Hillary Rodham Clinton: Do All the Good You Can

by Cynthia Levinson

Overview

An inspiring and meticulously researched middle grade biography of Hillary Rodham Clinton—First Lady, senator, secretary of state, and the first female presidential nominee in United States history.

Hillary Rodham Clinton is a true leader. Growing up in Park Ridge, Illinois, Hillary was inspired by the philosophy of John Wesley, who urged his followers to "do all the good you can." Rising to prominence in 1992 as the First Lady of the United States, Hillary captured the world's attention with her bold ideas and political forcefulness.

From her time at Wellesley to her life at the White House and beyond, Hillary has been at the forefront of huge change—and despite setbacks and political scandals, she has worked for good in the world.

Acclaimed author Cynthia Levinson creates a compelling and personal portrait of Hillary's historic journey from her childhood to her service as secretary of state and beyond. Includes a timeline of Hillary Rodham Clinton's life and an eight-page photo insert.

"This extensively researched and comprehensive biography tells us more of the woman who is that public figure, from some of her inspirations (like Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and the Birmingham protests) and the impact of her religious faith on her commitment to service" (Brightly.com).

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780062387301
Publisher:	HarperCollins
Publication date:	01/05/2016
Pages:	352
Sales rank:	788,312
Product dimensions:	5.80(w) x 8.40(h) x 1.30(d)
Lexile:	970L (what's this?)
Age Range:	8 - 12 Years

About the Author

Cynthia Levinson is the award-winning author of We’ve Got a Job: The 1963 Birmingham Children’s March, which received four starred reviews and was one of Publishers Weekly’s Best Books of 2012, and Watch Out for Flying Kids!: How Two Circuses, Two Countries, and Nine Kids Confront Conflict and Build Community. Cynthia worked in education policy and divides her time between Texas and Massachusetts.

Table of Contents

Prologue 1

1 A Midwestern Girl in Mid-Century America, 1947-1965 3

2 East Coast School: Wellesley College, 1965-1969 24

3 East Coast School, Southern Boy: Yale Law School and Bill Clinton, 1969-1974 51

4 Arkansas?! 1974-1992 73

5 The Media and the Journey to the White House, 1992-1993 96

6 Calamities in the White House, 1993-1994 117

7 The White House: Hillary Abroad, 1995 143

8 The White House: Hillary at Home, 1993-2000 160

9 The White House: Disasters and Decisions, 1995-2000 176

10 Senator Hillary, 2000-2008 196

11 Hillary for President! 2007-2008 215

12 Madam Secretary, 2009-2013 242

13 The Next Ring, 2013-2015 268

Timeline 283

Author's Note 289

Acknowledgments 291

Notes 293

Bibliography 321

Index 323

Editorial Reviews

…moves at a brisk pace, with highs and lows that keep things interesting.

The New York Times Book Review - Maria Russo

10/19/2015
Chronicling the life of the notoriously impenetrable Clinton has challenged many biographers; writing a version for middle-grade readers that describes and interprets the moments that led to her becoming the First Lady, a U.S. Senator, and Secretary of State is even tougher, because so much of Clinton’s story is about her troubled marriage, thwarted ambitions, and political infighting with Republicans. Levinson (Watch Out for Flying Kids!), a classmate at Wellesley, succeeds in being even-handed while taking a mile-wide, inch-deep approach. She briefly recapitulates some of the scandals (Whitewater, Monica Lewinsky, Benghazi) that have made Clinton a polarizing figure in American politics, but the unifying theme is the presidential hopeful’s life of service: the subtitle refers to a Methodist ethos that Clinton has subscribed to her entire life, beginning with buying a first communion dress for a migrant worker’s daughter and continuing to the gauntlet she threw down in China in 1995, when she declared that “Women’s rights are human rights.” A time line, source notes, and an eight-page photo insert are included. Ages 8–12. Agent: Erin Murphy, Erin Murphy Literary Agency. (Jan.)

Publishers Weekly

A respectful, insightful, and inspiring portrait of a fiercely ambitious, remarkably successful woman who has changed the face of American politics.” — Kirkus Reviews

“Readers will…come away with a sense of what makes Hillary run, even in the face of overwhelming odds.” — Booklist

From the Publisher

11/01/2015
Gr 7 Up—This comprehensive, well-documented account of Hillary Clinton's life and public service begins with her Chicago childhood and ends with the early days of her current presidential candidacy. The book draws on many sources, especially the politician's own accounts of her life, to describe how Clinton's desire to "do all the good you can" has guided her beliefs, choices, and actions. The author is admiring of Clinton, praising her many accomplishments and framing some of Clinton's mistakes as the result of her drive to "do good" and achieve her personal and public policy goals. Levinson is critical of Clinton's vote to authorize the war in Iraq but is more understanding of some of her missteps and occasionally blames politics as the motivation for those who criticized or opposed her. Clinton's life has been covered in numerous YA biographies, and this volume offers much more detail than titles such as Michael Burgan's Hillary Clinton (Raintree, 2014). However, at least some of those details, such as lists of the reasons why Clinton's healthcare initiative failed, her improvements to the White House, and the intricacies of the Democratic presidential delegate selection process, are dry and detract from the main narrative. The level of information in this book will be helpful to report writers, but there's a little too much praise of Clinton to make this truly well-balanced. As Clinton's candidacy progresses, this title may date quickly. VERDICT A supplemental purchase.—Mary Mueller, Rolla Public Schools, MO

School Library Journal

2015-10-06
An admiring biography chronicles the life and many remarkable accomplishments of Hillary Rodham Clinton, from childhood to her campaign to become the Democratic candidate for U.S. president in 2016. The subtitle refers to a quote attributed to Methodist Church founder John Wesley that Clinton learned in Sunday school and then internalized. It is through this frame that Levinson chronicles her subject's lifelong devotion to service: working for the committee investigating the possible impeachment of President Richard Nixon, as attorney for the Children's Defense Fund, first lady of Arkansas and then of the United States, U.S. senator, secretary of state, partner in the Clinton Foundation, and two-time candidate for the Democratic presidential nomination. Levinson also offers insight into Clinton's personal life: her childhood and youth in Illinois; her immersion in activism as a student at Wellesley College and Yale University; relationships with her parents, daughter, and husband; and reliance on her religious faith to see her through the most difficult and disappointing times in life, including the Health Security Act failure, Whitewater, the Monica Lewinsky scandal, and Benghazi, even touching on the classified-email fiasco. A respectful, insightful, and inspiring portrait of a fiercely ambitious, remarkably successful woman who has changed the face of American politics. (photos, notes, bibliography) (Biography. 8-12)

Kirkus Reviews

Readers will…come away with a sense of what makes Hillary run, even in the face of overwhelming odds.

Booklist

Readers will…come away with a sense of what makes Hillary run, even in the face of overwhelming odds.

Booklist