Flanked by the Secret Service and hundreds of copies of his new book, former President Bill Clinton smiled as some of his star-struck supporters reached out to shake his hand at the Prudential Center on Monday.
“Thank you for taking the time to come out today,” Clinton said to a crowd of people who stood outside Barnes and Noble as early as 7 a.m. to catch a glimpse of him.
The former president signed copies of his new book, “Back to Work: Why We Need Smart Government for a Strong Economy,” which was released Nov. 8
In his book, Clinton offers potential solutions to the economic crisis and analyzes Democratic and Republican fiscal policies, as well as President Barack Obama’s presidency.
Secret Service agents and Boston Police officials monitored the store and kept close to President Clinton, who signed books until about 2 p.m.
University of Massachusetts-Lowell sophomore Dan Liberfarb, who is studying history, said he took a train from Wakefield to arrive at the bookstore at 8 a.m. for the chance to see a former president in person.
“I was young for most of his presidency but the first historical event that I remember is the Monica Lewinsky scandal,” Liberfarb said.
Sohill Madan, a student at Northeastern University originally from Attleboro, said he came to the book signing at 8 a.m. to see his favorite President.
“He’s the man,” Madan said. “I feel like this one of the last chances to go and see him. Who knows when he’ll be back? Maybe during the 2012 [presidential] campaign.”
Some students said they admitted to skipping class in order to see the former President.
Gilda Edelman, a high school student at The Newman School in Back Bay, said she skipped her first few classes because she walked by Barnes & Noble and saw an advertisement for the signing.
“This is what I love to see,” Edelman said. “Even though I was really young during his presidency, I remember the news in the background when I was a kid. Plus, I want to major in international affairs in college, so this is right up my alley.”
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