A Green Bill [Living History by Hillary Rodham Clinton)

I FINALLY got to the point where Hillary meets Bill. I keep wanting to go back to that point. The course of our lives can change drastically…on account of one person.  Mind boggling.

Am on page 279 of the book..so clearly, am no longer tempted to leave. Hillary takes us through her early school years, growing up and the friends she makes, going to an all girls college – Wellesley (which she chose based based on the photographs of the campus), all the way through Yale Law School where she meets Bill. Important to note is that she entered Wellesley a Republican and exited as a Democrat. At Wellesley, Hillary’s leadership skills begin to emerge even more and I personally began to understand that there was no holding “her” back. She has always been a strong personality and at graduation from Wellesley, she gives the first ever student address, which lands her the first TV interview and a lot of controversy to boot.

When she decides to go to law school, she applies to Harvard and Yale and is accepted to both (obviously) but cannot seem to make up her mind as to where to go. However, during a visit to Harvard this decision is made quite easy for her. A male law student introduces her to one of the famous Harvard Law professors saying "This is Hillary Rodham. She is trying to decide whether to come here next year or sign up with our closest competitor”. Mr. opinionated & arrogant Professor then responded “ Well, first of all, we don’t have any competitors. Secondly, we do not need any more women at Harvard”. Need I say more? Yale it was! As the saying goes….”You can tell a Harvard man…but you can’t TELL a Harvard Man”.

At Yale, she does a lot of good stuff (boring but impactful) that oh so prepares her for the days ahead as the first lady of Arkansas and as the first lady of the US of A. More significantly, she meets Bill. Hillary says he was hard to miss not because he was so dashingly handsome (the handsomeness was still brewing) but because he looked more like a VIKING than the Rhodes Scholar he was! Donning a reddish brown beard and a curly mane of hair. YES…there is a photo to prove it too.  Oh Bill! You looked so Green! You guys probably don't believe me so I will scan it and post it next time.

As I carry on, I come across some interesting facts: - 

1. Bill Clinton’s father wasn’t Mr. Clinton or Pops Clinton. His dad died before his was born and his mother later remarried. Interesting….am not sure President Bill Blythe would have sounded very presidential for Blythe was his father’s name.

2. He had a difficult upbringing with an alcoholic & abusive step-father – Roger Clinton who later died but thankfully bequeathed the Clinton name to Bill…otherwise he would have been stuck with Blythe. 

3. His first attempt at public office was running for Congress. He lost.

4. He later on was elected as Governor in Arkansas. He lost the re-election two years later, then ran again and got elected. From there...the next ride took him all the way to the White House.

5. Hillary and Bill got married in the living room of their first home in Arkansas.

6. He makes her laugh…still. There is a genuine love there....and a high sense of mutual respect. One giant married to another.

7. He  knew he would be President way before ever running for any office and so did many people who interacted with him. 

8. Hillary had very bushy eyebrows. Thank God for tweezing! It came to save the world...:-)

Next, I will pick up on their journey to the White House and the early days. Some funny stories in there. Am trying to read very fast…because I want to get to two words “Monica Lewinsky”. Forgive me but its not the juicy story am looking for. I guess am trying to understand WHY. Maybe I’ll find the answer…maybe I won’t. Either way, their marriage cannot be reduced to that one incident. They are both way bigger than a little stained black dress (or what is navy?).

Hillary - I give you lots of credit for the amount of detail and information provided in the book. Wonderfully boring at times...but wonderful all the same!

Salute!

Tiny Gals!

I wonder if the book would have been famous had it been named so. ‘Tiny gals” as opposed to “Little Women”. I doubt it! Book titles do matter…don’t they? 

I came across a e-copy of the book, amongst many other English classics. I was ecstatic! How wonderful! What a find! Reading e-books is not so easy though but am trying. My next investment will be a kindle. Technology calls….but I still find such pleasure in reading through a printed book. Call me old fashioned and I will answer. Yes…am old fashioned. Flipping through a book is more exciting.

Back to Little women by Louisa May Alcott. I am reacquainting myself with the book. I read it more than 15 years ago when some things in the book probably made little sense to me or had no impact. I enjoyed reading it though. Meg, Joy, Amy, Beth. It’s amazing how books can mean something different to you depending on what age you are and what is happening in your life.

 I journey on to rediscover these “Little Women”, for indeed they are.

Leaving History

Ooops...I meant Living History. For that the is the title of Mrs. Clinton's autobiography. I love calling her Mrs. Clinton, although often people liked to think that Mr. Clinton was really Mr. Rodham.



I salute you Ma'am!



Of course she is tough as nails. You can tell that from the very beginning. I can tell you though, am already tempted to "leave" the history. Her story is good but develops slowly in a logical way as opposed to in an excitable way. One needs a lot of patience to read it.  You have to be looking for something beyond the surface. Had I not a deep admiration of her, I would have left already. But my feeling is, there is more to this book. I want to keep up with it.

One of the things am looking for is if she is who she is by Nurture or Nature or both. When she describes her paternal grandma, you begin to get a hint that part of it could be partly nature for grandma Rodham is tough as nails too. She scares hammers away, for they would break instead. Her maternal grandma is nothing to write home about...so indeed, I will not write about her. Grandma Rodham is a bit of a control freak and a strict authoritarian.  Hillary's dad moves away from home in the guise of getting a job in Chicago but really it is to run away from her. Hillary's mum on the other hand is an exemplary example of surviving adversity. Truly, we always have a choice as to whom we can become. You are who you are because you chose and you choose...every single day.

Am eagerly awaiting the point where she meets Bill, for I will be looking for the beginning of  history. World history. I feel strongly that both of them are truly a product of each other.

On another note, I had a sneak preview into "Loosing my virginity" by Richard Branson. Now that's a book I would not leave! NOT AT ALL. That reminds me, I need to raid a certain somebody's library to get a copy. Ever the perpetual borrower I am. Habits die hard though I cannot say its necessarily been a bad one.

Here is a link to the excerpt. Enjoy! http://www.virgin.com/richard-branson/books/losing-my-virginity 

Next week: More on Nurture vs Nature.

Adios!