Carl Bernstein’s biography of Hillary Clinton will be published June 19. (edit: Pub date is now June 5, see here.) This is, in my opinion, an important book. His publisher, Knopf, says A Woman in Charge: The Life of Hillary Rodham Clinton will have an initial press run of 350,000 copies, an unusually high number, indicating expectations of a best-seller. It has yet to hit Amazon’s pre-order list. 9/9 - This morning it ranks #456 (up from 1,322 8/5; he was on Meet the Press that day) at Amazon and has debuted on the Publisher’s Weekly best sellers list at #8 is still at #14 on has fallen off the PW list, is off the New York Times list and at #10 on the Washington Post’s list of Washington-area sales. It is #10 on the Los Angeles Times list. is off the Post and LA Times lists.
Knopf says Bernstein explores Clinton’s “complex relationship with her disciplinarian father, examines the early development of her deep religious feelings and looks at her courtship with Bill Clinton and the dynamic of their marriage.” The 600+ page book also “details her successful run for the Senate and remarkable rise to a dominant role in the Democratic party, and it sheds light on her own political brilliance and blind spots,” Knopf says.
The book was eight years in the making. Bernstein, according to his publisher, interviewed more than 200 people, both on and off the record, and reaches conclusions that are sometimes at odds with Clinton’s own accounts. At the Website, Knopf hints at some of this, pointing to her “ostensibly idyllic” early years, but — to return to her father — with a man who was harsher than we’ve thought.
Bernstein is best known for his award-winning Watergate reporting with Bob Woodward. He last wrote (with Marco Politi) His Holiness, a biography of Pope John Paul II (1996) and, in 1989, Loyalties: A Son’s Memoir, which is not only my favorite Bernstein book but one of my favorite books, period.
Updates: For the leapfrogging publication dates of this and the Gerth bio, see here and here. For information from The Washington Post about both books’ contents, and a link to the Post story, see here.
Softcover Update: Publication date is January 8, 2008 with a new afterword. Some snippets from the afterword, chosen by Bernstein, are in this post he wrote.
Bernstein excerpt available see here.
About Matt Lauer’s 6/1 interview with Bernstein and a link to a clip and another excerpt see here.
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I am eager to read this book. A fascinating woman and perhaps the “one” to give us a significant breakthrough in leadership. I lived in D.C. during the Watergate episode and my family was addicted to Bernstein’s reporting — could not get enough. Great lady, great writing…can’t wait!
Obviously, I’m eager for it too. Since you like Bernstein’s work, I really can’t say enough about Loyalties. Long out of print, but it’s probably on eBay.
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Very interesting information! Thanks!
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