What Happened

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.

19 of 25 people found this review helpful

Dissapointed supporter

Lifelong democrat and voted for Hillary.

She wants to be the most powerful person in the world yet cries sexism, misogamy, racism when others fight for it and she doesn't get it.

Just can't take chapter after chapter of complaints, excuses, and I don't buy her victimhood.

242 of 330 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.

186 of 255 people found this review helpful

"Capitalizing on My Failure"

After long unbearable hours of listening to Hillary Clinton talk about what she believed happened before, during, and after the election, I have finally finished the book. I give this book 1 out of 5 stars for several reasons.

First, Hillary claims to not have had a whiff of entitlement during the campaign, but from what I observed, that is pretty far from the truth.

Second, while she says that she takes responsibility for her loss, she spends the entire book blaming everyone from Russians to Comey to Sanders to even Obama, not to mention Republicans in general.

Third, she adds a lot of irrelevant information about her life that had nothing to do with "What Happened," which made the book seem so much longer and aided in identifying her narcissism.

Fourth, she repeatedly mentions that the majority of Americans supported her, but that isnt true. There are over 200 million voting age Americans. There are over 153 million registered voters in America. And she only got a little over 60 million to vote for her. Of the people that did vote, she didnt even break 50% of those.

Fifth, she completely disregards 3rd party candidates except for when they nice things about her. She completely manipulates their words to make her look good. And she thinks that 3rd party voters, had they not voted for Trump, would have voted for her, which is far from the truth.

Hillary Clinton had the opportunity to redeem herself, admit her faults in a convincing way, and accept some actual responsibility. She didn't, and that makes all the more satisfied in not having voted for her.

196 of 270 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.

186 of 257 people found this review helpful

Painful

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

169 of 236 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.

144 of 201 people found this review helpful

We will persist

Thank you for writing this. I cried, smiled, laughed, dreamed of what almost was, cried more, and commit to going on to persist. We are always with her. Thank you for all of your "firsts". I didnt know about many of them.

21 of 29 people found this review helpful

Self-help memoir

This book is brutal. I was expecting explanations of how she should have ran a better campaign or how it could have been done better. Nope. Its endless talking about how she was coping with the loss of the election, how her and Bill watched CSI and some other TV shows, with some clever favorite character commentaries.

Then explains what was said to people we saw her talk to during the inauguration, how she ended up taking a photo with trump, etc... It's dullsville,

131 of 184 people found this review helpful

Hillary fails Voight-Kampff test

"Humans, I am one of you, dramatic pause, I consume your entertainment media, dramatic pause, you can trust me white female humans." One of the most painful, egotistical attempts at self promotion I have ever heard, read with the enthusiasm of Siri's less emotional older, meaner sister.

121 of 170 people found this review helpful