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Hard Choices by Hillary Rodham Clinton
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Hard Choices (original 2014; edition 2014)

by Hillary Rodham Clinton

MembersReviewsPopularityAverage ratingMentions
9751721,270 (3.55)17
Hillary Clinton's candid reflections about the key moments during her time as Secretary of State, as well as her thoughts about how to navigate the challenges of the 21st century.
Member:MarilynD
Title:Hard Choices
Authors:Hillary Rodham Clinton
Info:Simon & Schuster (2014), Edition: First Edition, Hardcover, 656 pages
Collections:Read but unowned
Rating:*****
Tags:Memoir

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Hard Choices by Hillary Rodham Clinton (2014)

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Showing 1-5 of 14 (next | show all)
Well written description, background, and context of events. Inescapable impression of the depth and breadth of knowledge, judgement, and foresight about the implication of choices. With this window it is a good standard to measure presidential candidates ( )
  grimmerlaw | Jul 11, 2021 |
Interesting, but not a must-read. You sometimes learn about the behind-the-scenes of the State Department, but for the most part it's a condensed form of The New York Times from 2009 - 2012. Dry, and very wonky, like Clinton herself. ( )
  poirotketchup | Mar 18, 2021 |
It is what it is. The tone of the book is optimistic and professional, and emphasizes Hillary's experience and achievement along with her basic stances on big issues along with her side of major events like Benghazi. It is exactly what folks were asking for during the 2016 election. (Naturally this is the main point of contention for Hill-haters, who have dismissed the book as lies, propaganda, or cherry-picked, despite it providing the exact information they were demanding.)

Its well-organized and articulate. While outlining the real complexity of being a diplomat in a globalized society, conveys a sense of optimism, compassion, empathy, and an orientation on the future. However, I don't think Hillary's voice and personality came through on this - its a bit too polished, a bit too safe, a bit too sanitized. I imagine it had to be that way, though. A female politician writing with passion would be labeled emotional, bitchy, volatile. (Again, there's no winning for the female politician. Anything polished or calm is untrustworthy, robotic, and manipulative. Anything more raw is unprofessional and emotional. There is no middle ground.)

It seemed to run out of steam about 400 pages in - I had to push myself to finish it despite my enthusiasm and enjoyment going in. This book would have really benefited from tightening up. But again - this is Hillary, and you have to look at her work through the lens of how the rabid Clinton-haters interpret everything. Her statements are constantly taken out of context, so it makes sense that she provides as much context as possible in an attempt to make that at least a little difficult.

There is no doubt that Hillary is knowledgeable, experienced, and accomplished. The book is interesting and informative, but needs to be condensed. I took the time to look up her claims and fact check as much as possible - and it all checked out. I have to admire her work and dedication, especially for a country that continues to shit on her and her family due to paranoid conspiracy theories.

I have no real problem with the book - it did what it set out to do. I just wish I could have read the version that let her true voice shine. ( )
  kaitlynn_g | Dec 13, 2020 |
DNF. I was on page 313 on November 8, 2016, and, well, we all know what happened then. I couldn't bear to continue and continue to consider what could have been. I was enjoying up to that point. ( )
  theosakakoneko | Feb 15, 2020 |
Showing 1-5 of 14 (next | show all)
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» Add other authors (19 possible)

Author nameRoleType of authorWork?Status
Hillary Rodham Clintonprimary authorall editionscalculated
Chalfant, KathleenNarratorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
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Epigraph
Dedication
For America's diplomats and development experts,
who represent our country and our values so well
in places large and small, peaceful and perilous
all over the world.
and
In memory of my parents: 
Hugh Ellsworth Rodman (1911-1993)
Dorothy Emma Howell Rod ham (1919-2011)
First words
(Author's note) All of us face hard choices in our lives.
Why on earth was I lying on the backseat of a blue minivan with tinted windows?
Quotations
"The Scrunchie Chronicles: 112 Countries and It's Still All About My Hair"
- title for this book, suggested by a reader of the Washington Post
Last words
(Click to show. Warning: May contain spoilers.)
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Hillary Clinton's candid reflections about the key moments during her time as Secretary of State, as well as her thoughts about how to navigate the challenges of the 21st century.

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