I so badly wanted to like this book. Full disclosure, I am a strong liberal and I am very well-read on foreign policy and have read a large number of U.S. policy-maker memoirs. I respect Hillary a great deal and think she has had unparalleled experience, particularly in foreign policy, and was excited to see what she had to say. Unfortunately, I struggled through this. I read the first 300 pages very closely and then skimmed the last half. The whole book was written as if it was purely political rhetoric--unsurprising, I suppose, from someone who expected this book to be dissected on every page if she ran for President... but I can't help but think back to Obama's book shortly before he ran, and I did not feel this same way. The book is purely devoid of emotion; the closest it got to heartfelt genuine feeling was in discussing Richard Holbrooke's death, but even that felt guarded. It is full of cliches, fact-of statements, and few insights into decision-making, at least very very few that sound genuine at all.

Example: "It won't be easy to do that [make tough changes at home] in our current political atmosphere. But to quote from one of my favorite moves, A League of Their Own: 'It's supposed to be hard... The hard is what makes it great." Doing what's hard will continue to make our country great."

Cheesy, trite, and meaningless. This was an immense disappointment and I expected much more. I also did not think it was particularly well-written. Hillary exemplifies her diplomatic prowess, I suppose, but, as I read in another review online, proved that she has not mastered how to write a memoir. She somehow managed to take the topic I find most interesting and make it pedantic and dull.

This is the driest, most boring piece of non-fiction that I have ever read. If history is repeating itself and Hillary uses this book to spring into a presidential run, I'm unimpressed. All she did in this book was use smoke and mirrors to appear ready and able to run the country....again, not impressed.

I am halfway through, and I just can't make myself finish. This is not normal for me. I am an avid reader, and I read a wide variety. While I am a conservative, thus not in agreement with much of Mrs. Clinton's ideologies, I do read - and finish - numerous works by liberal authors, fiction and non-fiction. Not finishing a book is almost unheard of for me.

The content is hard to connect with, and rather dry and unengaging. It also has a decidedly pompous tone that is difficult to get around in an honest attempt to really dig deep for that elusive connection. I truly do not say that as a conservative vs liberal thing, as I've been bored or put-off by more conservative authors, as well.