Non-Fiction: The Death of American Virtue: Clinton vs. Starr by Ken Gormley

Sometimes while reading author and professor Ken Gormley’s look at the Clinton/Starr scandals of the 1990s, I just wanted to take a shower. The Death of American Virtue (Crown) promises to be the “final word on the Clinton/Starr struggle” and while one might hope that could be true, I doubt it.

While The Death of American Virtue promises all sorts of new material, one just gets the feeling of more of the same. And, sure: many of the nuances might be new but, in the big picture, while you read you just get the feeling that you’ve been down this road before.

This is the part of this piece where I should clue you in to what “Clinton vs. Starr” was, just in case you missed it but, to be honest, I just don’t have the heart. So many miles have been covered since then, so many bridges built and burnt. How is any of this even relevant anymore? Suffice to say that, if you have to ask about it, you are unlikely to be terribly interested in this rather long-winded book. And if you do find yourself riveted or incensed once more, think again. So many miles, so much distance, a whole different page in our brand new world.