Living History
Encyclopedia
Living History is the autobiography
of Secretary of State
, former United States Senator from New York
, and former First Lady Hillary Rodham Clinton
, published in 2003.
In December 2000, Simon & Schuster
agreed to pay Clinton a reported $8 million advance for what became Living History — a near-record figure to an author for an advance at that time. Critics charged that the book deal, coming soon after her election to the U.S. Senate, but before being sworn into office, was not in adherence to the ethical standards required for members of the U.S. Senate. However, in February 2001, the Senate Ethics Committee gave Clinton approval for the deal.
Clinton reportedly used three ghostwriters for Living History, veteran ghostwriter Maryanne Vollers
, speechwriter Alison Muscatine, and researcher Ruby Shamir. Clinton's acknowledgment section stated: "This book may not have taken a village to write, but it certainly took a superb team ... The smartest decision I made was to ask Lissa Muscatine, Maryanne Vollers and Ruby Shamir to spend two years of their lives working with me. Lissa [was] responsible for many of the words in my speeches as First Lady and in this book ... Maryanne [has] the rare gift of understanding how to help another's voice emerge ... Ruby [had the job of] amassing, reviewing and synthesizing millions of words written about me."
However, the three women did not receive co-writing credit on the book's cover. This is not unusual for political autobiographies, but in the same period some other political figures have given co-writing credit, as for example fellow Senator John Edwards
gave to writer John Auchard
on his book Four Trials and fellow Senator John McCain
gave to administrative assistant Mark Salter
on his books Faith of My Fathers
, Worth the Fighting For
, Why Courage Matters, and Character Is Destiny.
Reviews of Living History were mixed, with a typical evaluation commending the chapters describing her early life, decrying the overly lengthy later treatments of relatively mundane events as First Lady, and criticizing the lack of candor in the sections covering controversial episodes, including those surrounding her husband and the Lewinsky scandal
.
The book sold more than one million copies in the first month following publication; its sales during its first week of availability set a record for a non-fiction book. The success of the book surprised many in the publishing industry, who thought Simon & Schuster had overpaid for the work. It also surprised pundits who had doubted her selling power, including CNN
's Tucker Carlson
, who had said, "If they sell a million copies of this book, I'll eat my shoes and my tie. I will." (Once past the million mark, Clinton appeared on Carlson's show to present him with a shoe-shaped chocolate cake
.) Clinton's energetic promotion of the book, which included signing an estimated 20,000 copies (causing her to require ice and wrist support treatments), was credited for part of the success. By 2007, she had earned over $10 million from the book.
Clinton's audio recording of Living History earned her a Grammy
nomination in the Best Spoken Word Album
category in 2003.
A paperback edition was released in April 2004 with an additional short afterword in which Clinton described her experiences in doing book signing events.
Memoir
A memoir , is a literary genre, forming a subclass of autobiography – although the terms 'memoir' and 'autobiography' are almost interchangeable. Memoir is autobiographical writing, but not all autobiographical writing follows the criteria for memoir set out below...
of Secretary of State
United States Secretary of State
The United States Secretary of State is the head of the United States Department of State, concerned with foreign affairs. The Secretary is a member of the Cabinet and the highest-ranking cabinet secretary both in line of succession and order of precedence...
, former United States Senator from New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
, and former First Lady Hillary Rodham Clinton
Hillary Rodham Clinton
Hillary Diane Rodham Clinton is the 67th United States Secretary of State, serving in the administration of President Barack Obama. She was a United States Senator for New York from 2001 to 2009. As the wife of the 42nd President of the United States, Bill Clinton, she was the First Lady of the...
, published in 2003.
In December 2000, Simon & Schuster
Simon & Schuster
Simon & Schuster, Inc., a division of CBS Corporation, is a publisher founded in New York City in 1924 by Richard L. Simon and M. Lincoln Schuster. It is one of the four largest English-language publishers, alongside Random House, Penguin and HarperCollins...
agreed to pay Clinton a reported $8 million advance for what became Living History — a near-record figure to an author for an advance at that time. Critics charged that the book deal, coming soon after her election to the U.S. Senate, but before being sworn into office, was not in adherence to the ethical standards required for members of the U.S. Senate. However, in February 2001, the Senate Ethics Committee gave Clinton approval for the deal.
Clinton reportedly used three ghostwriters for Living History, veteran ghostwriter Maryanne Vollers
Maryanne Vollers
Maryanne Vollers is an author, journalist and well known ghostwriter. Her first book, Ghosts of Mississippi, was a finalist in non-fiction for the 1995 National Book Award. She has been the "journalistic facilitator" of two prominent books for famous people including Hillary Clinton and Jerri...
, speechwriter Alison Muscatine, and researcher Ruby Shamir. Clinton's acknowledgment section stated: "This book may not have taken a village to write, but it certainly took a superb team ... The smartest decision I made was to ask Lissa Muscatine, Maryanne Vollers and Ruby Shamir to spend two years of their lives working with me. Lissa [was] responsible for many of the words in my speeches as First Lady and in this book ... Maryanne [has] the rare gift of understanding how to help another's voice emerge ... Ruby [had the job of] amassing, reviewing and synthesizing millions of words written about me."
However, the three women did not receive co-writing credit on the book's cover. This is not unusual for political autobiographies, but in the same period some other political figures have given co-writing credit, as for example fellow Senator John Edwards
John Edwards
Johnny Reid "John" Edwards is an American politician, who served as a U.S. Senator from North Carolina. He was the Democratic nominee for Vice President in 2004, and was a candidate for the Democratic presidential nomination in 2004 and 2008.He defeated incumbent Republican Lauch Faircloth in...
gave to writer John Auchard
John Auchard
- Publications :* Four Trials * The Portable Henry James. New Edition * Graham Greene, Monsignor Quixote...
on his book Four Trials and fellow Senator John McCain
John McCain
John Sidney McCain III is the senior United States Senator from Arizona. He was the Republican nominee for president in the 2008 United States election....
gave to administrative assistant Mark Salter
Mark Salter
Mark Salter is an American speechwriter from Davenport, Iowa, known for his collaborations with United States Senator John McCain on several nonfiction books as well as on political speeches....
on his books Faith of My Fathers
Faith of My Fathers
-See also:* Early life and military career of John McCain* Character Is Destiny* My Dad, John McCain...
, Worth the Fighting For
Worth the Fighting For
Worth the Fighting For is a 2002 book by United States Senator John McCain with Mark Salter. Published by Random House, it is part autobiography, part mini-biographies of others....
, Why Courage Matters, and Character Is Destiny.
Reviews of Living History were mixed, with a typical evaluation commending the chapters describing her early life, decrying the overly lengthy later treatments of relatively mundane events as First Lady, and criticizing the lack of candor in the sections covering controversial episodes, including those surrounding her husband and the Lewinsky scandal
Lewinsky scandal
The Lewinsky scandal was a political sex scandal emerging in 1998 from a sexual relationship between United States President Bill Clinton and a 25-year-old White House intern, Monica Lewinsky. The news of this extra-marital affair and the resulting investigation eventually led to the impeachment of...
.
The book sold more than one million copies in the first month following publication; its sales during its first week of availability set a record for a non-fiction book. The success of the book surprised many in the publishing industry, who thought Simon & Schuster had overpaid for the work. It also surprised pundits who had doubted her selling power, including CNN
CNN
Cable News Network is a U.S. cable news channel founded in 1980 by Ted Turner. Upon its launch, CNN was the first channel to provide 24-hour television news coverage, and the first all-news television channel in the United States...
's Tucker Carlson
Tucker Carlson
Tucker Swanson McNear Carlson is an American political news correspondent and conservative commentator for the Fox News Channel...
, who had said, "If they sell a million copies of this book, I'll eat my shoes and my tie. I will." (Once past the million mark, Clinton appeared on Carlson's show to present him with a shoe-shaped chocolate cake
Chocolate cake
Chocolate cake is a cake flavored with melted chocolate or cocoa powder.-History:Chocolate cake is made with chocolate; it can be made with other ingredients, as well. These ingredients include fudge, vanilla creme, and other sweeteners. The history of chocolate cake goes back to 1764, when Dr...
.) Clinton's energetic promotion of the book, which included signing an estimated 20,000 copies (causing her to require ice and wrist support treatments), was credited for part of the success. By 2007, she had earned over $10 million from the book.
Clinton's audio recording of Living History earned her a Grammy
Grammy Award
A Grammy Award — or Grammy — is an accolade by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences of the United States to recognize outstanding achievement in the music industry...
nomination in the Best Spoken Word Album
Grammy Award for Best Spoken Word Album
The Grammy Award for Best Spoken Word Album has been awarded since 1959. The award had several minor name changes:*In 1959 the award was known as Best Performance, Documentary or Spoken Word...
category in 2003.
A paperback edition was released in April 2004 with an additional short afterword in which Clinton described her experiences in doing book signing events.