Synopsis
This astonishing book was Bill Clinton's idea, and it may have been one of his best: at odd moments over the years, he asked his friend the Pulitzer Prize-winning historian Taylor Branch to drop into the White House for a private late-night chat, and to record those conversations for posterity. Branch complied and, adding some of his own astute observations and commentary, has edited them into this unprecedentedly frank record of the complicated and sometimes tormented inner life of a remarkable president. It's an affectionate, often comic, sometimes angry, always deeply revealing portrait of not only Bill Clinton but the people he knew. He's discreet about Monica Lewinsky, but here is Chelsea asking for help with her homework and a slightly inebriated Boris Yeltsin wandering out of the White House in his underwear trying to order a pizza.
| Details | | Publication Date: | 2009-09-29 |
| Size | | Length: | 707 pages | | Height: | 9.3 in | | Width: | 6.8 in | | Thickness: | 2.2 in | | Weight: | 38.4 oz |
Publisher's Note
The Pulitzer Prize-winning historian and author of Parting the Waters recounts the intimate talks he shared with the forty-second president during the latter's two terms in office, in an account that shares the writer's perspectives on lesser-known aspects of Clinton's private torments, family life at the White House, and presidential challenges.
Industry Reviews
"The Bill Clinton who emerges here is a master practitioner of an art that is routinely derided--foolishly--these days: he's an unabashed, unapologetic politician. To the extent that Branch's portrait of the president rescues politics from ignominy, he has done a real public service; that he has done this while vividly portraying an exuberant American original is cause for joy."
(09/27/2009)
"...THE CLINTON TAPES proves to be a remarkable read, paying out the huge dividends of history that Branch had hoped for. And as a corollary, Clinton's long-term reputation is bound to take an upward revisionist spike because of this important publication. Love him or hate him, as Branch makes abundantly clear, Clinton was always on the job. Furthermore, with the advantage of hindsight, Clinton's anti-deficit crusade looks downright heroic --as does his Herculean effort to bring human rights to Haiti and Africa."
(10/04/2009)
"Every page of THE CLINTON TAPES...has a new plum."
(10/11/2009)
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