Living History - by Hillary Rodham Clinton

I was in two minds when I saw Hillary Rodham Clinton's "Living History" on the library shelf. Politics is not one of my favorite subjects. Plus, such books, more often than not, present a lop-sided view of the events. So I was a bit reluctant to commit my time to reading it. Finally, I decided that I will read a few pages and return it if I don't find it interesting enough.

I must confess that though I found the first few pages interesting enough, I was hopelessly lost by the time Hillary started describing the health care reform initiatives. It felt as if all the related chapters were written only for American people. I didn't want to know about the various committees and organizations involved but it was impossible to understand the successive pages without a basic familiarity with things. I seriously thought about returning the book.

Then I stole a glance at the pages ahead. They appeared worth reading and so I decided to run through the chapters covering the Clintons' failed attempt at improving the health care facilities. Almost halfway through the book now, I am glad I did that.

A couple of things surprised me though. Hillary mentions how there was quite an uproar in the country because she kept her maiden name of 'Rodham' after marriage. This would have been an expected reaction in India a couple of years ago though now-a-days married Indian women prefer to keep their maiden names. Of course, she is talking about the 70s. But somehow I had assumed that things would have been different even then in the US.

Then there is reference to how people were surprised that she could hold on her own despite being a woman - the Talking Dog Syndrome. She mentions a quote by Samuel Johnson that is both, amusing and very much annoying:

Sir, a woman's preaching is like a dog's walking on his hinder legs. It is not done well; but you are surprized to find it done at all.

I could only roll my eyes at this :-)

So far, my favorite has been the quote by Eleanor Roosevelt:

A woman is like a tea bag; you never know how strong it is until it's in hot water.