Heard Any Good Books Lately?

I’ve never been a fan of audio books. There’s something about the feel of a real book that appeals to me. I like being able to pace myself, reading faster if the plot intensifies or slower if I am reflecting upon a thought. Reading has always felt like an active pursuit; listening to a book is just too passive. I’ve probably only listened to only a few books in my entire life, usually when traveling.

An elderly friend of mine who suffered from macular degeneration started listening to books when her eyesight began to fail her and did so right up to her death a few years ago. "Gee" was one of the most well-read people I knew. Her daughter, Ann, kept her supplied with her favorite authors and the most recent bestsellers with orders placed through the state public library. Gee would sit in a rocking chair on the front porch of her white frame two-story home listening to books and crocheting.

I enjoyed talking to Gee about books and politics. She had the kind of insight and wisdom that came from a lifetime of experiences. I thought about her this week when Bill Clinton’s My Life was released. Gee always said she would have had time to write her own memoir if she hadn’t stayed so busy following President Clinton’s exploits during his two terms in office. While I would rather have read Gee’s memoir, I decided to listen to Clinton’s for Gee.

I was driving through Nashville and stopped at the Barne's and Noble to buy the CD version of My Life. I knew I'd never find the time to get through this 957 pager. I asked the manager at the Barne's and Noble how sales were going. She said simply, “As expected” and would devulge no more. A politically correct answer for a political memoir, I suppose.

As I left Nashville for Memphis, I put the first of six CDs in the player and settled in for the six and ½ hour tale. (The audio version is abridged. President Clinton reads it.) It was a little like picking up a long winded hitchhiker with a pretty good vocabulary and a little bit of paranoia. I had seen some of the clips of interviews from “60 Minutes,” “Larry King Live,” “Oprah” and “The Today Show” which spoiled a few of the revelations.

By the time I got to Little Rock I had relived the Clinton years and could join the ranks of dedicated “readers” who made his memoir the best selling of all time. I was a little disappointed. Much of the book simply recounted the major events of his life and presidency that I had either already known or had followed during his terms of office. I don’t believe the lack of substantive detail can be blamed on the abridgement either, since reviewers of the print edition were left wanting as well. (I must admit, I did enjoy hearing that Clinton was an overweight band geek as a kid.) I would like to have heard more reflection upon the events rather than a retelling of them.

Have you read (or heard) President Clinton's memoir? If so, post a comment.