Rodham by Curtis Sittenfeld was a highly anticipated read for me, and honestly I was disappointed. The idea was super intriguing- an alternate reality where Hillary didn’t marry Bill was more than hopeful. Though the idea was fresh and new, Sittenfeld’s storytelling was a flop.
I enjoyed the beginning stages of the book, while Hillary was still in law school and had just met Bill. I think at that stage, in her twenties just like me, I was able to relate to her character on a certain level (I say ‘character’ because this is Sittenfeld’s take on Hillary’s narrative). However, once she left Bill and went on to pursue her career in politics, it became harder and harder for me to get through the book.
The thing that most bothered me about Sittenfeld’s writing was the light she painted Hillary in, even in this supposedly empowering work of fiction. It is no secret that Hillary has always been attacked as a woman in politics for everything from her gender to her “shrill voice”. It has always been that much harder for her to gain respect, even from other women, due to misogyny, internalized or not. I believe that Sittenfeld did nothing to aid those stereotypes. In my opinion her writing portrayed Hillary as unlikeable and therefore perpetuated those stereotypes, even to me, a self-proclaimed intersectional feminist who would have voted for Hillary in 2016 had I been old enough (damn, January birthdays).
Additionally, it was just so hard to take this book seriously given the political climate during the time I was reading it (in January before Biden was inaugurated and after the Capitol was attacked). I won’t give anything away, but Sittenfeld’s storyline became so far-fetched that it was honestly depressing. I did finish the book but it left me feeling bummed out and annoyed.
In all, I wouldn’t recommend this book to a friend. It perpetuated harmful stereotypes of Hillary and women in politics in general, and its alternate take on reality just… wasn’t welcome in our current political climate.
Rating: 2.5 campaign speeches
I would love to hear your thoughts on this one!
xx, Lauren
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