Bill Clinton's book

If the weeklong memorial leading up to the funeral of former President Reagan marked a return to the 1980s, then the rush of news and comment in recent and coming days over the release of former President Clinton's memoir represents a return to the 1990s. With that return comes a resurgence of all the familiar debates.

Among some there'll be a return of adoration for the man and his progressive, forward-looking policies, most notably an economic revival. Among others there'll be scorn cast from those who continue to blame Clinton for everything from a loss of American "values" to the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11.

Notably, unlike other recent presidential memoirists, Clinton himself is believed to have written the first draft of the memoir in longhand. The result is a publishing phenomenon likely to have repercussions on everything from the Iraqi occupation, to the war on terrorism to the upcoming presidential election.

At more than 900 pages, My Life is not what typically comes to mind as a "beach read." Yet given the subject and the wide range of emotions it causes, it could certainly become one. -- The Anniston Star, Anniston, Alabama