First Women: The Grace and Power of America’s Modern First Ladies by Kate Andersen Brower (Epub)

Description

From the #1 New York Times bestselling author of the groundbreaking backstairs look at the White House, The Residence, comes an intimate, news-making look at the true modern power brokers at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue: the First Ladies, from Jackie Kennedy to Michelle Obama.

One of the most underestimated—and challenging—positions in the world, the First Lady of the United States must be many things: an inspiring leader with a forward-thinking agenda of her own; a savvy politician, skilled at navigating the treacherous rapids of Washington; a wife and mother operating under constant scrutiny; and an able CEO responsible for the smooth operation of countless services and special events at the White House. Now, as she did in her smash #1 bestseller The Residence, former White House correspondent Kate Andersen Brower draws on a wide array of untapped, candid sources—from residence staff and social secretaries to friends and political advisers—to tell the stories of the ten remarkable women who have defined that role since 1960.

Brower offers new insights into this privileged group of remarkable women, including Jacqueline Kennedy, Lady Bird Johnson, Patricia Nixon, Betty Ford, Rosalynn Carter, Nancy Reagan, Barbara Bush, Hillary Clinton, Laura Bush, and Michelle Obama. The stories she shares range from the heartwarming to the shocking and tragic, exploring everything from the first ladies’ political crusades to their rivalries with Washington figures; from their friendships with other first ladies to their public and private relationships with their husbands. She also offers insight as to what Melania Trump might hope to accomplish as First Lady.

Candid and illuminating, this first group biography of the modern first ladies provides a revealing look at life upstairs and downstairs at the world’s most powerful address.

User’s Reviews

Review “[A] gossipy, but surprisingly deep, look at the women who help and sometimes overshadow their powerful husbands.” — USA TodayPraise for The Residence:”The tell-all The Residence, featuring intimate anecdotes collected from past and current White House staff members, is absolutely delicious.” — The Washington Post“A juicy new book. . . . A touching story.” — The Daily Beast“A highly readable . . . deep look at the women who help and sometimes overshadow their powerful husbands.” — USA Today“A revealing look at America’s first ladies, shining a spotlight on both their friendships and feuds.” — The Today Show“Superbly reported. . . . A fascinating backstage account of the world’s most famous residence.” — Judy Woodruff, anchor, PBS NewsHour and former White House Correspondent for NBC News“One of those rare books that is both elegant portraiture and highly readable, important White House history. The anecdotes are fresh and the analysis cogent. The stories about Kennedy, Reagan, Clinton, and Obama are irresistible. Highly recommended!” — Douglas Brinkley, editor of The Reagan Diaries

Reviews from Amazon users, collected at the time the book is getting published on UniedVRG. It can be related to shiping or paper quality instead of the book content:

⭐ Disappointed. I was in the middle of Chapter 2 when I recognized that there was no flow or connectivity between her snippets on the First Ladies. She had made the point, and beat it to death, that the women support each other regardless of political loyalties. I thought it was a book about women and their bonds, not how surprising it is that women can cross political gulfs. In the first chapter her writing about the Clintons reeked of hero worship and the foregone conclusion that Hilary would be our next president, and natterings about what Bill would do as husband to the president. I got the distinct impression that the in-depth studies were only on the women she likes.What I wanted was to see the personalities of all the women and their relationships as forged by their position – you know – like the description I read in Amazon when I decided to buy it.I deleted the book from my library somewhere in Chapter 2.

⭐ This is a pleasant valentine for ten first ladies. It is not profound but neither is it particularly critical. A few of the anecdotes appeared in Brower’s The Residence. Many of the stories she shares are already widely known: the coolness between Barbara Bush and Nancy Reagan, the Clintons’ profane arguments, the fact that Michelle Obama was not particularly happy about moving to Washington and into the White House, and so on. At first Brower appears to want to make readers think that the First Ladies have some special relationship because of the role they shared, however, that theme doesn’t really work. In fact, the only two first ladies who seemed to have developed a true friendship were Lady Bird Johnson and Betty Ford. Rosalind Carter remained bitter for a while after her husband’s defeat and even was somewhat resentful because Hillary Clinton did not ask her anything about health care although that had been Rosalind’s major effort has first lady. Nancy Reagan doesn’t seem to have cared much for any of them with the possible exception of Jackie Kennedy Onassis (snob appeal, maybe?) There is one photograph of several of the women at an event which tells all. The five or six others appear to be talking to each other but Mrs. Reagan is at the end of the table and is turned completely away. The expression on her face says, more or less, “when will this purgatory end”? All in all, the book is interesting as a sidelight into the lives of these women who have tried to fufill the role as best they could. Some more successfully than others. Some tidbits are fascinating. Laura Bush has an image of the perfect southern lady who never loses her cool but evidently there were times when she could make her displeasure known, especially toward a staff member who kept losing the keys to her daughter’s car. Pat Nixon was much liked and admired by her staff as was Barbara Bush. The only real criticism I have of the book is its organization. Brower skips around and repeats herself at times. Perhaps organizing it chronologically completely would have made for a more cohesive story.

⭐ I really wanted to like this book and it had parts and pieces that made it interesting but the writing style made it very difficult to follow. It’s as if the author took her notes and published them exactly as is with no editing. Too many outlying names and people you’re supposed to remember mentioned randomly because she jumps around, but often enough that you have to try and remember who they are. As others have mentioned, I think if it was written chronologically, it would have been a better read.That being said, you learn a lot about the inner workings of the White House and I loved reading about Betty Ford and Rosalynn Carter in particular. Jackie Kennedy seems to be revered by the author, understandably so I guess, but the love fest was annoying in my opinion. It’s easy enough to read a chapter or two and put it down but I’m a voracious and quick reader and it took me several months to get through this book.

⭐ I really enjoyed her first book, “The Residence”. I felt like this book was just the rest of her notes from her previous research with a few extra interviews thrown in. It is chaotically organized and not well written. I really believe she had so much left over research from her first book, that she decided to throw it all into another.There is a lot of fascinating information and stories, so I’m not suggesting not reading it. I just think she should have taken some more time and created a more cohesive book.

⭐ I do not believe this book ever saw any sort of editor. It is so bizarre in how it jumps all over the place. On the same page, you could read about Cuban Missile Crisis, the Obama girls and the Bush twins sleepovers. You could be reading a paragraph and then go, “Wait…what? I thought I was reading about Nancy Reagan how did we get to this event?”As much as I tried, this garbled mess was not going to be read in entirety.Don’t waste your time or money.

⭐ This book is well researched and contains some little known facts about many First Ladies. However, it truly needed more strident editorial guidance from beginning to end. As I read, I kept thinking that the title should be changed to “ Random Facts about Recent First Ladies”. There seemed no rhyme or reason as the author ricocheted among topics and the women behind the Presidents. A bit of logical sequencing would have gone a long way toward highlighting the author’s hard work.

⭐ A thoughtful, well-researched compilation of complex women who are devoted wives, mothers, and career women and how they balance public life with their own desires, needs, and biases. Courageous and insightful, each one is presented fairly in both her positive and negative traits. Brought to public lives by their husbands, this detailed and personal look at each family lends individuality, empathy, and sensitivity to all.Especially nuanced with private information, as only a respectful friend would see them. Anderson Brower makes each woman human, and over-rides all the incredibly biased press coverage and falsehoods that haunt each woman’s existence, while only looked at through the myopic eyes of the ignorant and nosy.I was surprised at each one’s sisterly support of the others, as they are part of a sorority few will ever belong to. It’s a shame several of these women could not have risen to the leadership roles their husbands did. What a waste to eliminate remarkable women from the United States’ representation in the world. Our country is the poorer for keeping such women in background roles.

⭐ I truly found this book to be fascinating. Having lived through the tenures of these first ladies, I felt the relevance of each of the stories of these unique women. I thought that the book would contain a chapter for each first lady but was pleasantly surprised to see its actual format. Each chapter is dedicated to an aspect of life in the White House and our country’s history and how various first ladies reacted to them. I think it is well-balanced as someone who appears to be right and just in one chapter might not come out that way in another. Their relationships with each other was extremely interesting.

⭐ I really looked forward to reading this since history is my favorite subject. Must say I was a little disappointed , as others have said, I found it repetitive and disorganized in that it jumps back and forth between the First Ladies rather than being presented in chronological order. Still did have some interesting tidbits.

⭐ I thought this book was enlightening and very readable. I found it to be a candid, intimate, and heartwarming read. Some of these personal tales were unexpected. These women demonstrated a fierce protectiveness towards their children,husbands,and mothers, in some cases. Our first women are incredibly graceful under pressure, possess an unflinching personal strength, and unconditional supportiveness towards their husbands. I would highly recommend this book to others.

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