On the Road with Hillary: A Behind-The-Scenes Look at the Journey from Arkansas to the U.S. Senate

Patrick S. Halley's book On the Road with Hillary is a terrific, rollicking, fun read. For Hillary fans, political junkies, or just folks who want to know what really goes on behind the scenes, this is a great book.I'm not a political junkie but I learned a lot from this book and enjoyed it...Halley is a great story teller, and he tells a story as if you were in his favorite pub in Boston, with him regaling you with tales of a trip just completed, laughing over a glass of his favorite potion, Guinness stout.Halley is one of the pople that set up appearances for political figures. He prepares successful appearances for Hillary all over the country, from isolated rural college campuses to big city parades and fund raisers. He visits umpteen countries, suffering the hardships of dining in Paris and visiting the poorest places in the world, including Mother Teresa's orphanage in Calcutta. Through it all he never loses the pinch me sense of wonder of a working class kid who makes it good on his native talents but still can't believe his good fortune. One of the best parts of the book is getting to look at Mrs. Clinton as a real human being. Halley is an unabashed Hillary lover, and he is right up front about that. The thing I liked though is the book does show her as a real flesh and blood human being, and not the one dimensional figure we get through the media at times.Halley has a real talent for finding trouble and then getting out of it, usually in a daring and funny way. Some of his best stories are about how he wound up buck naked in the lobby of Tokyo's finest hotel, in a losing test of wills with an enraged yak, and in a shoving match with President Clinton while an aghast Mrs. Clinton looked on. But everyone will have a different favorite from this book.So Hillary bashers, down a quart of maalox and loosen up a bit! But for Hillary lovers, Hillary neutrals, people who like politics, or just people who like fun, this is the book for you.

Just finished this book. I found it to be a very honest account of Mrs. Clinton. A must read. I've always found it amusing that all the Clinton "haters" out there buy the books and read them!Interesting.

This book is fun to read, and presents Hillary Rodham Clinton as a real human being rather than a power-hungry monster. Patrick Halley saw Hillary Clinton at the high points and low points of the Clinton administration, and by the end of the book still finds much to admire in the former first lady. The behind-the-scenes stories from trips all over the United States and the world are humorous. Mr. Halley and Mrs. Clinton seemed to hit it off right from the start, and he presents an interesting insight into her personality and commitment to her political beliefs and various causes.

Written by Patrick S. Halley, On the Road with Hillary is a must-read for political junkies, especially ones from Massachusetts, where partisan campaigns are played with the enthusiasm of contact sports. Halley cut his teeth working for local political figures like Chet Atkins, Ted Kennedy, Scott Harshbarger, Mike Dukakis, and Paul Tsongas.However, this behind-the-scenes look at Hillary Rodham Clinton's journey from Arkansas to the U.S. Senate transcends the inside baseball of Bay State politics as the author reluctantly agrees to become Hillary's advance man in September 1992. A modern day Huck Finn, Halley spends then next 10 years setting up trips in 25 states and 36 countries for one of the most admired and hated women in the world.On his journey with the Arkansas-Governor's-wife-turned-first-lady-turned-senator, Halley learns two things. First, he discovers to his surprise that Hillary isn't a prima donna, a militant feminist, or a political opportunist. "She's one of us." Second, after agreeing to go to New York for just a couple of days to do only one trip with Hillary, he learns something about himself. "That one short trip proved to be enough to get me to quit my job, sell my house, and run away to join the circus."This circus includes everything from keeping Hillary from bumping into Fidel Castro when both are booked into the same hotel in Switzerland, to getting into a shoving match with then President Bill Clinton during the New York State Democratic Convention in 2000. Along the way Halley sees a sunrise on the Sahara and winds up nude in a Japanese hotel lobby.In the spirit of total disclosure, I've known Pat for more than 20 years. I was editor of The Concord Journal and the political columnist for a chain of weekly newspapers back in 1978 when he became the executive director of the state Democratic Party - at the age of 24. He is an unforgettable character, but I never thought of him as a writer. However, after reading his first book, I've discovered that he is a gifted storyteller who has 29 remarkable stories to tell. ...But, don't blame me if this one short sample proves to be enough to get you to break a date, skip a meal, and pony up to read the next 28 chapters of this "ten-year roller-coaster ride through the American political landscape."

I had so much fun reading On the Road with Hillary. It's the best backstage look at politics I have ever read, filled with hilarious stories, and fascinating portraits of world leaders. Hillary comes across as a human being in a way she never has to me before. I was also very moved by the story about the Clintons and Nelson Mandela at the prison where he spent so many years. Halley sounds like a great guy, someone you'd like to have a beer with. This book is full of life and full of laughs!