What Happened

Informed Voter? Think Again

I struggled to finish this book, not because it was boring or deficient in some way. I struggled because the 2016 election results are still painful, particularly with each fresh new horror coming from The White House every other day.

I thought I was informed during the 2016 election cycle, but in listening to this book it's abundantly clear that I was not. This lesson alone made listening to this book a worthy endeavor. There were large portions of her platform that I was completely unaware of, and although I was aware that the media coverage leading into the election was sensational and playing into 45's hands, I didn't sense what was missing: actual discussion of how to solve America's many problems.

Good listen. I suggest it.

4 of 4 people found this review helpful

What Happened?

I started reading the book but decided to listen on Audible for the remaining half. Enjoyed hearing Clinton’s words from her. Despite what some have said this isn’t a novel about it being “everyone else’s fault but her own.” Sec. Clinton takes a lot of the blame and shoulders much of the responsibility of how the campaign was laid out. She discusses how she campaigned and who her team members were. I like her voice in this novel because she isn’t holding back, afraid of making people angry. She tells it like she saw it. Sec. Clinton did discuss funny things like breakfast because as she states people would ask her those types of questions all the time. She wrote of her concerns about the present administration, Russia and Comey’s influence. When I listened to this and knowing what’s happening currently it served to make me more concerned with our present government. She ends the book with how to get involved and how to stay the course. Overall, great read/listen.

48 of 57 people found this review helpful

Clarity in the middle of the storm

I, like many, woke up to the news of Trump as President and was dumbfounded. I don't claim to be a devout Hillary fan, far from it, but I saw her as a qualified candidate for President, something I couldn't even consider saying about Trump. I have spent the last couple of years scratching my head at how he became President and how he continues to have support. I appreciated the way Hillary laid out the facts and her truths about what happened on the campaign trail. I have several blockers specifically for Facebook and for my general internet usage that blocked all ads, political posts, campaigns, etc.. The only news I got was from what I percieved as credible news sources and only on topics that I cared about, guess what, I never cared about Hillary's e-mails, so I managed to miss the whole scandal. It's amazing how having adequate skills at blocking garbage allowed me to live in a cave during campaigning. In many ways I'm glad I only heard what happened after the fact from Hillary herself. And thank you Hillary for running, for "coming back out of the woods", and for helping to lead the way through this mess. We continue to need strong leaders like Hillary. I hope this inspires many people. I know it has inspired me.

3 of 3 people found this review helpful

I don't really love it..........

I was filling in the rating on the book, I really don't love it,I don't love what happened and I don't love the story. But I appreciate the author actually telling the story in her voice, explaining what happened in such detail and confirming many things that I was aware of and making me all the wiser. I am embarrassed as a citizen that we have a president who is trying to lead our country and can't ! Thank you Hillary for explaining to us what happened!
Carol

2 of 2 people found this review helpful

Thank you for sharing your story

Often hard to listen to or read a long book. However, the information is so important! It is helpful to understand what happened. Like studying a history lesson, the only way not to repeat history is to understand it, and make different choices. I applaud her candor. Thank you for sharing your story.

11 of 15 people found this review helpful

Great Listen

This book is really intriguing. Though I often found myself questioning Rodham Clinton's analyses and lessons from the 2016 election, she offers a fascinating accounting of events that is equal parts enlightening and infuriating. Ultimately, I walked away from this book better informed about her, the elections, and these challenging times in which we live. For that, I'm thankful to her for writing this book.

11 of 15 people found this review helpful

Her own world.

This book has 3 parts

My great life and family

the blame game.

thank you & I will always be here to make your life hell.

I picked up this book to find out what she really thinks from her point of view. I will just say she is to deep in her own world no one will ever change her mind.

156 of 221 people found this review helpful

WOW - What's her reality?

What would have made What Happened better?

I think the truth, I believe that HRC truly believes what she wrote however you can't blame everything on FOXNews, Sen. McConnell, Jim Comey, The Founding Fathers (Writers of the Constitution), Sen Sanders, the Republican Party (writ large) and not come back to a fundamental truth. HRC was a miserable candidate and her book further underlined that basic fact.

She may very well have been the most studied and well read candidate in modern history however the plans she espoused were another chapter of a playbook that is currently driving this country into bankruptcy. It is good and right to be generous however it is lost on her that a large portion of society that she is nobly trying to help have no skin in the game and as such just take and continue to expect more. That is the fallacy of her candidacy sometimes hard work and excellence is driven by being told no and pushing yourself harder to get to yes. I am convinced she does that but the constituency she wishes to serve does not; here in lies the problem. HRC is not a bad person she just has some bad ideas that have been tried and failed.

It is also clear that she is a narcissist of the first order and when it all falls apart then she wants nothing to do with the outcome. I do not believe her hypothesis that we are not ready as country for a female president. I do believe that we as a country are not ready for HRC as president and 33 states comprising of 306 EC votes agreed.

Contrary to her comment the electoral college is essential to ensure citizens (yes citizens) of less populated states still have influence over national electoral events otherwise CA, FL, TX, MA. NY and IL would elect every president and thereby that elected official would be beholden to those narrow constituencies. Popular vote only matter Madame Secretary in the state by state contests since we are confederation of the states and the states vote to elect the President of the US as designed by the Constitution that you profess to want to support and defend as the "worlds oldest and most successful democracy". Please as a student of history make sure to remember that history is written by all involved not by just those democrats that you agree with.

This is a must read as to why although the Trump victory was one which I hated was the necessary outcome of the 2016 race.

What do you think your next listen will be?

Not certain - probably another political science book on the 2016 election

Did Hillary Rodham Clinton do a good job differentiating all the characters? How?

HRC should have left the narration to a professional at times she sounded like a pedantic professor allowing herself to teach a freshman collegiate English class and at other times like my grandmother at story time.

What reaction did this book spark in you? Anger, sadness, disappointment?

I was angry that HRC did not get why she was not elected, that she did not ultimately understand the system that repudiated her. Sadness at her patronizing tone and disappointed that she professes to support our constitutional democracy but does not want to abide by it when it does go her way.

Any additional comments?

I think this is a must read. For those that are die hard Trump people; other that wanted to feel the Bern and most like myself who prayed that someone, anyone other than Trump would stand up against Hillary.

Sadly for Hillary if another conventional candidate had run against her (Kasich, Rubio, et al) I think her defeat would have been complete and that her drubbing would have shown up in the popular vote as well; however Trump being Trump he tried actively to shoot himself in the foot multiple times and still managed to get elected because she was such a miserable candidate.

200 of 284 people found this review helpful

Not very honest

Hillary spends a long portion of this book attempting to make herself relatable, with folksy wisdom and pop culture references. Her email defense is 'everyone else was doing it' (no one else had their own server) and conveniently omits any discussion of the DNC or conflicts of interest with her foundation among other things. She makes insinuations and a few allegations, but ultimately she believes that she has all of the answers for our country's woes and that she wasn't given a chance to enact them. I see this book as her attempt to control the narrative and to make money. I ranked this low because I don't believe that there was much truth in the book and that much was omitted.

202 of 287 people found this review helpful

Painful

Great book to reaffirm why I didn't vote for Hillary. The woman is so out of touch.

178 of 253 people found this review helpful