The Unique Voice of Hillary Rodham Clinton: A Portrait in Her Own Words

At its best, this pastiche of excerpts from Hillary Rodham Clinton's interviews, speeches, offhand remarks and TV appearances provides a warm, intimate, informal portrait of the First Lady as woman, mother, wife, public figure, politician, activist, mainstream feminist and president's helpmeet. Assembled by freelancer Osborne without Rodham Clinton's assistance, the book reproduces her comments on topics ranging from her marriage, raising Chelsea and her relationship with her mother-in-law to her religious faith, health care, abortion, the Whitewater investigation and violence on television. She displays a resilient sense of humor, an iron will and a keen ambition, the last of which, one senses, has been subordinated to her devotion to her husband. Yet, while admirers of Mrs. Clinton will relish the personal nuggets, others may find this scissors-and-paste job a soporific exercise weighed down by too many platitudes, bromides and words carefully chosen for their effect on listeners--a compilation that does not do justice to her intelligence and political acumen. 50,000 first printing. (Feb.)