Clinton memoirs

 

Overview:Just how much are the memoirs of former U.S. President Bill Clinton worth? The New York Times and Washington Post reported that the Alfred A. Knopf publishing house will advance Clinton more than $10 million, making a new record for an advance for a nonfiction book. Students can consider the elements that should be included in the presidential memoirs as well as other famous memoirs they would like to read.

Curriculum connections: Language arts - biography; social studies

After students read the CNNfyi.com article, "Clinton to write memoirs," ask the following questions:

1. Why are former President Bill Clinton's memoirs in the news? Who/what is Alfred P. Knopf? How much is Knopf reported to be paying as an advance for Clinton's memoirs? What is an advance? What was the previous record for a nonfiction advance, and who wrote the book? What did Clinton's wife, Senator Hillary Clinton, receive for her memoirs, and who is publishing them? When are the former president's memoirs expected to be published?

2. What are memoirs? Why do you think that a publisher would be willing to pay a record-breaking amount for the former president's book? What would you expect to find in Clinton's memoirs from the presidential years? What would you expect in his wife's memoirs from the same time period? Who might want to read the memoirs of either the former president or his wife? Would you be interested? Why or why not? Do you think that either writer will sell enough copies for the book to make money, based on the information in the article? Why or why not?

3. Ask students to brainstorm important domestic and international events that occurred during the Clinton years. (You may want to refer to the timelines on the Clinton years at http://www.cnn.com/SPECIALS/2001/clinton/timelines/timelines.html. Be advised, however, that they do include information regarding Paula Jones and Monica Lewinsky.) Do they think it would be interesting to learn more about those events from a man who was one of the most important politicians during the time period? Why or why not? How would a president's memoirs differ from what one might find in a history textbook? Which do students think would be more interesting? More accurate? Discuss.

4. Students can make lists of questions they would want answered in either the former president's or the former first lady's memoirs, and why.

5. Students can determine another contemporary person whose memoirs they would find interesting. Ask them to identify the person and why the memoirs would be worth reading. Again, ask them to create a list of questions they would most like answered in the person's memoirs, and why.