Most of our previous American presidents have written self-serving, bloated and rather dull autobiographies, according to Vanderbilt University presidential scholar Erwin Hargrove. He cites those of Harry Truman, Dwight Eisenhower, Lyndon Johnson and Ronald Reagan as examples of not terribly exciting presidential memoirs. While some reviewers have already made similar comments about My Life, Hargrove anticipates that Clinton’s psychological analysis of his personal problems should make the book a more interesting read. Clinton has tried hard to make this a reflective biography, and the public will have to read the book carefully to determine how much he truly learned from his mistakes, Hargrove says. One aspect of Clinton’s memoir that sets it apart is that Clinton actually wrote most of his, while most former presidents have relied on ghostwriters to do much of their work.
Editor’s note: Erwin Hargrove, professor of political science, emeritus, has written extensively about presidential leadership including the book The President as Leader: Appealing to the Better Angels of Our Nature. Currently, he is working on a book about our most recent presidents. He can be reached at 615-383-8015 or by email at erwin.c.hargrove@vanderbilt.edu/
Media contact: Ann Marie Deer Owens, (615) 322-NEWS annmarie.owens@vanderbilt.edu