Hillary Rodham Clinton

One of the things I always love in Hillary’s books is she tells you about all the women especially who she has worked with, or who have shared their stories with her. There may be a fair bit of ‘I told you so’ (not surprising across 50+ years of service), but there is never any suggestion that she achieved things alone. It not only takes a village to raise a child, it takes a wealth of varied experience and intention to understand how to change a situation for the better.

This is not the full list of subjects and people, but for a relatively short volume it speaks to: US, politics, memoir, autobiography, friendship, Afghanistan,First Ladies, India’s women salt farmers, Elaben ‘Ela’ Bhatt (SEWA), Carers, abortion, The Vote, democracy, education, teaching, Gaza, Israel, technology and youth, loneliness, mental health, body image, Republicans, Ukraine, Russia, Putin, WWII, antisemitism, Charles Lindbergh, Isolationists, American Nazi’s, the Marshall Plan, China, Mrs Rodham (Hillary’s mom), Trump, Yulia Navalnaya, Sviatlana Tsikhhanouskaya, Belarus, Leymah Gobowee, Liberia, Rigoberto Menchú, Guatamala, Zin Mar Aung, Mysnmar, Maria Ressa, Philippines, Mahsa Amini, Iran, LGBTQ+, Faith, love, marriage, the Clinton Foundation, AIDS/HIV, Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Sojourner Truth, theatre

If there is a problem, it is on the whole the book will be preaching to the converted because a lot of Americans, including Democrats, don’t seem to like Hillary. She may not quite be Marmite, but because she has never tried to conform to expectations many have taken against her; not to mention the lies that have been spread about her across the years. She's not perfect by any means, but the world is certainly a better place because she is in it.

This volume is rich soil, and she has so much to share. I do hope young women especially find this volume. Gift it to the young women in your life.… (more)

A Trump-like president has chosen political enemy Ellen Adams, as his Secretary of State in order to embarrass and humiliate her. But, outstanding woman and political mind that she is, she does an extraordinary job as she untangles a trio of European bombings that kill three Pakistani nuclear scientists.

Ellen, her prominently positioned grown children and best friend/White House advisor all work together to discover that there is international plot involving a rogue arms dealer determined to acquire a nuclear weapon in order to plant the weapons in major cities in the United States.

There’s also clearly a mole in the White House keeping the bad guys informed at every step along the way.

This collaboration of well known author Louise Penney and former Secretary of State and author Hilary Clinton produced a page turning thriller with several good twists and turns. Is the whole scenario of how the Secretary of State came to be appointed unlikely? Undoubtably. But I enjoyed the woman protagonists –intelligent, clever and saving the world.

I also liked the political spin of the thinly disguised president, but those of another political persuasion may not – and yet would they pick up a book co-authored by Hilary Clinton?

P 249 Large print: “There are elements inside the United States unhappy with the direction the country is moving in. They’re using him. They see (President) Dunn as the only chance to stop the erosion of the American way. Not because he has a vision, but because he can be manipulated. First, though, they need to get him back into power.”"… (more)