Worth Books - Summary and Analysis of First Women: The Grace and Power of Americas Modern First Ladies: Based on the Book by Kate Andersen Brower

Summary and Analysis of

First Women

The Grace and Power of Americas Modern First Ladies

Based on the Book by Kate Andersen Brower

Contents

Context

Its rare that cultural circumstances change dramatically between the releases of the hardcover and paperback editions of a book, but that is what has happened with First Women . When the book was first published in April 2016, the presidential election was in full swing, and the country was anticipating the likelihood of not only its first female president, but also the first president who was also once a First Lady: Hillary Clinton.

In the afterword written for the paperback editionpublished in January 2017, just days before Donald Trumps inaugurationKate Andersen Brower remarks that it has been an incredible year to be studying the influence and impact of the presidents spouse. And she speculates how Melania Trump will inhabit the role of First Lady.

Andersen Brower acknowledges that it would have been interesting to observe Bill Clinton as the first so-called First Man and to see how he would step in to that role once the tables had turnedwhich would have served as a fitting cap-off to her First Women narrative. During the 2016 campaign, speculation surrounded the topic of what role the ex-president might play in his wifes administration; yet, since one of Andersen Browers central themes is that the First Ladies have no true blueprint for their roles, she might have argued that the former president was in the same boat as his predecessors, regardless of gender.

The Trump administration may raise even more existential questions about what it means to be a First Woman. As a commentator during the campaign, Andersen Brower anticipated the former model being a very traditional First Lady, but she later remarked on Melanias break with precedent by not touring Washington with the Japanese prime ministers wife during a state visit. Furthermore, Melania Trumps announcement that she would not immediately relocate from New York to the White House, in order to maintain stability for her son, Barron, during the school year, was met with a wide range of reactionsAndersen Brower called her gutsy in the New York Times .

Written on the cusp of an unprecedented transformation of presidential protocol, First Women captures the triumphs and tribulations of a diverse group of smart, devoted women thrust onto the national stage as well as the bonds that united them. Howor even whetherthis legacy will be carried on remains to be seen, which makes Andersen Browers book an invaluable contribution to our understanding of US history.

Overview

The woman who steps into the shoes of the First Lady has all eyes on her, yet her job is not defined. The ten women who occupied the role between 1961 and 2017 are distinct individuals who, in many ways, could not be more different, yet they are bound together within the sisterhood that grows from living a life few others have experienced or can imagine.

Meticulously researched, First Women tells the stories of these women, as informed by longtime White House staffers and confidantes, historical documents, and their own personal letters and memoirs. And in many cases, the book gives insight into the personalities and the challenges these women faced in a way that history books do not. The oft-forgotten Pat Nixon emerges as a figure who stood faithfully by the man she loved, despite being crushed by the Watergate scandaland whose Plastic Pat public persona largely resulted from the attempts of her husbands advisors to mute her influence. Betty Ford is celebrated as the brave, outspoken woman who almost single-handedly destroyed the taboos of discussing breast cancer and addiction.

And theres plenty of dirt to dish, too. From Jackie Kennedys digs at her husbands mistresses to LBJs sometimes-derisive treatment of loyal Lady Bird to, most intriguingly, the rivalries, insults, and grudges among the First Ladies, it seems these women were waging their own form of war. There are also instances of rancor between First Ladies of the same partymost notably, between Nancy Reagan and Barbara Bush and between Hillary Clinton and Michelle Obama (despite their 2016 election-season show of camaraderie, the latter is said to harbor resentment, verging on contempt, for the former).

But there are also powerful bonds that transcend party lines, demonstrated in instances such as the story of Jackie Kennedy getting some sense of closure in her first return visit to the White House as a guest of former rival Pat Nixon. Letters exchanged by the First Ladies reveal the rich tapestry of relationships woven across decades and administrations, bound by a common experience shared by only a handful of women in the world.

Summary

Introduction

A 1993 yachting jaunt off Marthas Vineyard hosted by Jackie Kennedy Onassis for President Bill Clinton and First Lady Hillary Clinton captures the dynamics between past and present presidential spouses. When Hillary balked at jumping from a high diving board, and Bill and the Kennedy menfolk present goaded her on as she stood frozen, JFKs widow cried out: Dont do it! Just because theyre daring you, you dont have to! Hillary heeded her predecessors urging.

Despite the countless campaign stops, official appearances, photographs, and news stories that thrust Americas First Ladies into the spotlight, little effort has been devoted by journalists, historians, or the public to truly understanding the inner workings of these women. Theyre not the picture-perfect images theyre shoehorned into representingbut, Andersen Brower contends, thats why its fascinating to get to know them.

Need to Know: The ten First Ladies to hold the title between 1961 and 2017 may have little to nothing in commonexcept strong and complex personalitiesbut they have forged deep bonds due to their unique shared experience. Though bearing the mantle of First Lady makes each of them an iconic figure, the expectations of these women are ill-defined at bestand wildly unrealistic at worstand each has had to blaze her own trail as a spouse, parent, and public figure.

I. The Political Wife

Each First Lady has entered and experienced the White House under very different circumstances. Jackie, a youthful and glamorous figure, put her own stamp on the mansions dcor and proudly showed it off in a groundbreaking TV tour. By the time Lady Bird Johnson assumed the role, Jackie was a starher shoes would have been hard to fill even if John F. Kennedys assassination had not overshadowed Lyndon B. Johnsons ascension to the presidency.

Pat Nixon had steeled herself to the ups and downs of her husbands long political career, but her plastic facade finally cracked during their ignominious exit from the storied residence. Successor Betty Ford was intimidated by the role but gradually found her voice. Rosalynn Carter served as her husbands liaison to voters and heads of state alike.

Nancy Reagan quickly became a larger-than-life figure, thanks to the meticulous maintenance of her personal image in addition to that of the White House.

Her successor, Barbara Bush, was no stranger to the White House, having been married to George H. W. Bush, the two-term vice president under Ronald Reagan.

Hillary Clinton broke the First Lady mold with her outspoken involvement in her husbands administrationarousing some ire from the press, the public, and the Republican Party by doing so. Laura Bush returned the image of the First Lady to a pure, doting presidential spouseand Michelle Obama, too, hewed to a traditionally apolitical role as mom-in-chief, despite the fact that her status as the first African American First Lady was inherently groundbreaking.