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What Happened

By: Hillary Rodham Clinton
Narrated by: Hillary Rodham Clinton
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Publisher's Summary

2018 Audie Award Finalist for Autobiography/Memoir and Excellence in Marketing

"In the past, for reasons I try to explain, I've often felt I had to be careful in public, like I was up on a wire without a net. Now I'm letting my guard down." (Hillary Rodham Clinton, from the introduction of What Happened

For the first time, Hillary Rodham Clinton reveals what she was thinking and feeling during one of the most controversial and unpredictable presidential elections in history. Now free from the constraints of running, Hillary takes you inside the intense personal experience of becoming the first woman nominated for president by a major party in an election marked by rage, sexism, exhilarating highs and infuriating lows, stranger-than-fiction twists, Russian interference, and an opponent who broke all the rules. This is her most personal memoir yet. 

In this audiobook she describes what it was like to run against Donald Trump, the mistakes she made, how she has coped with a shocking and devastating loss, and how she found the strength to pick herself back up afterward. With humor and candor, she tells listeners what it took to get back on her feet - the rituals, relationships, and reading that got her through and what the experience has taught her about life. She speaks about the challenges of being a strong woman in the public eye, the criticism over her voice, age, and appearance, and the double standard confronting women in politics. 

She lays out how the 2016 election was marked by an unprecedented assault on our democracy by a foreign adversary. By analyzing the evidence and connecting the dots, Hillary shows just how dangerous the forces are that shaped the outcome and why Americans need to understand them to protect our values and our democracy in the future. 

The election of 2016 was unprecedented and historic. What Happened is the story of that campaign and its aftermath - both a deeply intimate account and a cautionary tale for the nation. 

©2017 Hillary Rodham Clinton (P)2017 Simon & Schuster

What listeners say about What Happened

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Unexpectedly Emotional

This book took me by surprise. I was not quite ready for the impact it would have on me. What a thoughtful, pragmatic, powerful, compassionate woman. Someone I shamefully misjudged. Cannot recommend this book enough.

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5 people found this helpful

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Bittersweet and Truthful

Hillary lost, but she's gotten over it.

Instead of using her time to throw witty remarks and spread hate (like some people consider this book is), she spent her time elaborating the controllable Strengths and Weaknesses of her campaign, including the mistakes she made, while detailing the uncontrollable Opportunities and Threats she faced - including those God-darn emails!

But, despite being laden with all these facts, she manages to keep sprinkles of hope trailing the journey this book undertakes. It could easily be summed up by three quotes:

"You try, you fail, you try, you fail... but the only true failure is when you stop trying." - Madame Leota, The Haunted Mansion

&

"A ship is always safe at shore, but that is not what it is built for." - Albert Einstein

&

"Keep going." - Hillary Rodham Clinton

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Important and great listening

Any additional comments?

This book is important because it is a substantial reflection not only of the 2016 electoral campaign, but also because it details the life of a dedicated and much knowledgeable public servant.
In this audible, Hilary Clinton shows intelligence, deep insight of the 'political', articulation, openness and honesty. She gives a candid evaluation of her performance as a candidate confronting an angry and at times hostile electorate and a cunning opponent tapping and stirring those negative emotions rather then present solid and thoughtful political alternatives.
I could not put down the book (or turn off my audible). It is well written, full of insightful anecdotes and deep understanding of the socio-political task. I ended up with a renewed respect for Hilary Clinton. I empathize with her grief and salute her courage. Most of all, I receive her call for a renewed sense of duty in the face of a challenging future with ignorant and self-serving leaders. I also congratulate her willingness to move forward and continue the fight for justice, equality and strong leadership.
She is the narrator and frankly this is an advantage because in reading her words she was able to give the right tone everywhere necessary which made listening a real pleasure.
Overall, I consider that Hilary Clinton has given us her true self in pages that will be used for future reference.

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It's everybody else's fault

Some decent moments, including the stories about Mrs Clinton and her staff on the campaign trail. However most of the book is Mrs Clinton placing her own mistakes on "Russians" and other politicians. Sometimes enjoyable, mostly discouraging.

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What Happened?

The title should have come with a question mark. It's clear Hillary still doesn't see how it happened.
But her book does an excellent job of explaining how she lost. Although it's still not clear how Trump won.
Her flat narration is part of the reason. She sounded like she was speaking to a microphone rather than through it to an audience.
She threw out hundreds of reminders that she is a female.
She almost lost the white college educated womens vote because a large share of this cohort don't rely on the woman card and resent those that do. It undermines their legitimacy that some of their peers pull of the woman card.
But Hillary can't be faulted for her honesty. When she says she can't fathom how a college aged man in the late sixties would prefer he toot h place of woman, lest he get drafted. I believe her. When she says here Brooklyn office was decorated with a sign "wonks for the win". I believe her. As though swing voters are interested in parsing policy detail. Almost autistic interpretation of human motivation.
She really thought laying down good policies is the path to election victory. Weird.
It's a popularity contest.
She lost to Trump.
She took his ties with Russia as a headwind. Bill would have handled that like the tailwind it was.
But at the time, during the campaign, she was ahead on virtually every single poll. Her advisors were banking cheques saying she didn't need to change anything and her approach (ex 2008 and the first Arkansas gubernatorial where she forgot she was in the south and needed to change her last name) had worked.
...
One final note that wasn't in the book, the experience of the middle of the road TV audience. Nightly they saw TV panel hosts tear into Trump for some gaffe. Laughing at him. Pointing out how this gaffe reminded them of an earlier gaffe. And then they produced some time for their sponsors, the ads. These ads were disproportionality HRC ads. Trump telecast only a tiny number of ads. For all the world it looked like the sponsor of the show had infiltrated the editorial.
Her ads were undermining her campaign. She saw how sharp the ads looked, but didn't consider the context they would be shown in.
...
Conditions and changed and HRC wasn't aware.
She didn't have the staff, the incentive (she was far ahead in the polls) or the natural ability (anyone that is surprised in then1970's the Arkansas isn't ready for a wife not taking her husbands name is not terrific at empathy of those not like her).
Post-Mortems on yourself are extremely hard, empathy for people unlike yourself is also vexing.
This book communicated clearly that Hillary Rodham Clinton was a terrible campaigner, perhaps the worst ever. But a marvellous candidate.
...
To attempt a post mortem after the great personal humiliation ever is courageous. The boom shows how excruciatingly hard such a task is.
And yet look at the prior world record humiliation, Richard Nixon and how he could explain his downfall in his "never be petty" speech. Post mortems are hard. But some can do them.

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A story that needed to told

I didn't enjoy this book - such an incredible story. But, a story that had to told & I am pleased I listened.
A remarkable woman.

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Fantastic

I really enjoyed this audio book. Clinton does a fantastic job reading. Most interesting, was to hear how the media covered the election, and the influence they had in deciding what they chose to report or not, and the construction of Clinton's persona. Highly recommend.

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  • 20-09-2017

3 of 4 musings prove true @Sept 2017

Shivers listening to the final chapter as HRC contrasts Trump's failure to govern against the bigger picture. Imagining 4 different serious disasters- each a test for a strong leader - and as I listened, having just seen Trump's taunts at the UN, wonder how much HRC could see into the future, as 3 of her examples have happened

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One of the books I’ve read

Her story is compelling, her evidence is irrefutable and her moment was taken. I cried and laughed- Kia kaha HRC you are a true TrailBlaizer

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It's everyone's fault but mine!

Hillary at the beginning of the book keeps talking about how she'll list her mistakes during the campaign, but that didn't happen. No mention of the mechanics of the campaign like in 'Shattered' only talking about herself, how "qualified" she was and how her loss was the fault of everyone else.

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