Name: Jade Flynn's review of Hard Choices by Hillary Rodham Clinton
Item: Hard Choices
Rating: 5
Author: Jade Flynn

Hillary Rodham Clinton

Hillary Rodham Clinton’s inside look at the choices and challenges she has faced is “a subtle, finely calibrated work…with succinct and often shrewd appraisals of the complex web of political, economic, and historical forces in play around the world” (The New York Times). In the aftermath of her 2008 presidential run, Hillary Rodham Clinton expected to return to the United States Senate. To her surprise, newly elected President Barack Obama asked her to serve in his administration as Secretary of State. “Hard Choices is a richly detailed and compelling chronicle of Clinton’s role in the foreign initiatives and crises that defined the first term of the Obama administration…it teems with small, entertaining details about her interactions with foreign leaders (Los Angeles Times). Secretary Clinton and President Obama had to decide how to repair fractured alliances, wind down two wars, and address a global financial crisis. Along the way, they grappled with tough dilemmas, especially the decision to send Americans into harm’s way, from Afghanistan to Libya to the hunt for Osama bin Laden. By the end of her tenure, Secretary Clinton had gained a truly global perspective on the major trends reshaping today’s landscape. In Hard Choices, “a rich and lively narrative” (Entertainment Weekly), Hillary Clinton offers her views on what it will take for the United States to compete and thrive. This “memoir is serious, sober, and substantive” (The New York Times Book Review).

Hard Choices

Jade Flynn

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.

Marlee Stark

Made the mistake of finishing this post-2016 election.

Omar

This book is focused on Clinton's time as Secretary of State. Clinton does highlight certain aspects of her past that triggered her interests and influenced her approach to diplomacy, but in limited quantities. 



The book is long, I listened to the audiobook at 2.5x speed to get through it all. It was, however, quite informative and really helps you better understand the kind of day-to-day issues that US diplomats face abroad. 



You can think of the book as a very long interview with Clinton. She discusses some of the mistakes she made as secretary, but as any person would do, rationalizes them in order to move forward and continue working. She will overemphasize her purer motivations and downplay any hints of ambition or seeking power - things that society, often unfairly, despises in women. As such, you'll often feel that the book is not the "raw and real" story most would love to get out of Clinton. All in all, however, it's as good of a book as you should expect from someone who was in power writing about their time leading US diplomacy.

Love her or hate her, you cannot possibly argue that over nearly four decades of service, she hasn't had a positive impact on the world.

Jade Flynn &
Hard Choices by Hillary Rodham Clinton

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Jade Flynn &Hard Choices by Hillary Rodham Clinton

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Jade Flynn &
Hard Choices by Hillary Rodham Clinton