Bill Clinton

A compelling portrait of a complex president who defined an era

Bill Clinton: a president of contradictions. A Rhodes Scholar and Yale Law School graduate from rural Arkansas. A talented politician who inspired intense enmity. The first Democrat since FDR to win two successive presidential elections, yet also the first president since Andrew Johnson to be impeached.

In this incisive biography, Michael Tomasky examines Clinton's eight years in office—a time often described as one of peace and prosperity, but in reality a time of upheaval. The culture wars intensified amid the rise of the Internet and online journalism. Military actions in Somalia, Iraq, Bosnia, and Kosovo; standoffs at Waco and Ruby Ridge; domestic terrorism in Oklahoma City; and the rise of al-Qaeda all marked his tenure. When Republicans took control of Congress, a land deal gone bad turned into a constitutional crisis, with a sitting president's sexual activities becoming the focus of public debate.

Tomasky's clear-eyed assessment offers a new perspective on what happened, what it meant, and what aspects continue to define American politics to this day. In many ways, we are still living in the Age of Clinton.