my take: With humor and lots of articulate sentences, Hillary Clinton describes her experience of running in and losing the 2016 election. And does she have words! And is she meticulous! It’s a big book.

The chapter on the fake news, trolling and bots is especially interesting. She tells of her relationship with Putin and how she was preparing to deal with the fallout of the meddling and future encounters. As a former Secretary of State she has a command of not only the facts, the players, and the magnitude of the problem, she has skills for leading the country through the mess. If only.

She takes responsibility for what mistakes she made and lays out a convincing argument for the part Russia, James Comey, the circus mentality of the media, and other factors played in the election outcome (including Bernie supporters) … and THOSE DAMN EMAILS (chapter title).

As a society, we’re much more comfortable with men talking of their prowess and conquests. If you are not used to a woman confidently sharing her strengths and accomplishments, this book will feel foreign, odd. Likely there are groups of people who crucified her for bragging.

The chapter on election night was poignant and hard to read because it brought back that night so clearly for me. I shall never forget where I was, with whom I shared the evening, even what I wore. Her final chapters called “Love and Kindness” and “Onward Together” are fantastic.

I give her credit for the optimism and kindness she shows throughout the book. A private person by nature, she opens a few windows to see into her world for the last few years. I, for one, wish things had happened differently, wish her well, and am eager to see how her Onward Together movement grows.

my source: Target shopping impulse buy

my verdict: I laughed, I cried, I came away a better person. 4.5 stars … some parts were a little long (overly meticulous?!)