This work is subtitled: "Inside the complex marriage of Bill and Hillary Clinton." If
you are looking to read details about Bill and Hillary Clinton''s
relationship in terms of their marriage or their politics, don''t bother with Jerry Oppenheimer. On the other hand, if you want the in-depth background on Hillary''s ancestors, this is the book to consult. Related are details ad infinitum, from that of the experiences of her English immigrant great-grandparents to her relationship with her mother, to her mother''s relationship with her mother, to her Jewish connection, to anything that might have been remembered or remarked about regarding close and distant relatives. Those details invariably either start with a negative, as in common, unmotivated, not-very-intelligent; or they take a downward spiral from great potential to lackluster performance on the part of those who did venture away from beer and a commoner''s job to try for the brass ring.
Hillary Rodham Clinton seemingly was affected by every one of these "failures," and is herself doomed by her own Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde personality. This tome was published in 2000, just prior to Hillary''s successful bid for Senator from New York. According to Oppenheimer, she had about as much chance of winning that race as a snowball on a hot stove because she had alienated one voting block after another – the Jews, the Hispanics, the good old boys, and various others, whom she had blunderingly and foolishly crossed during her election campaign.
To his credit, Oppenheimer did relate some of the praise lavished on her at various points in her life. He reports the fact that her father treated her as a princess, that she gained leadership positions in any situation that mattered to her, that she "cared" about a number of issues including education and children. But he was vitriolic in denouncing her appearance and took every opportunity to give this particular criticism full rein. He also gave almost gleeful coverage to any outbreak of temper she engaged in,
particularly the assault on Paul Fray for Bill Clinton''s defeat when he ran for his second term as governor of Arkansas in 1980.
Oppenheimer did not dwell on, in fact did not report any of the details of Hillary''s involvement in Whitewater, or Travelgate. He does consider her friendship (possibly an affair) with Vince Foster as well as some speculative rumors of her being a lesbian. You might get the idea that without Bill''s defense of her in public as well as among their closest friends and relatives, Hillary might never have gained any public support. Yet, he almost praises her strength as a woman, particularly on the issue of Bill being an indubitable infidel and womanizer.
Bill, on the other hand, is reported as an outstanding individual in almost every instance. He excels in every way possible, and while not to be forgiven for getting caught in the Monica affair and lying about it, there may be valid reasons for his actions. The primary reason, Oppenheimer avers, may be Hillary -- her cold, cold heart, her ambition, her strong-willed determination to have him succeed, and her all-around bitchiness and obnoxious treatment of people in general. To be fair, he includes several anecdotes about her thoughtfulness and treatment of individuals who are suffering personal loss or tragedy. But as a reader, you almost think he doesn''t believe those stories himself.
Anyway, the upshot is, you will learn nothing particularly new about the Clinton marriage except that it was, it is, and it always will be. For that reason alone, he invites the reader to join the ranks of those who find Hillary a complete enigma. No amount of analysis or explanation will discern why she does the things she does or why she is the way she is goal driven and has an agenda that only she (and maybe Bill) completely understands.