Bill Clinton. An American Journey - Brief Article - Book Review

Contemporary Review, March, 2004

Bill Clinton. An American Journey. Great Expectations. Century. Nigel Hamilton. [pounds sterling]25.00. xxiv 784 pages. ISBN 1-8441-3208-0. This hefty volume, first published in the US, is only the first of a two-volume biography. The author admits that, despite its bulk, it is only a 'tentative account' because he did not have access to the official records (still closed) or any interviews with his subject.

The author, whose views of the American South, into which Clinton was born, are drawn as much from Faulkner's fiction as from fact, has nevertheless devoted a great deal of his text to Clinton's background. Here he is shown as a valiant fighter against a 'racism' led by 'bigots'. His researches may not have led him to that one particular Southern usage which may best describe Clinton's background and moral characer: 'p.w.t.' or 'poor white trash'. Despite the sexual carryings-on, the abortions, the lies, the corruption and the unparalleled egotism, the author retains a fondness for his subject and an intolerance of all opponents. The reference, during the discussion of the 1974 Presidential election, to 'Fuhrer Perot' is not what one expects in a serious biography. Indeed, sometimes the author's penchant for journalese gets rather out of hand. This is probably the sort of biography the subject deserves although it is hardly the best that will ever be written. (J.M.)