After all this is a woman, that aged 30 founded the Arkansas Advocates for Children and Families; the person who laid the groundwork for the Affordable Care Act; and who championed the Violence Against Women Act. She was also instrumental in negotiating the 2009 Copenhagen Climate Change Accord.
Oh, and, she also ran for President at one of the most precarious times in the world’s history, against one of the most terrifying opponents.
But what does the former First Lady qualify as her gutsiest act? Staying in her marriage.
Yesterday, on Good Morning America, the former Democratic front-runner for presidency was asked by the show’s host, “What’s the gutsiest thing you’ve ever done?” Clinton inhaled sharply, darting her eyes up, then answering: “Personally, make the decision to stay in my marriage. Publicly, politically – run for president.”
Asked the gutsiest thing she's ever done, Hillary Clinton tells @GMA, "Personally, make the decision to stay in my marriage."
"Publicly, politically, run for president. And keep going. Just get up every day and keep going." https://t.co/35Zg7cQ9nU pic.twitter.com/29i3Fmicmk
— ABC News (@ABC) October 1, 2019
The question was posed in reference to Clinton’s latest book, published this week and co-authored by daughter, Chelsea. ‘The Book of Gutsy Women’ is a compilation of one hundred and three women, highlighting their achievements and contribution to the world.
Speaking about the book’s message and objective, Clinton said “We’ve been talking about women who inspire us our whole lives.”
“So many of my earliest memories are my mother talking about women who inspired her,” added Chelsea. “This is just a continuation of the conversation that we started more than thirty years ago.”
For both Hillary and Chelsea, gutsy women include LGBTQ trailblazer Edie Windsor, writers like Rachel Carson and Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie and Historian Mary Beard.
“For so long we haven’t heard the stories of the women who have always been there and have helped make not only our country but our world healthier and more equitable,” Chelsea told WBUR Radio this week.
Figures in the book also include former first ladies Eleanor Roosevelt, Betty Ford, tennis champion Billie Jean King and abolitionist Harriet Tubman.
Of course, there are any number of incredible women who could have been included in this selection. But during their interview with WBUR, Hillary said there had been three core questions, she and Chelsea had held by: “Is this woman in and of herself someone who we admire? Did she do something to try to help others? And, did she try to to break down barriers and overcome obstacles?”
In the past week, the pair have been touring the U.S, talking to media and networks like CBS News. During another interview last week, the former Presidential candidate told ‘Sunday Morning’ host Jane Pauley that “women have been written out of history from the very beginning of recorded time.”
“To a great extent they still are. This is a small contribution to the efforts to tell these stories.”
The pair’s hope is that the book encourages citizens to step towards a more inclusive world.