Description: Inside the Clinton White House uses never-before-seen interviews with Bill Clinton's administration and colleagues to provide a nuanced look at politics and life during the 42nd presidency.
Review Quotes: "[A] masterful history of the White House told from the perspective of those who were there. Russell Riley has collated countless hours of elite interviewing into a vivid and eminently useful narrative history of the presidency of Bill Clinton... The frankness of the text combined with Riley's gift for narrative and structure make this book a vital contribution to the literature not only on William Jefferson Clinton, but also on presidential politics and oral history, as well" -- Journal of Politics
"This valuable text, and the good work of its editor, will benefitmultiple categories of individuals, from general readers interested in the presidency through seasoned presidential scholars."--Congress and the Presidency"[Inside the Clinton White House] contains plenty of insights...Every chapter crackles with anecdotes and serious discussions for political junkies, including Clinton partisans and Clinton detractors."--Kirkus
"The inevitable question that trails every action or reaction within a presidency is, What really happened? Here now in Russell Riley's Inside the Clinton White House is the answer -- more accurately, the answer(s) -- for Bill Clinton. They come in the stunningly candid oral history recollections of the people who were there with Clinton. The end result is not only a serious account of the working and thinking in a modern presidency. It reads like a page-turning adventure novel."--Jim Lehrer, former PBS TV anchor and novelist
"This oral history is indispensable in understanding President Clinton and his times. The interviews are wonderfully readable and splendidly evocative, page after page, and provide a window for us to understand how policy was transformed from the maelstrom of the campaign into the mechanisms of governance."--Richard M. Pious, Adolph and Effie Ochs Professor (emeritus), Barnard College and author of Why Presidents Fail
"Russell Riley has done a superb job of editing reminiscences of the tumultuous Bill Clinton presidency. Recollections of insiders about what it was like to be in the White House on learning that Vince Foster had committed suicide, that the president had engaged in sex with a young intern, and that Republicans were going to impeach him will keep readers enthralled page after page."--William E. Leuchtenburg, author, The American President: From Teddy Roosevelt to Bill Clinton
"[A] valuable volume featuring everyone from Clinton secretary Betty Currie to Secretary of State Madeleine Albright...[It] reminds us that most presidential history--scandals included--is more complicated than it seems."--Time
"Compelling...[Russell Riley] has made an essential contribution to our understanding of the Clintons and their times -- providing potent ammunition for partisans, useful evidence for scholars, and juicy historical tidbits for all."--Washington Post