Bill Clinton's "My Life"

I chose to read the autobiography of our 42nd president, William Jefferson Blythe Clinton III, entitled "My Life". President Clinton does indeed write of his whole life and the section that I read for this week explores his childhood through his freshman year at Georgetown University. Clinton's father died before his birth so his main father figure was his step-father, a car dealer but also an alcoholic. Clinton did love his step-father very much, enough to take his name, but that doesn't mean that he didn't recognise his problems. President Clinton's overall view of his step-father was that he was "fundamentally a good person...He was generous...smart and funny but he had that combustible mix of fears, insecurities and psychological vulnerabilities that destroys...so many addicts lives" (51). Roger Clinton was at many times a good parent to young Bill but that still can't erase all the bad times or the abuse. But he tried hard and Bill knew this and forgave him and loved him despite his weaknesses. Roger Clinton could also be violent at times and this left deep scars on Bill that caused so much pain that his brain simply blocked them out. The records of this abuse still exist though and when Bill found them later on, he'd "forgotten both instances, perhaps out of the denial experts say families of alcoholics engage in when they continue to live with them" (51). As a sort of self-defense mechanism, Bill's memories of the pain are dimmed and even forgotten, leaving happier times. This doesn't bother him so much though because he knows that those thoughts are buried for a reason and that knowing what happened won't help himself. The only thing he can do is keep moving foreward. President Clinton's step-father has a lot of influence in his life as his mother's husband. Even though he's not perfect, Bill Clinton still has love and respect for him to this very day.