Read the Book Before Casting Stones : ‘It Takes a Village’ looks at America and its children with hope and establishes Mrs. Clinton as a role model.

There has been much questioning of Hillary Rodham Clinton’s credibility in recent weeks. With the release of her book, “It Takes a Village and Other Lessons Children Teach Us,” the first lady has sharpened the focus on issues that matter to most Americans.

Political henchmen may continue to try to focus debates on Clinton’s credibility, but once people read her book, it will be difficult to “get” her. She speaks simply and eloquently about families, community and creating the best life for parents and children. It takes only a few pages to realize this is not the work of a “congenital liar.”

I don’t imagine Clinton is a saint; who is? She is human and may have erred, but questioning her credibility and character seems baseless and malicious, especially in light of this book and her lifelong commitment to families and children. Who are these people who can cast these stones? Is there not more important work to be done? If they are short on ideas, “It Takes a Village” suggests a substantial and powerful agenda. And it is a wonderful read, laden with quotes, statistics, heartwarming stories and a strong, clear voice of a real and good person. It is not only believable, but also familiar.

For example, one of the many wonderful personal stories Clinton tells is from her days in the Arkansas Governor’s Mansion. Her daughter Chelsea was a fan of Curious George; so, like George, she wanted to eat a coconut. One evening, the Clintons bought a coconut and, as so many of us have done, tried and tried to hammer and pry it open. Finally, they took Chelsea out onto the driveway of the mansion and took turns smashing the coconut until it broke. The three of them giggled hysterically.

This isn’t a “character” story about the author; it’s a character story about American families and children--families who we say are so valuable to us. It reminds us about our kids and our own growing-up experiences. It also reminds us of what needs to be done for our kids and for others.

Originally, I had been unenthusiastic about even skimming “It Takes a Village” before interviewing the author because, as a publisher of regional parenting publications, I’ve been writing, studying and reviewing works about families and children for the past 12 years. Plus, I am the mother of a 10-year-old and a 12-year-old. So I was skeptical about whether the first lady could add to the critical dialogue about families and children in America. Likewise, the title seemed like “old news;” my company had used this same title for a parenting conference a year ago. But after reading Clinton’s strikingly comfortable and comforting prose, which is personal to the point of poignancy, my skepticism melted away.

Clinton has given us an extraordinary gift, one that perhaps only she as first lady could give. In doing so, she has established a good role model for future presidential spouses. It is this gift that transcends politics and media hype about who she is and who she isn’t. It is this gift of looking at what and who we are, not with rose-colored glasses, but with hope and positive examples that makes the current obsession with her credibility moot.

I read “It Takes a Village” cover to cover. It made me feel a bit guilty that I’m not doing more with and for my children and other children, but it also made me feel hopeful and proud that I am a neighbor of Clinton’s in the “village” we call America.