The beginning is emotional as is the end. Her opinions surprisingly matched mine, but I will not tell you what they are, you need to read the book yourself. Her opinions on those who were in the White House before and after the first Bush presidency. Her stance, many kept private on the issues of the day. The author was given access to Barbara's diaries, by Barbara herself. A love and marriage that lasted so many years. Her early years, her first glimpse of the man who would become her husband. Amazing in this day and age, where so much is centered on looks, she decided to show her age, not making apologies.Ī good combination of the personal, the family's tragedies and triumphs, and the political. Her common sense, her matter of fact outlook on the personal and political, were noteworthy. She was in all ways amazing, an uncanny intuition on the issues and world leaders, which proved pivotal on more than one occasion. I never knew though, the extent of her contributions and the issues she took on making her own contribution, outside of family. Amazing in this day and age, where so much is centered on look 4.5 I've always respected Barbara Bush, and her dedication to her husband and family. Now, Susan Page explores them all in THE MATRIARCH, a groundbreaking book certain to cement Barbara Bush as one of the most unique and influential women in American history.moreĤ.5 I've always respected Barbara Bush, and her dedication to her husband and family. With her cooperation, this book offers Barbara Bush’s last words for history - on the evolution of her party, on the role of women, on Donald Trump, and on her family’s legacy.īarbara Bush’s accomplishments, struggles, and contributions are many. She invested herself deeply in expanding literacy programs in America, played a critical role in the end of the Cold War, and led the way in demonstrating love and compassion to those with HIV/AIDS.
But she became an astute and trusted political campaign strategist and a beloved First Lady. And as first the wife and then the mother of American presidents, she made history as the only woman to see - and advise - both her husband and son in the Oval Office.Īs with many women of her era, Barbara Bush was routinely underestimated, her contributions often neither recognized nor acknowledged. In middle age, she grappled with depression so serious that she contemplated suicide. As a young wife, she coped with the death of her three-year-old daughter from leukemia, a loss that changed her forever.
As a girl in Rye, New York, Barbara Bush weathered criticism of her weight from her mother, barbs that left lifelong scars. THE MATRIARCH examines not only her public persona but also less well-known aspects of her remarkable life. Bush herself in the final six months of her life, and access to her diaries that spanned decades. Written by USA TODAY’s Washington Bureau chief Susan Page, this biography is informed by more than one hundred interviews with Bush friends and family members, hours of conversation with Mrs. THE MATRIARCH tells the riveting tale of a woman who helped define two American presidencies and an entire political era.
THE MATRIARCH tells the riveting tale of a woman who helped define two American presidencies and an entire political A vivid biography of former First Lady Barbara Bush, one of the most influential and under-appreciated women in American political history.īarbara Pierce Bush was one of the country’s most popular and powerful figures, yet her full story has never been told. Barbara Pierce Bush was one of the country’s most popular and powerful figures, yet her full story has never been told. A vivid biography of former First Lady Barbara Bush, one of the most influential and under-appreciated women in American political history.