Her Way

July 1, 2007
Since New York Times reporters Gerth and Van Nattas book on Hillary Clinton appears only a few weeks after Carl Bernsteins A Woman in Charge, it is difficult to review the new entry without comparing it to what came before. When put side by side, this book is the far inferior work. One reason why can be found in the authors notes. Although Clinton was not interviewed for either work, Bernstein clearly had access to friends and family, whichmakes his book far richer. For instance, he takes several chapters to chronicle Hillarys formative years and includes an array of insightful quotes and commentary that helps explain what shaped her. Gerth and Van Natta wrap up the early years more quickly, using virtually nothing beyond familiar incidents and material from Clintonsautobiography. In later chapters, Her Way relies heavily on information from Kenneth Starr and others from the Office of the Independent Counsel, all of whom clearly still have an ax to grind, slanting the material. One of the scoops of this book is the (flimsily sourced) news that the Clintons made a pact decades ago that both would have eight-year presidential terms, making Hillary seem even more calculating than usual. In the final pages, the authors do admit that their subject has strength of will, but their tone, and most of what comes before, makes even this seem like an undesirable characteristic.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2007, American Library Association.)