Citizen: My Life After the White House – Clinton Bill (2024)

Bill Clinton’s candid and richly detailed memoir explores life after the presidency, including its triumphs and tribulations. On 20 January 2001, after nearly thirty years in politics, including eight years as President of the United States, Clinton became a private citizen at the age of fifty-four. Full of energy and ideas, he wanted to make meaningful use of his skills, relationships with world leaders and the lessons of a lifetime in politics. Just days after leaving the White House, he was called to help victims of a devastating earthquake in India, beginning two decades of public service and advocacy work spanning Indonesia, Louisiana, Northern Ireland and South Africa. In the process, he built an enduring legacy, reimagined philanthropy and redefined the impact a former president could have on the world. Clinton offers a first-person account of his post-presidential years and major events of the twenty-first century, including 9/11, the run-up to the Iraq War, the Haiti earthquake, the Great Recession, COVID-19, the 6 January insurrection and the continuing culture wars. The memoir also portrays him as a father, grandfather and husband, describing his support for Hillary Clinton during her time as senator, secretary of state and presidential candidate, as well as the frustration and pain of the 2016 election. Clinton reflects on the challenges posed by the global pandemic, persistent inequality, a steadily warming planet and authoritarian forces seeking to weaken democracy. He considers American democracy on the global stage and combines reflections on the past with an embrace of the future, presenting a portrait shaped by eloquence, insight and candor.