An intimate biography of President Bill Clinton by a high school and lifelong friend

“This book is captivating! No president’s early high school years have been covered by an observer who actually knew him and his friends. You get to look at a remarkable young boy who you know will grow up to be a remarkable president, and after this amazing book, you know how it happened.”
—Harry Thomason, Filmmaker, director, and author of Brother Dog: Southern Tales & Hollywood Adventures

“Carolyn Staley’s wonderful memoir captures not only the uniqueness of her sixty-year friendship with Bill Clinton, but the richness of the values they share, and the power of friendship  and faith in underpinning a purposeful life. Her book is a trip down memory lane for me, and an uplifting read for anyone!”
—Mack McLarty, President Bill Clinton’s first White House Chief of Staff, and later Counselor to the President and Special
Envoy for the Americas

“Staley describes episodes from Bill Clinton’s early life that reveal his kindness and thoughtfulness, as well as competitiveness and ambition, and his desire to seek opportunities for service that he hoped could make life better for people both in this country and beyond.”
—David Stricklin, historian and the former head of the Butler Center for Arkansas Studies

“Staley is a gifted storyteller, who weaves a delightful tale of the intersection of politics and friendships with the melodies of memory and music. She draws on six decades of lived experience and shares the observations and lessons learned from growing up in Hot Springs, meeting President Kennedy at Girl’s Nation, college teaching, leading the Arkansas Arts Council as a department head under Governor Clinton, employing her voice to celebrate Clinton’s gubernatorial and presidential inaugurals, running for the state legislature, and a life of giving and
public service. Throughout it all, Staley holds dear the role of music in everyday life, shaping her own experiences and of a growing friendship between her family and the Clintons--Bill, Hillary, and Chelsea. For presidential historians, Arkansas history buffs, and any intellectually curious citizen, this book is informative, insightful, and an easy read about events and relationships that would otherwise be unrecorded and lost to
future readers and scholars. We are all in Carolyn Staley’s debt for such a fascinating story well told.”
—Stephen A. Smith, Professor Emeritus, University of Arkansas

“Kudos to Carolyn Staley, lifelong friend of Billy Clinton and his family, who after years of saying “no” to publishers who urged her to write a book about her friendship with Bill Clinton, has finally said yes. Staley’s coming-of-age memoir chronicles a childhood friendship that began in high school and continues today.
She deftly paints a picture of a young man who is today still that charismatic, ever engaging boy she met when he knocked on her door and introduced himself as the new kid on the block. A young man, she soon realized, who always knew what he wanted, and figured out how to go about getting it. Young Billy Clinton, she writes, knew early on that he needed to be liked to achieve his goals, and desperately wanted to be liked by just about everyone he met. If the reader is looking for a political tell-all, they will be sorely disappointed. Instead, they will
learn just how normal the young Billy Clinton’s life was, and that, despite life’s hard knocks that came with his political career, he remains today, that man from Hope... and Hot Springs, who believes tomorrow will always be brighter “
—Janis F. Kearney, former presidential diarist, and author of Conversations: William J. Clinton: from Hope to Harlem, Daisy: Between a Rock and a Hard Place, and Only on Sundays: Mahalia Jackson’s Long Journey.

320 pages, 6 x 9”
Hardback, $32, ISBN 978-1-62491-208-5
​E-book, $15.99, ISBN 978-1-62491-209-2

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“Carolyn Yeldell Staley was Bill Clinton’s neighbor, classmate, confidante, and pal—Carolyn has been there since the beginning. I met her on my first trip to Hot Springs, Arkansas, in the summer of 1965. Her joy, her powers of observation, keen insight, and extraordinary recall make this book essential reading for all of us FOBs as well as anyone seeking a deeper understanding of one of the towering political figures of our
era.”
—Tom Campbell, Bill Clinton’s roommate at Georgetown University

“Carolyn writes from a unique perspective into Bill Clinton’s life having been next-door neighbors in Hot Spring, Arkansas, and close friends for over sixty years. The memories and stories she shares with her readers offer a rare look into Bill Clinton’s many years in public service and beyond.”
—David Pryor, Former Democratic United States Representative, United States Senator from Arkansas, and Governor of Arkansas from 1975 to 1979
“Carolyn Staley is an original Friend of Bill (FOB), having known him since their early teens. A love of music, intellectual curiosity, and the search for spiritual uplift have bound them together over the years. Her recollections give us greater insight into the individual we have come to admire, revere, and love. And she has given us a testament to the enduring bond of friendship.”
—Rodney Slater, former Secretary of Transportation
“Exemplifying the words from the 1983 song ‘Friends Are Friends Forever,’ Staley writes insightfully about her close friend who became President of the United States. In the years to come, when scholars and historians take in-depth looks at the life and work of Bill Clinton, Carolyn’s book will be a valuable resource.”
—James L. “Skip” Rutherford III, Dean Emeritus, University of Arkansas Clinton School of Public Service

​Carolyn Yeldell Staley is a pastor, musician, writer, and administrator. She contributed to When God Whispered My Name: Stories of Journey, told by Baptist Women in Ministry, published in 2021. Her 2007 article, A Reflection on Boris Yeltsin, Bill Clinton, & Religious Liberty, was published in Report on the Capital and reprinted in newspapers nationally. 
Staley has led both federal and state government agencies. From 1994-2004 she was Deputy Director of the National Institute for Literacy in Washington, DC.  She was Director of the Governor’s Commission on Adult Literacy, Director of State Services for the Arkansas Arts Center, and Director of the Arkansas Arts Council. She ran for AR State Representative in 2010.
Staley has performed as a soprano concert artist. She was a university music professor in Indiana, Kentucky, Arkansas, Maryland, and Virginia. Her concerts worldwide include two in Russia with conductor Sarah Caldwell of the Boston Opera. She chaired the Inaugural Dedication service for Governor Bill Clinton in 1987 and 1990 and the 1992 Inaugural Prayer Service for President Clinton. 
Born in Kentucky, Staley grew up in Arkansas. The daughter of a Baptist minister, she has lived in Clarksville, West Memphis, Hot Springs, and Little Rock, Arkansas, and NW Indiana and Washington, DC. She served as pastor and associate pastor for churches in Lonoke and Little Rock, Arkansas, and Bethesda, MD. Carolyn is married to Jerry Staley, an architectural photographer. They are the parents of three adults and grandparents of five.

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