"Always aim high, work hard, and care deeply about what you believe in. . . . And, when you're knocked down, get right back up and never listen to anyone who says you can't or shouldn't go on." – Hillary Rodham Clinton

As a young girl growing up in the fifties, Hillary Diane Rodham had an unusual upbringing for the time-her parents told her, "You can do or be whatever you choose, as long as you're willing to work for it."

Hillary took those words and ran. Whether it was campaigning at the age of thirteen in the 1964 presidential election, receiving a standing ovation and being featured in LIFE magazine as the first student commencement speaker at Wellesley, or graduating from Yale Law School-she was always one to stand out from the pack.

And that was only the beginning. From First Lady of the United States to the first female Senator of New York and most recently as the United States Secretary of State. An activist all her life, she has been devoted to health care reform, child care, and women's rights, among others.

About Hillary Rodham Clinton

First . . .  student commencement speaker at Wellesley
First . . .  woman to become full partner at Rose Law Firm
First . . .  Lady of the United States
First . . .  First Lady to hold a postgraduate degree
First . . .  First Lady to win a Grammy Award
First . . .  elected female Senator of New York
First . . .  woman to be a presidential candidate in every primary in every state
First . . .  First Lady to seek the presidency

About Karen Blumenthal

As a long-time journalist, Karen writes nonfiction for young people with the belief that nonfiction brings context to a complicated world. She is particularly fascinated by social change, how it happens and why.

As a financial writer, she aims to write from the consumer’s and investor’s point of view, trying to answer their questions, cut through the marketing hype and arm them with useful insights that will help them make better and more-rewarding decisions.

'Hillary – A Biography of Hillary Rodham Clinton' is published by Bloomsbury and distributed in South Africa by Jonathan Ball Publishers