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Hillary Clinton is back in the spotlight this month but not for the reasons you might think.
As the 2024 presidential campaign enters its final weeks, Clinton has largely stayed out of the spotlight, except for an appearance at the Democratic National Convention to formally endorse Kamala Harris. But the former presidential candidate and secretary of state is back in the spotlight, in the wake of a new personal book that offers what the publishers are calling “Clinton’s most candid views on life, love, politics, freedom, democracy, the threats we face, and the future within our grasp.”
The new book serves as a coda to her 2016 presidential campaign, recounting Clinton’s time on the front lines of the “storms of national politics” that have raged in recent years, as the secretary of state wrote about the dangers of extremism and the campaign against women’s rights. But the book also finds Clinton reflecting on her personal life, from her upcoming 50th wedding anniversary to her new role as a grandmother. As the publisher’s notes note, “She takes us with her as she returns to the classroom as a professor, revels in the connections within the exclusive club of former first ladies, transcends her dream of becoming president, and dives into a new activism for women and democracy.”
Of course, there have been some public setbacks in her personal life and career, and the former first lady wrote in the introduction about being inspired by Joni Mitchell, and the music legend’s performance at the 2024 Grammy Awards. “She was taking it like a queen,” Clinton wrote of Mitchell’s moving performance of “Both Sides Now,” adding that she was watching it from home “with rapt attention.”
The song held meaning for Clinton, who wrote that she had been a Mitchell fan since the 1960s (the Clintons even named their daughter Chelsea after the lyrics to Mitchell's song “Chelsea Morning”). “Some days I felt like looking at life from both sides now gave me tremendous clarity — about right and wrong, about what it takes to make progress. Other days, I felt confused,” Clinton wrote.
“I’ve had a lot of ups and downs, both personally and professionally,” Clinton adds. “There were times when I felt like I was on top of the world, and there were times when I felt like I was in a deep, dark hole. After all these years, I look at life and love from both sides.”
From Simon & Schuster, the 336-page hardcover is Clinton's second official memoir, following 2003's Living History, which chronicled her time in the White House with her husband, Bill Clinton. You can also listen to the audiobook for free with a free trial on Audible here.
Audiobook version
Something Lost, Something Gained: Reflections on Life, Love, and Freedom
The audiobook, told by Clinton herself, runs 13 hours and 25 minutes. The new book is also available for download on Kindle.
The former secretary of state has written or co-authored a number of other books in recent years including “What Happened,” which detailed her unsuccessful 2016 presidential campaign, and the bestseller, “It Takes a Village,” which was first published in 1996.
