.974 de votos más que su adversario y obtuvo casi la misma cantidad de votos que Barack Obama en 2012 (65.915.795), perdió en el Colegio Electoral. Sin embargo, estos hechos en sí mismos son hitos históricos. Huelga decir que el presidente Trump debe su victoria en el Colegio Electoral a tres estados donde ganó por el menor número de votos: Pennsylvania, Wisconsin y Michigan. Durante la campaña, parecía que nadie quería escuchar las propuestas de la Sra. Clinton. Para aquellos que procedieron de esa manera, permítanme recordarles algunas de las más relevantes. Había propuesto: a) modernizar la infraestructura de Estados Unidos, que incluía carreteras, puentes, túneles, puertos, aeropuertos y redes de banda ancha; b) crear nuevos incentivos para atraer puestos de trabajo de manufactura en las comunidades más afectadas; c) imponer una universidad sin deudas: d) mejorar los programas de capacitación y aprendizaje para ayudar a las personas sin títulos universitarios a obtener mejores empleos remunerados; e) apoyar a las pequeñas empresas; f) expandir la producción de energía limpia; g) desplegar medio billón de paneles solares en cuatro años; h) invertir en investigación científica; i) establecer nuevas reglas para facilitar que las empresas eleven los salarios y compartan los beneficios con sus empleados; j) mejorar la protección de la fuerza de trabajo con un salario mínimo más elevado, el mismo salario para las mujeres, licencia familiar y médica pagada y cuidado infantil asequible; k) apoyar los derechos reproductivos, el acceso de las mujeres al control de la natalidad y al aborto como se define en Roe v. Wade; l) proteger los derechos de las personas LGBT; y ll) expandir el acceso al tratamiento, mejorar la capacitación de médicos y farmacéuticos y reformar el Sistema de Justicia Criminal para ayudar a que los infractores por drogas no violentos –víctimas de la epidemia del opio y la heroína– terminen en lugares de rehabilitación, no en la prisión. Estas y muchas otras cosas podrían haberse hecho realidad con un ligero aumento en los impuestos a los más ricos, que representan el 1% de la población de EE.UU… A pesar de la idea que Peter Barnes explora en su libro "Con libertad y dividendos para todos..." que fascinó a Hillary, decidió dejarlo para estudios más detallados. Por cierto, no olviden que el 22 de junio de 2000, el presidente Bill Clinton anunció la "Finalización del Proyecto Genoma Humano", uno de los mayores legados de su administración. En esa ocasión, el presidente Clinton dijo: "... Estamos aquí para celebrar la finalización del Proyecto Genoma Humano... Sin lugar a dudas, este es el mapa más importante y maravilloso jamás producido por la humanidad... Más de 1.000 investigadores en seis naciones han revelado casi 3.000 millones de letras de nuestro código genético milagroso... Hoy, estamos aprendiendo el lenguaje en el que Dios creó la vida... Con este nuevo y profundo conocimiento, la humanidad está a punto de ganar un inmenso y nuevo poder para sanar. La ciencia del genoma tendrá un impacto real en todas nuestras vidas... Revolucionará el diagnóstico, la prevención y el tratamiento de la mayoría de las enfermedades humanas, si no todas... atacando sus raíces genéticas..." Desafortunadamente, poco se ha hecho desde entonces. Con humor y sinceridad, la autora revela lo que ella y su equipo solían comer durante la campaña electoral. Las "Madres del Movimiento" y la "Crisis del Agua en Flint" me conmovieron en grado sumo. Es cierto que tenemos que estudiar "los efectos a largo plazo de la automatización y la inteligencia artificial, tanto en el empleo como en la seguridad nacional". También hay algunas citas relevantes para tener en cuenta como: "en el siglo XXI, las guerras se librarán cada vez más en el ciberespacio...", "...debemos tomarnos en serio la ciberguerra", donde "el gobierno y el sector privado deben trabajar juntos para mejorar nuestras defensas...” “...Estados Unidos debería declarar que un ciberataque a la infraestructura vital estadounidense constituye un acto de guerra y recibir una respuesta proporcional". Finalmente, "...el objetivo de la propaganda moderna no es solo desinformar o impulsar una agenda, es agotar el pensamiento crítico para aniquilar la verdad..." Es inútil tratar de ignorar las fuerzas peligrosas que dieron forma al resultado de la elección presidencial de 2016. Hay que comprender los hechos que amenazaron al proceso democrático. En medio de la oscuridad del hoy, esta mujer –sin dudas una luchadora– se convierte en la reserva moral de nuestro tiempo, una inspiración para que millones de personas de todo el mundo nos involucremos, alcemos nuestras voces, defendamos nuestros derechos y luchemos por los valores y principios en los que creemos. En suma, estas son algunas de las razones que me llevan a recomendar esta obra maestra y como dicen los hermanos Gershwin: "¿Quién podría pedir algo más?". Guillermo Bruno Guillermo Bruno nació en Argentina. Es abogado, egresado de la Facultad de Ciencias Jurídicas de la USAL (Universidad del Salvador) y realizó un posgrado en la Especialización en Derecho Aeronáutico y Espacial en el INDAE (Instituto Nacional de Derecho Aeronáutico y Espacial). Es profesor de derecho, escritor, defensor del derecho de los animales y autor y compositor.

Hillary Rodham Clinton is one of the best known and least known people in the world. She is widely recognized, but much of what people believe they know about her is distorted or flat out fictitious. This memoir of the 2016 campaign has already achieved a similar status: as soon as it was published it attracted criticism and mockery from people who clearly had had no time or desire to actually read it. Well, I've read the book, and I'm writing this review to say that it is an honest attempt by an able and intelligent woman to come to terms with what must have been one of the most heartbreaking moments of her life. I know it had to have been, because November 8, 2016 certainly was that for me. I'm a white Southern male, 60 years old, and a Democrat all my life. When people say things like "I vote for the best candidate, not for a party," I always respond "I do too:Jimmy Carter, Jimmy Carter, Walter Mondale, Mike Dukakis, Bill Clinton, Bill Clinton, Al Gore, John Kerry, Barack Obama, Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton." I'm proud of every one of those votes, but I'm proudest of the latest one, because Hillary Rodham Clinton is a smart and good person who ran against one of the vilest human beings to ever set foot in the White House. What happened to our country in 2016 was and remains a disaster, and its the duty of ever thinking non-deplorable American to read and study what happened so we can do our best to keep it from ever happening again (assuming we survive). What Happened is a memoir of the campaign with frequent excursions into Clinton's earlier life. I enjoyed her recollections of her youth and her memories of her parents, especially her mother. But mostly I appreciated her recapitulations of some of the issues and themes of her campaign, because this is where that "best known, least known," aspect of her life comes into play. For instance, I have been assured for years that "Hillary has promised to take our guns." Really? Compare that with the well thought out pages in this book in which she discusses the need to be respectful of the legitimate rights of gun owners (yes, she really said that) with the need to do something about inner city violence. Or perhaps you've heard that "Hillary committed treason with her emails." Read this for a full capitulation of what actually happened. There's page after page of reasoned, well thought out ideas and answers for some of the most troubling issues facing our country. She talked about those issues in 2016, just as she does here, but people didn't listen to her then and most won't read this now. Another section many people need to read but probably won't deals with the heavy amount of Russian influence in the 2016 election, and the growing evidence that Trump and his campaign actively colluded with Putin and his stooges. Every page in this book is informative and well worth reading, and those who come to it with open minds will finish it with increased admiration for Hillary Clinton's strength, intelligence, and what she calls "radical empathy." I especially admire her for the pain with which she writes of having to confront and deal with the reasons for her loss (contrary to another widely circulated smear, she does indeed take full responsibility for that loss). But I would say that the most rewarding chapters have to be the final ones, in which she seeks to give us new hope and faith in the future. These include some cogent suggestions for future electoral success for Democrats and progressives, but there is also a lot of good, solid, life philosophy grounded in her Methodist faith and her native optimism. This is a side of Hillary Clinton that has always been there for those of us who care enough to see it. It may be too much to expect to hope that people who have spent decades hating her might see things differently, but I think she has that hope, and the least I can do is join her in it. I saw Hillary Rodham Clinton in October, 1992, when she spoke at a campaign rally in downtown Atlanta. I was impressed with her then and I remain impressed today. What Happened is her valedictory address of sorts, and while it's impossible to read it without sighs of regret for what might have been, it is still an encouraging and even ennobling work for those who care to see the truth.

Full Disclosure: I am a 73 year old white male. My wife and I have been strong supporters of Hillary (H) from the 2008 election. We have voted for her at every opportunity and we have made significant contributions to her campaigns. We have watched all the debates, and read tons of articles in the Washington Post and New York Times. I feel very sad about H's loss. I think she would have made a very good President, perhaps a great one. Finally, in fairness to the reader, I will try to focus most of my comments on H the author and the content of What Happened (WH), rather than H the campaigner and how effective I thought she was in that role. This is clearly H's product - I doubt that even one word was written by anyone else, unless cited. It is her language, it is her analysis, it is H proud, H defensive, H regretful, H angry, H strong. I also became aware as I neared the end that I had not found a single typo; I haven't observed a "clean" book in more than twenty years. That would be Hillary also. In the prefatory Author's Note, H states, "I don't have all the answers". Well, not quite true. This 464 page book is comprehensive, covering all the major events that I can recall. It also addresses a number of minor ones, things that particularly nettled H, and she uses the opportunity to get some annoyances off her chest. Months and months after the election she seems to be still campaigning against Trump. On page 46, she states that our mistakes alone shouldn't define us. A few lines down she says that she tries to learn from her mistakes and do better in the future. Fine, that's nice, a bit of a yawner though. But then she unnecessarily adds "....(Trump) lashes out, demeans, and insults others. " There are a number of similar contrasts drawn; I thought it demeaned H and WH. And as for the comments on page 49, "...Trump spending about 20 percent of his new presidency at his own luxury gold clubs. I sometimes wonder: If you add together his time spent on golf, Twitter, and cable news, what's left?" Not nice, H - not loving and kind. And they're about matters post-election, not really about 'what happened'. These are just two examples; there are many, many more. There's a lot of venting in WH. H acknowledges her accountability for losing to Trump. She does so a number of times. However, a "but" always seems to follow introducing a lengthy list of terrible things Trump did, or Comey did, or the Russians did. By the time you get through the list of contributions to her downfall, you forget that she has taken accountability. There is an alternative way to structure what happened, and that would be to lay out all the sins of others first, do it once ( Comey/emails seemed to come up again and again) and then wrap up with, "but it the end it all came down to me, I was the candidate, I could have run a better campaign. I lost." Same content, different order, but it makes all the difference in the world. H's way gives her an opportunity to say "I accepted responsibility..." then share the blame in the same breath.. For example, page 392 in a Christine Amanpour interview: "I take absolute responsibility", I replied. "I was the candidate. I was the person who was on the ballot. Then I explained that while we (reviewer's comment: note we) didn't run a perfect campaign, Nate Silver (statistician)....has said that we were on our way to winning until Jim Comey's October 28 letter derailed us....." And though taking responsibility she gives herself a bit of a free pass. Watching her in those debates, I couldn't understand how anyone could vote for other than H. I think she should have beaten Trump by 10 points; I blame her for the loss. She was dull, her message was dull, her campaign was dull. Trump grabbed headlines every day, while H gave the same tired old speeches. She shouldn't blame the media for relegating Grand Rapids speeches to the back of the paper. Who remembers a H speech? H opens the chapter "Why" with: "I've spent part of nearly every day since November 8, 2016, wrestling a single question: Why did I lose?". It's a very interesting chapter, certainly the one that will be most read and re-read. There isn't a lot that's new for anyone who has paid attention the last several months but it's interesting to note the items on which she spends a lot of time - Comey again, working-class white women moving away in the final days, media, Jill Stein, demographic analysis, Russia, polls, bigotry, economics, voter suppression. Oddly, not much of Bernie in this chapter. Nor husband Bill who stepped on it more than once but was never criticized in WH. She touched on her speaking fees only briefly and never mentioned any dollar figures she earned from the bigger spenders for those speeches. Why is this so important? Because too many voters felt these speaking fees were payoffs for favors from the Clintons and this was the rather disturbing way they had become rich quick. In other parts of the book she mentions her campaign strategy, but I feel it was not given proper attention in WH. She speaks of re-examining the 2008 campaign and righting all the wrongs of those days. She seemed to expect that would do the trick and that it should have. Not a lot of out of the box thinking there. The environment was so different in 2016, just eight years later. She clearly understands for example the anger of the white middle class, but it seems she came to that understanding too late in the game; the campaign was focused on other things. The Clinton team never drove the agenda, Trump was always in charge. I feel that was never addressed head-on in WH. A few miscellaneous comments about "What Happened". WH is very well written and it is a comfortable read, rather chatty, just the right tone for this post-mortem. I note that as I write this only 12 days after the book's release, it has 1500 Amazon reviews and averages close to a 5 rating. That seems too generous to me. It's a very good book, but not a great one. I don't agree with a number of H's statements, and I would really like to hear the counter comments from others who were there. H makes many, many references to her mother; I wasn't aware of the closeness before reading this book. H follows the Why chapter with one on Love and Kindness; this chapter didn't work for me at all, nor did the chapter A Day in the Life. The closing chapter was Onward Together, most of which is very nicely done - but she really has to get a new slogan team. I did very much enjoy reading about her return to Wellesley. She does speculate a bit about her future role and I must admit not sharing her enthusiasm for the pursuit of some of the limelight opportunities (the Dems need new faces, hear that Joe? Nancy?). Four stars is a bit of a stretch, but hey, it's Hillary ....and Bill. Thanks to you both for making America a better place.

It’s difficult to review anything Hillary Clinton writes without turning it into a review of Hillary Clinton the person (in this way, it’s much like reading a review of any new Madonna album). It’s particularly difficult to talk about What Happened, nearly 500 pages of Hillary talking about Hillary, without talking about... Hillary (and, before I see “Egomaniac! Self Obsessed!, etc, I’ll remind you -- writing a book about one’s experiences in the first person is called a memoir, and anyone can write one -- yes, even a woman!) Trying to review this like any other book solely in a vacuum of its own literary merits is not only impossible, but somewhat disingenuous. What Happened is a lot of things. A memoir, a recap, a cautionary tale, a warning, a call to arms, an airing of grievances. Hillary Clinton has always been a walking PowerPoint presentation. What it is not -- and never tries to be, despite everyone’s assumptions based on a few leaked excerpts -- is a long diatribe of blame deflection and an attempt to be the definitive source of analysis on the strangest and ugliest political contest in the history of the United States. Clinton states in the very first chapter that it is not intended to be such a book -- that she is too close to the events, too caught up in the rawness of the emotion. The question of should she/shouldn’t she write this has been dominating the conversation about this book, and it’s another question that I find irrelevant: she wrote it, deal with it, don’t read it if you don’t want to. I know that I, and millions of others, were eager to hear her perspective, and find her analysis both insightful and cathartic. It’s bizarre to me that I feel compelled, as a 33 year old nobody, to take to the internet to defend the right of a former First Lady, Secretary of State, and two time presidential candidate, a figure at the forefront of American politics who has dedicated her entire life to public service and has just had a singularly unique experience unshared by anyone in history, to write a book about those experiences. But such is the polarizing effect Hillary Clinton has. Those that hate her hate her with a fury and a frenzy that seems almost medieval, way out of proportion to any of her supposed crimes. Those people will not enjoy this book, unless they intend to get pleasure out of hate-reading (the way I do when I watch American Horror Story). What Happened, like so much of everything Hillary Clinton has done in public life, finds itself in sort of a no-win situation. No matter what the tone of it -- was she self deprecating enough? Did she properly chastise herself enough? Does she sound bitter? Does she sound smug? Did she take all the sins of the 63 million Trump voters and carry them on her back to the pyre, and allow us to burn her in effigy? -- it wasn’t going to be acceptable. Accused throughout her career of being overly cautious and guarded (I wonder why?), we were promised a more open, direct Hillary here. We get that, sort of. Her previous two books, Living History and Hard Choices, were each accused of two of the big Clinton Cardinal sins: the former, a chronicle of her early life and White House years, of being cautious/careful. The latter, recounting her time as Secretary of State, of being boring (I personally liked the...many, many pages of “boring” policy overview from a person who not only has a knack for that sort of thing, but actually seems to enjoy it. I wake up every morning wishing we had a person like that in the oval office today). What Happened may not read like the no holds barred celebrity tell-all scandal book many wanted it to be, but by Clinton standards, it’s the closest we’ll probably ever get to her hearing her speak openly and honestly about her joys and frustrations. I want to cite, in particular, the chapter Women in Politics. In the past, Hillary has always had to be careful when talking about gender -- and if reading that sentence annoyed you just as much as it annoyed me to type it, this chapter alone may be worth the price of the book for you. This is the clearest, most direct, and -- yes -- angriest Hillary has ever been while addressing the topics of sexism and misogyny, and the roles they’ve played in her political and personal life. But beyond venting frustration and citing the challenges, she also addresses the unique joys and rewards that come with often being the only woman in the room. She also does something that her detractors will hate even more than her feminist venting: she has the audacity to talk about her accomplishments. This is something that women are conditioned never to do -- in my opinion, it’s part of why Clinton’s campaigns have always struggled with getting her message and point of view out to the voters -- and it’s refreshing here to see her take deserving pride in what she’s done for women and children over the years. So much has been twisted and fabricated, and when coupled with the genuine problems and mistakes of her husband’s administration, that Hillary’s very real fight and achievements for women and children are always overshadowed. While Clinton is careful (as always, maybe too careful) to balance her overview of the combination of outside forces conspiring against the campaign with taking responsibility for her own mistakes (apologizing many, many times -- did we ever hear Mitt Romney do the same?), and while she tries to balance her Cassandra-like warnings with uplifting and inspirational quotes -- What Happened is still often very hard to read. In particular, the chapter on Election Night, and the excerpt she gives us from what would have been her victory speech, felt like I was ripping off a scab all over again. And that was one of the biggest criticisms surrounding this book. Why look back? Setting aside the fact that our current president still seems obsessed with talking about the election and brings it up any time there are cameras in his face, there are a lot of reasons why it is valuable to assess the problems, the mistakes, and the aftermath from as many perspectives as possible. And while I hope one day we will look back and shake our heads in disbelief at how we were all so stupid, with the benefit of hindsight, time, distance, and qualified analytical minds to write about it in the years to come, I think it is absolutely imperative to get the perspective of the woman who was on the front lines the entire time fighting for us all, taking every single direct punch and getting up again, never giving up the fight. I also think, for many of us, there an be a shared sense of catharsis to hearing Hillary vent a little bit. Is this book the most academic thing she’s written? No, but people were unhappy with THAT as well. If nothing else, this book is a valuable primary source document, an insight into what became a much more bizarre election than any of us even imagined. On the morning of election day, I woke up feeling hopeful. After voting, I wrote in my journal, thinking -- somewhat morbidly -- about my future children, who may come across my notebooks in a box one day after I’m dead. I wrote thinking about the daughter that I might one day have, addressing her and saying that I was proud and hopeful to be able to show her that, in a pivotal moment in history, we were all able to come together and make the right choice. I was excited about the idea of her maybe growing up and having her first image of the oval office be one with a woman sitting behind the desk. I was excited to tell her one day that the country came together to stand up to the bully, put aside our differences, and proved that hatred doesn’t always win. Hillary Rodham Clinton -- the woman who is somehow, every year, voted simultaneously the most admired woman in the country as well as the most reviled -- after enduring years of sexism, abuse, and the most violent and disgusting political attacks I’ve ever seen -- stood tough through it all and, on the merits of being the most qualified person for the job, became the first female president of the United States. Of course, this is not what happened. This time, the bully won. But, as cliche as this is, sometimes the most important lessons are the ones learned in defeat and loss. As Hillary enters the later years of her life, her career as an elected public official may be over, but there is still so much we can learn from her. And that’s why I think this book is so valuable: right now, it’s helpful for processing and starting a conversation about what to do in the aftermath of this mess we’re in. But I’m also glad it exists for future generations to read when they look back on 2016 and think: what the f--? The reality in life is sometimes the bully DOES win. This is a hard, unpleasant, but necessary truth that all children need to face sooner or later. Sometimes the big, stupid bully, lurking behind and looming over the hard working straight A student who does all the extra credit assignments and color-codes her highlighters when making notes, does not get punished, indeed gets rewarded for his bumbling mediocrity. This is What Happened. What happens next?

I said several years back that if the Democratic party nominated Hillary Clinton it would be a mistake. There is simply too much will against her and her husband's legacy in the country. But I was wrong. She lost, as I feared. And she lost to a man I still--no matter how I try and listen, think, re-align, and rethink--cannot imagine any American voting for. Yes, I too have doubted nearly every career politician. I too, even as a Liberal, want the immigration laws changed so that people coming in are doing so legally, with the sort of pride my people emigrated with not more than 2 generations ago--wanting to come to America, to join a country, its way of living, and work to make it better, not change it at its core. I too stand by my right to keep and bear arms (even though I also want laws that prevent felons and those on the Do Not Fly List from purchasing guns, and that include a waiting period for a thorough background check). I enjoy a strong economy, most do. But even with those common concepts shared with the platform of DT, still, it was clear to me, Not This Man. I voted for Hillary, but I was never certain about her. I was certain she was the right choice over the alternative. But after this year of considering our situation, our current leadership, and of reading and watching varied sources of information, I am now certain that we are under attack, being manipulated, and are in danger of truly losing what we have known as a generally peaceful society (with much work in that direction left to be done), a respected nation, a global leader for good, for justice and common ground among all peoples. The direction we are being lead is not about the people. The safety nets are all being ripped down as fast as the current Conservative leadership can manage, no matter how they have to lie, hide, mislead, buy, or strong arm. They are not a leadership of truth and good for all, but a regime of the rich and the hateful. I am sorry, but a study of what is being done (not just claimed) tells in very short order that the people are the last consideration. So, I thought, who is she? What would it have been like with her at the helm? Is she honest? Is she simply looking for power? Can she be a killer, a conspirator, a liar? I know, I know... reading a person's words doesn't prove anything. They are all actors, professional manipulators, the most evil of the evilist. Right? Hillary Rodham Clinton WAS the person we needed. More so, I believe, than anyone currently in sight. After reading this book, I see it. She is a feminist, but she honors good men. She is a public servant with a mission, not a power mongering illness, and she has kept herself focused on doing good in her life. Her words make too much sense. Not a sentence rings untrue. Do we need more of a change than even she may be visualizing and working toward? I thought so, but now I don't. If given the ability and the support to fully develop the ideas she has, I think we would be on the trail of common prosperity, a building and a unification--where as what we now have to deal with is a high speed heist down a lonely highway. There is no comparison. The first chapters are slow to me, given over to an explanation of what it felt like to lose, to this person. It's worth reading because it brings into view the living breathing person about to write what she writes. The remaining chapters are insightful, intelligent, respectful, and pointed. I agree with her pretty completely. The issue that she lost is over. I do believe that the electoral college has to go. One citizen, one vote. Where you choose to live within the country should not have a bearing on the power of your individual vote. But leaders from one region of America do need to fully understand and assist with the needs of ALL Americans. (Exactly what is NOT happening right now). The issue that she lost is over, but the work for EVERY American has only begun. Read, many sources, such as this book. Watch, listen, think. This is not our road. But this book details a road that CAN be followed. This book details the thinking of the type of leader we do need. Her America is the one I thought I was once living in, and the one I want to realize, and be part of. Nominating Hillary Rodham Clinton was not a mistake, but the best thing we could have done. It was a move, an unrealized move at this time, but a move in the right direction.

Hillary Clinton’s story is about the quintessential feminist experience. Two people apply for a job. The woman applicant is highly qualified, experienced and has the professional expertise and moral character to do the job. The man applicant is unqualified, inexperienced, incompetent and morally unfit for the job. Who is hired? The man. Why? Because he works the good-ole-boy system, and he cheats! Hillary’s book is the powerful, heart-wrenching and heart-warming, insightful and inspiring story of the first woman candidate of a major political party to run for President of the United States. Hillary Clinton is a ceiling-breaker, even though there are still glass ceilings to break. I come from a family of ceiling-breakers, remarkable women who were “the first” in many professional accomplishments. So I identify in a deep and personal way with Hillary. The words of advice and encouragement of her mother ring like the words of my mother in my mind. The account of her triumphs and struggles as a woman is enough, in and of itself, to make this book a compelling and satisfying read. But HRC’s book lives up to and exceeds expectations as a political analysis of what happened in the 2016 election. I read the book with many questions in mind. First and foremost, I wanted to learn from her unique perspective, what makes our nation so vulnerable to demagoguery. Why are voters so prone to believe propaganda, to accept lies, to deny corruption and immorality, and to let their anger and resentment so cloud their judgment as to vote for the likes of Mr. Trump? Hillary does not disappoint. With honesty and an impressive depth of critical thinking, she examines the challenge of trying to connect with voters whose anger demands that the candidate be as angry as they are and hate the people they hate. She understands the anger but looks for problem solving through policies and government. As on p. 272, “…But in 2016 a lot of people didn’t really want to hear about plans and policies. They wanted a candidate to be as angry as they were, and they wanted someone to blame.” Here we can empathize with Hillary. So much of what people are angry about are events and conditions that government hasn’t caused and cannot easily solve or prevent, such as job loss to automation and technological advances or the movement away from fossil fuels that causes coal-mining jobs to disappear. Hillary states the problem: “It’s hard to compete against demagoguery when the answers you can offer are all unsatisfying” (p. 275). “…a culture of grievance, victimhood, and scapegoating has taken root as traditional values of self-reliance and hard work have withered. There’s a tendency toward seeing every problem as some else’s fault.” (p. 276). Hillary refuses to make false promises or raise false hope with facile but unworkable solutions. Surely, this cost her votes, but affirms her integrity and passion for helping people, while calling on Democrats to “…keep pushing for new and better solutions.” (p. 287) The greatest gift of HRC’s book is that it prepares us for that inevitable next time. The next time a woman is nominated by a major political party and campaigns for the job of POTUS, we will demand that she be judged on her experience, qualifications, moral integrity, expertise, achievements and her commitment to building better lives for all Americans. We will express our outrage if anyone dares to judge her for the job of President on her physical appearance, her wardrobe, her voice, her marriage or few flaws and mistakes. We will not let her opponent, whether a man or a woman, cheat her out of the job, not because she is entitled to it, but because she earned it. Thank you so very much, Hillary for putting six million cracks in that last glass ceiling!

What Happened addresses more than the events that led to Hillary Clinton's Electoral College loss of the 2016 Presidential Election. It is Hillary Clinton's account not only of why she thinks she is not in the White House today, but also what was happening in the country at the time. She also takes the time to briefly explain why she got into politics in the first place. She explains what happened to make her decide to run again for President in 2016, what happened on the campaign trail, what happened on election night and what happened after she lost the election. Finally what's been happening since and what she hopes to make happen in the future. The book is an engaging, thoughtful, and captivating look into the motivations, beliefs, views, and opinions of one of the great (my opinion) and most controversial women in the history of the United States. Some of it is very hard reading if you are, as I am, a great admirer of Hillary Clinton. To re-visit one of the most divisive elections in US history, and to see the unfair way she was treated by the media, and the people who did not support her on both the Right and the Left. To revisit the E-mail scandal, the bewildering actions of James Comey, and the Russian interference was not, at all pleasant. However, Hillary's voice and writing style carries the reader through it all and tempers the unpleasantness as she shares her thoughts on it, with her wry (but not bitter) humor. A wit that, I believe is a testament to her strength of character as she looks back on what was clearly a devastating loss for herself, and for millions of her supporters. The other parts of her book--sharing her mother's story, Hillary's work with the Children's Defense League , lifelong passion and support for the rights and advocacy of women and children, her vision and plans for what she would have done had she won the Electoral College and become President (a sane voice--to be sure--in what is now a sea of lunacy!), and her vision for the future was much more uplifting to read. I had honestly never considered what a day in the life of Hillary Clinton might be like, but she says many have wondered and so she includes it here. I'm glad she did because though I hadn't been particularly curious about that previously, I found it very interesting to read nonetheless. I think including that makes her more relatable to all but the most rabid Hillary detractors. Ultimately, the book, though it takes the reader through parts that may be very hard and painful to revisit, is one about overcoming what happened last November. It is about being resolute to still fight to make a difference and do what one can to overcome what many of us see as very dark times for this country. How she did and does do it, and how we--who support her and love this country--should. She very honestly admits her mistakes in the campaign; sometimes being harder on herself than I think she should be, in retrospect. I understand why that's necessary, though. I loved this book and I am very glad I purchased it. I would recommend it to anyone who is trying to make sense of what happened in the campaign, election, and what is happening now! I'm sure I will be re-reading, and using it as a reference in the future. It is a great read full of sage advice, honest reflection, and a great deal of thought from a woman who has resisted and persisted long before those were hashtags and t-shirt slogans. She is an inspiration to us all!

I am mostly a reader of science fiction and fantasy, so I knew this would be hit or miss from the go. I listen to political podcasts, read from a variety of sources and would consider myself well-informed when it comes to politics of the last several years. With those two things in mind, I did not find the book very enjoyable or informative. Although well-written, I felt like there were very few instances where Clinton provided information that wasn't already common knowledge. Her responses to things were typical of a reasonable person. It did open my eyes a little bit to the "female politician" perspective that I would not have been able to understand otherwise being a millennial male not in the political scene. There was a certain lacking in analysis of provided information that avid FiveThirtyEight folks might find lackluster. That is, I was hoping to read more data on the 2016 election and what the book provides is more of a storyline. I wanted to see percentage signs. For instance, instead of seeing Clinton write "I was polling at 53% in Wisconsin, and during the election I was perhaps validly criticized for not campaigning in the state, and I ended up gaining 46.9% of the vote" and then talking about the details of what happened, it is more common to read in the book an anecdote about a person from Wisconsin and relate it to a policy issue she campaigned on, with just a sentence or two of analysis on the outcome of the vote. If you are interested in a biographical perspective of Clinton from 2015-2017 this is a good book for you. It's written by a democrat, for democrats, and I wish that Clinton would have been more introspective or self-critical (the chapter "Those Damn Emails" she does not acknowledge that she was careless with her emails nor Comey's calling her careless with the emails). A good comparison might be relating my feelings to Clinton to NPR. I love NPR but I can't stand Prairie Home Companion. It's just not for me. I love HRC, but her books aren't for me. I would vote for her again after reading this, I would still want to sit down and have a drink with her after reading this, but I don't think I'd want to read another book written by her after reading this.