Exclusive: Huma Abedin Reveals the Cover of Her New Memoir, "Both/And"
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In this beautifully written and propulsive memoir, Huma Abedin—Hillary Clinton’s famously private top aide and longtime advisor—emerges from the wings of American political history to take command of her own story.
Huma Abedin's forthcoming memoir, Both/And, promises to take readers behind the scenes of one of the most notorious political sex scandals in recent memory, as well as shining a light on Abedin's longtime boss, Hillary Clinton. Scribner will release the political aide's debut on November 2, and Oprah Daily is exclusively revealing the book's cover.
Abedin says in a statement from her publisher she hopes the book will allow her to be both seen and defined on her own terms: “For most of my life, I was viewed through the lens of others, a refraction of someone else’s pronoun. ‘They’ as in the parents who raised me; ‘she’ as in the woman I worked for; and ‘he’ as in the man I married." The memoir was acquired by Scribner Publisher Nan Graham, who has edited some of the most acclaimed memoirs of the last decades, including The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls, Liar's Club by Mary Karr, and Angela's Ashes by Frank McCourt.
Abedin rose to prominence as one of Clinton's most trusted aides after the then-First Lady hired her as an intern in 1996. She went on to become vice chair of Clinton's 2016 Presidential campaign and today remains her chief of staff. The two are so close, in fact, that Clinton has referred to Abedin as a second daughter, even after Abedin's estranged husband, disgraced New York politician Anthony Weiner, was implicated in sexting several women. He was later convicted of sending sexual materials to a minor, for which he was sentenced to 20 months in prison.
Abedin’s marriage to Weiner, and her proximity to the Clintons, embroiled her in the FBI investigation into Hillary Clinton’s use of a private computer server while she was secretary of state—an issue through much of the 2016 campaign, and one that was considered a decisive factor in Clinton's loss to Trump. In fact, many advised Clinton to dump Abedin, which Clinton described in her 2017 memoir, What Happened: “Some people thought I should fire Huma or ‘distance myself.’ Not a chance,” Clinton wrote. “I stuck by her the same way she has always stuck by me.”
The daughter of Indian and Pakistani intellectuals and advocates, Abedin was raised in both the United States and Saudi Arabia. While attending The George Washington University, she was hired as a college intern in First Lady Hillary Clinton's office, and over the years was a witness to—and a participant in—some of the most important events of the time. The memoir will offer a deeply personal account of Clinton as a mentor, confidant, and role model to Abedin, "cutting through caricature, rumor, and misinformation."
Both/And promises to also provide a candid, at times devastating chronicle of Abedin’s marriage to Weiner—what drew her to him, how deeply she wanted to believe in him, the agony his actions and lies wrought, and the love they share for their son. But it is first and foremost Abedin's story—one filled with opportunities, obstacles, faith, despair, dedication, and resilience.
And Abedin is a book lover herself, which is among the reasons she wanted to tell her own tale.
"I have carried a book in my bag wherever I have traveled my whole life. When I was a little girl, I devoured the many books my father brought back to Saudi Arabia from the United States and London. The idea that I could tell my own story, that I could reflect on my life and share what I've experienced and learned in a way that both honored my heritage and that might also be helpful to others, was liberating and exhilarating. I loved writing this book. Moving along the seams, crossing cultures and continents, highs and low—they have all been part of my story.”
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