What Happened by Hillary Rodham Clinton December 2017 4/5 Award: Goodreads Choice Award for Memoir & Autobiography (2017) Français: Ça c’est passé comme ça Summary For the first time, Hillary Rodham Clinton reveals what she was thinking and feeling during one of the most controversial and unpredictable presidential elections in history. Now free from the constraints of running, Hillary takes you inside the intense personal experience of becoming the first woman nominated for president by a major party in an election marked by rage, sexism, exhilarating highs and infuriating lows, stranger-than-fiction twists, Russian interference, and an opponent who broke all the rules. This is her most personal memoir yet. … The election of 2016 was unprecedented and historic. What Happened is the story of that campaign and its aftermath—both a deeply intimate account and a cautionary tale for the nation. – Goodreads My review Disclaimer: I supported Hillary Clinton throughout her US presidential campaign against Donald Trump in 2016 and in the Democratic primaries. It is impossible to talk about this book without getting involved in politics, so get ready for some biased thoughts. Regardless of your political views, everyone can learn from Clinton’s resilience and strength. First, I would like to address the critics that said that Hillary is only damaging the Democratic party by publishing this book. Everyone had a theory on What Happened that fatal night, why she lost, why she couldn’t rally the votes and send people to the polls, why Trump’s populist politics won… Everyone gave their two-cents, so why not her? Clinton also happens to be in a unique position. She should be able to freely speak her mind like everyone else did. It was time to hear her story. Second, I thoroughly enjoyed What Happened. It was a gorgeous story of resilience and empowerment. Clinton recounts both the events leading up to her loss and her healing process. In that first part, she gets political. She recounts the hardships of running against a candidate that broke all the rules, the involvement of Russia through social media, the Democratic primaries (including some harsh words towards Bernie Sanders)... She paints a truly personal and touching picture of the modern American society while talking about gun control, access to education, employment in a globalized context etc. As a political fiend, nothing of that was new information, but she brought solutions to these problems. What Happened was her whole political program throughout the campaign. As a devoted public servant, Clinton has years of experience in the field which gives her a deep understanding of the issues and credibility. She also takes the time to back herself up and citing plenty of studies and surveys that prove her points. She is an adept debater and writes intelligently in an easy-to-digest matter that makes What Happened accessible to all. Eventually, she also talks about what went wrong throughout the campaign. To me, saying that she is “whining” or “acting like a child” is unjust. Many would disagree, but throughout What Happened she remained objective with the results. She talks about feeling destroyed and guilty after losing the election, but who wouldn’t? She is not complaining but merely teaching us a lesson about learning from our mistakes and getting back up. Yes, she had bad days, and she talks about them in her book, however, I never felt it was done to complain. It is a classic narrative technic, the protagonist hits rock bottom and slowly rises again. Her story is realistic. She is not whining, she is telling her tale. She explains intelligently why she lost, putting blame on herself and outside factors, calling it a “perfect storm”. While it is still too soon after the election to have a clear picture of exactly why Trump won (there have also been considerable developments in the Russia investigation since the publishing of the novel), she still talked about the most important issues such as gerrymandering, Russian interference, the rise of the alt-right, the famous emails… On that point particularly, many have pointed out that she says, “let’s not talk about my emails”, but then devotes a whole chapter to them. Once again, EVERYONE gave their opinion about her emails, so why not close the story with hers? She is particularly aggressive towards ex-FBI director James Comey who opened a new investigation into her emails so close to election day. In my opinion, she paints an accurate picture of the outside reasons for her loss. In some ways, she is right that there was a perfect storm around her. She also blames herself. She continuously says that she could’ve done more to win, visit more places, talk to more people. She describes her process for prepping for the three debates and town halls which was fascinating. She does talk a lot about her political past and how it would’ve prepared her for the White House. There is some resentment, however, it is balanced by the beautiful descriptions of her friends and family coming together. When she talks about her love for her family, we discover a totally different Hillary. Throughout her campaign, she was described as anti-charismatic, but after reading What Happened, you get to know her and understand why she looks like she is putting up a façade. What Happened truly humanizes her. I don’t pity her. Some feel sorry for her, but after reading her novel, you understand how strong she is. She picked herself up like a champion and inspires me to do the same in my life. What Happened was a true ode of perseverance and strength. Boys and girls can learn a lot from her failures, and numerous successes (popular vote, remember?). Even if she will be remembered as “the girl who lost to Trump”, I feel proud to live in a time where a woman dared to try and fought her mightiest. I am in awe of her perseverance and resilience. To me, she is a true role-model, and What Happened perfectly encapsulates her spirit, her career and the strength of the movement behind her. If you liked What Happened, you will love… Read my pins by Madeleine Albright Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë Chicken Soup for the Soul by Jack Canfield (Editor), Mark Victor Hansen (Editor) (or the spin-off Chicken Soup for the Teenage Soul)
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