Bill Clinton's My Life: Purpose, Legacy, and Political Philosophy

Purpose and Intent of the Autobiography

The main purpose of Bill Clinton's 2004 autobiography, My Life, is for the author to tell his own story. Included within this primary purpose is Clinton's desire to place his stance and opinions on the record — to annul the views of his detractors and critics while bolstering the opinions of those who would laud his legacy. Clinton undoubtedly also writes his autobiography to receive accolades and to garner attention for his career and legacy. As McCrum puts it, Clinton's autobiography extends "his continuing appeal for history's mandate." Similarly, Kakutani states that the purpose of the autobiography is "not for the reader, but for himself and some distant recording angel of history." In other words, Clinton does not necessarily need to reach out personally to the reader for the autobiography to serve a political purpose.

For Clinton, the autobiography needed to be told because it was a "good story" (Prologue). He also tacitly hopes to inspire others, stating in the prologue, "I always tried…to lift people's spirits, and to bring them together." Finally, My Life carries an overarching marketing purpose: it may serve as a tool in support of the burgeoning political career of the former First Lady. The book can be used for "boosting (or at least not undermining) the political career of his wife, Hillary Rodham Clinton" (Kakutani). For the most part, My Life fulfills all of its author's purposes. By penning his autobiography, Clinton can remain more firmly in control of how historians will judge him.

Key Questions Raised and Answered

The key questions of this autobiography are how Clinton will be judged, what his legacy is, and how he will be remembered. Clinton wants to both ask and answer questions. He wants to know how people view him and how favorably history will treat him, and he also wants to answer questions about why he made certain decisions and what he intends to do with his legacy now that he is no longer president. Because Clinton is still a figure of public influence, these questions remain relevant. One ancillary question answered by the autobiography is how Clinton views the more scandalous elements of his presidency — particularly the Lewinsky affair and his controversial foreign policy measures. Clinton responds to questions related to the Lewinsky scandal by admitting his errors.

The autobiography also addresses key foreign policy questions. Clinton clarifies his stance on conflicts in the Middle East and Somalia, among other issues. Another central question is how Clinton came to be president — a question most readers will find compelling, since it is perpetually interesting to learn how individuals acquire power when they are not necessarily born into elite circumstances. Clinton was in fact born into an unlikely setting for a future president: he was an overweight child with a drunken stepfather and a broken family, nicknamed "Bubba." He went on to become a Rhodes Scholar at Oxford University, one of the most prestigious institutions in the world, and later the governor of his home state of Arkansas. Yet Clinton claims to have always harbored political aspirations and dreams of making a unique mark on the world.

Most Important Information and Themes

The most important information contained in this autobiography includes the details of Clinton's upbringing, as they lend insight into his character and leadership style. Knowing the personal background of a person in power offers clues about which variables — including personality traits — might make for a successful career. Ambition is certainly one such trait, but as Clinton shows, the acquisition of power also depends heavily on one's ability to be shrewd in interpersonal relationships and to forge strategic connections with those who can help advance one's goals. Politics, in Clinton's telling, is fundamentally about forging relationships.

In the process of sharing information about the nature of politics and political culture in America, Clinton also divulges details about his favorite foods and other personal predilections — trivial bits of information that nonetheless allow him to convey the totality of his life without reverting to self-censorship or academic formality. Instead, Clinton focuses on the important themes in his life: power, prestige, and channeling the competing forces of ego. He admits to feeling perpetually pulled in multiple directions due to the nature of the public-private divide. Other important information relates to behind-the-scenes accounts of key policy decisions and the high-stakes relationships cultivated between world leaders such as Tony Blair and Yasser Arafat. Readers will gain much from Clinton's accounts of his conversations and interactions with these leaders, as they illuminate the grounded and practical nature of international politics.

Works Cited

Clinton, Bill. My Life. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 2004.

Kakutani, Michiko. "Books of The Times; A Pastiche of a Presidency, Imitating a Life, in 957 Pages." The New York Times, 20 June 2004.

McCrum, Robert. "Still Pressing the Flesh." The Guardian, 27 June 2004.

McMurtry, Larry. "My Life: His True Love is Politics." New York Times, 23 June 2004.