Simon & Schuster

"Hillary Clinton on Writing Hard Choices" +

3:45 video from May 21, 2014.  

Hillary Clinton: I worked up in the third floor of our house in New York.  I have this cosy little study that is in what used to be the attic of the old farm house we live in, and just sort of toiled away and dragged the manuscript that I was working with me on everywhere I went, including on vacation, which actually turned out to be a godsend because I had the idea about how to begin the book by starting at the end of my 2008 campaign and talking about the very unlikely journey that led me to be asked by President-elect Obama to serve as Secretary of State and then to develop a partnership and friendship with him over the four years we worked together.

Text: Alternate Book Titles

I considered a lot of titles.  As you might guess I had a long list of unsolicited suggestions.  Some said "It Takes a World" because I had written a book back in the '90's called "It Takes a Village."  And that was certainly true in the writing of the book; I had a lot of great help.  There was also this wonderful idea that just stayed with me that I thought about very seriously: "The Scrunchie Chronicles: 112 Countries and It is Still All About My Hair."  I got a big kick out of that, because even during the four years I served as Secretary of State, I did go to 112 countries; I was on the airplane for so many days and I didn't have time to worry about my hair, and so I just let it grow and I pulled it back, and oh my goodness I got so many comments about that.

        Text: The Hardest Part

The hardest part was writing it.  The hardest part was working on it.  I had a great, great team that I could never have done it without, but ultimately I had to take responsibility for every word.  I had to be the one who decided how I wanted to describe a situation, how it fit into my overall view about where America is in the 21st century, how to connect it with people here at home.  You know why does an economic crisis in Athens, Greece affect people living in Athens, Georgia.

        Text: The Most Important Personal Events

The four years were obviously very demanding and involving, but for me personally the two most important events were my daughter's wedding in late July, July 31st of 2010.  I was trying to help you know pick flower and china and make decisions as I was flying around the world, and then my mother's death in November, November 1st of 2011.  So on a personal level, I had the heights and the depths of emotions and experiences, and for both of them I was incredibly grateful that I could be open enough and ready enough to embrace those experiences while still carrying my responsibilities.  And at the end of the day, they're the two most important events of those four years.  A lot of others come close, but nothing will ever replace the joy and the sorrow that I personally experienced.


Notes: This video preceded the book tour.