For most first ladies, their years in the White House are their sole claim to fame. For one--Hillary Rodham Clinton--that tenure was just another step in a remarkable political career. Neither a hit job nor a facile tribute, Gil Troy's lively and refreshingly nonsensational new book provides a revealing look at arguably the most polarizing first lady in history and undoubtedly the most prominent American women of our time. Troy, named by History News Network as one of America's Top 15 Young Historians, measures Clinton's historical footprint, tracing her activities during the turbulent decade that brought her to national prominence and examining her influence as a key player in her husband's administration. Covering her attempts to overhaul health care and redefine the first lady as co-president while she tried to cope with her husband's scandals and impeachment, he recounts how Hillary's rocky road had a mixed impact on the office, even as her ambitions illuminated the role's potential. As the first feminist first lady, Hillary Clinton faced dilemmas typical of modern American women as she tried to be both a family-oriented, devoted wife and a career-focused, independent woman. Troy shows how she did her best to navigate this divide and breaks new ground in taking her seriously as a thinker. Delving into Hillary's speeches and writings, he uncovers a surprisingly more moderate, even conservative worldview. In fact, he finds some of her positions--such as her outspoken views on abortion--to be authentic expressions of a genuine Puritan/Methodist centrism rather than a mere political poly. Offering a mix of praise and censure that elevates to more sophisticated level debates about hercontroversial career and presidential aspirations, Troy's book will enlighten and intrigue Hillary's passionate critics and staunch defenders alike. It will renew discussions of where she stand in the continuum of modern first ladies--and of where history will ultimately take her. Many of the book's key themes are effectively underscored by an entertainingly narrated photo essay, with provocative images drawn from the Clinton Presidential Library.

"Troy's careful but unenlightening account comes as the sixth in a Modern First Ladies series and, as such, aims to measure Hillary Clinton's 'historical footprint' as a president's wife. But Troy, a history professor (Mr. and Mrs. President), retreads a well-known arc of the nine years beginning with the start of the Clinton presidential campaign in 1992 and concluding with their handover to the Bushes in 2001. From Bill Clinton's 'two for one' 1992 campaign slogan indicating their 'unique partnership,' to the health care debate, Whitewater and the Monica Lewinsky scandal of 1998 — 1999, Troy analyzes the career of the 'feminist first lady.' (He does not consider her five years in office as senator from New York). His conclusion: the office of the first lady is a throwback, and 'women who want real power... need to learn the democratic lesson that Hillary Clinton ultimately learned: better to earn power via election than assume it via marriage.' Given Troy's emphasis on Bill Clinton's extramarital affairs, his decision not to interview any of the key players and his reliance on previously published books and articles, the reader never gets a sense of Hillary beyond what's already very familiar. 24 photos not seen by PW." Publishers Weekly (Copyright Reed Business Information, Inc.)

In this lively and refreshingly non sensational new book. Gil Troy provides a revealing look at arguably the most polarizing first lady in history and undoubtedly the most prominent American women of the time--Hillary Rodham Clinton.In this lively and refreshingly non sensational new book. Gil Troy provides a revealing look at arguably the most polarizing first lady in history and undoubtedly the most prominent American women of the time--Hillary Rodham Clinton.

In this lively and refreshingly non sensational new book. Gil Troy provides a revealing look at arguably the most polarizing first lady in history and undoubtedly the most prominent American women of the time--Hillary Rodham Clinton.