Women of the White House: The illustrated story of the first ladies of the United States of America

by Amy Russo

Women of the White House looks at the work, lives and times of the 47 women officially recognized as America's first lady. Through portraits, photographs, accounts and profiles, the book examines their contributions to the presidencies they supported and to the 230-year history of the role. The women who have held the position have evolved it from White House hostess to campaigner for social causes and a game-changing leadership position. A role model for the world, a powerful political player, a traditional yet modern woman – the position of first lady of the United States is many-faceted, complex and beyond high profile. In this fully up-to-date book, Amy Russo explores how the social platforms these women established – from Mary Todd Lincoln's work for slaves and soldiers after the Civil War to feminist icon Michelle Obama's fight for girls' education – have not only made the role iconic but also shaped America

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Biography, American History

192 pages, Hardcover

Published April 6, 2021

Reviews

[Dbs1975 · Rating 2 out of 5]

Very surface level overview of the First Ladies. No new insights or historical gems here. It may have been the most poorly edited volume I've ever read - I seriously considered taking a red pen and circling the typos and returning it to the publishers. If you need something to read during commercials on TV this fits the bill - otherwise I would not recommend this.

[Donna · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book offers a two to three page biographical sketch, with pictures, of each of the First Ladies of the United States. Given the nature of the book, the information didn't go beyond the surface level, but it was interesting to see how each woman viewed her role and also how the role has changed through the years. It's definitely a book to dip in and out of rather than read straight through.

The author tried to give at least one way in which each woman was "the first", which I thought was a nice touch and provided helpful distinctions. It was surprising to me that there were a few First ladies who died before their husbands took office, which I guess calls into question whether or not they were truly First Ladies. At least one died in the White House and another one was married there. Some were very, very reluctant and some more ambitious; some enjoyed the hostess role, while others maintained a very private persona. Something that surprised me was that it wasn't until Rosalyn Carter that Congress recognized the role of First Lady and that there was a designated office for the First Lady in the White House.

Admittedly, I didn't know much about those women in the middle of the pack, say, those between Mary Lincoln and Eleanor Roosevelt. There were several women that I'm interested in reading more about. One of those is Florence Harding, not so much for her accomplishments as for finding out how she maneuvered around her husband's scandals.

This was fun to read and a nice reference book to have on hand, although there were at least two glaring errors, which makes me wonder how many more I may have missed.

[Meg Koch · Rating 2 out of 5]

An easy to read, adequate introductory book. The two to three page per First Lady format, including photographs/illustrations, assures that the bios are a shallow treatment of the lives of these women.
The bios read as formulaic to me, and there were some erroneous/questionable sentences.
Page 48 "...and first ladies Nancy Reagan and Ivanka Trump, are..."
Page 106: "...went on to marry perhaps the country's most significant man of all..." regarding Wilson.
Both Grace Coolidge and Bess Truman were described in the very first sentence as "An accidental first lady," which is a small quibble. Maybe Truman could have been "another accidental..." at least.
Also, I had some issues with perceived bias.
To summarize: see my first sentence.

[Anna · Rating 4 out of 5]

I would have given this 5 stars except the author irritated me because as she moved toward the present, she told less and less about each of the First Ladies. I would still recommend it as she told at least one new fact for each First Lady and I have read a lot of these books.

[Christine · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was ok but I didn't learn much that was new to me.

[Judith · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fairly interesting. A much more interesting history of First Ladys' influence is "Hidden Power: Presidential Marriages That Shaped Our History." Written in 2002. This went into depth about 12 presidential marriages that have profoundly affected America's history. I learned a lot by reading this book and was reminded about some things I already knew. Louise Adams, wife of John Quincy Adams was the first foreign born first lady; Lucy Ware Webb Hayes wife of Rutherford Hayes was the first presidential wife to enter the White House with a college degree and a major activist initiative: temperance; Edith Bolling Galt Wilson, wife of Woodrow Wilson pretty much ran the country after Woodrow had a stroke; Eleanor Roosevelt was the longest serving First Lady due to Franklin's unprecedented election to a fourth term. Of course we all know how very influential she was in her own right; Elizabeth Bloomer Ford, wife of Gerald Ford was the last of the Socially Liberal Republicans. And then along came Reagan and the rest is history. I read a First Lady chapter a day. These women were quite formidable for their times.

[Pammy · Rating 3 out of 5]

The author's opening point is : "After more than 200 years of American Presidential elections, attaining the West Wing is one Glass Ceiling women have yet to break."
The women we've come to know as "First Ladies" weren't always willing participants to the job. Through the pages devoted (one section at a time) to the women show that some were poorly prepared ---not interested in the social or political environment around the presidency.
Others were hostessing marvels and quick to understand the subtle powers that came with her title. I loved hearing that Dolly Madison was so clever about working on the politicians of Washington that she would hold her own "weekly squeezes" and would bond with the men by dipping snuff with them!
Others First Ladies did their part by serving as confidantes and protectors to their husbands .
Ms Russo has included snippets, photos, and words of wisdom from all the White House women (for some were nieces or daughters). "While women have yet to be elected to the presidency, they've no doubt been made, by choice and by circumstance, integral to the fabric of the White House."

[Joel Kramer · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was an interesting collection of capsule portraits of every first lady, mostly focusing on what they did while holding the position. I learned some things (hopefully I can retain them and maybe get points in trivia someday), but also had a few thoughts.

1) Women were so easily left out of the early historical record, as chroniclers, media, and libraries at the time only thought the men were important. There's no painting or portrait of Martha Jefferson. Louisa Adams' mother is listed as "unknown woman", but we know her father's name. James Monroe burned all but one letter of Elizabeth Monroe's after her death, erasing her voice from his legacy. It's striking how, in the early years of the nation, the presidents' wives are in some cases shadows about whom barely anything is known.

2) The author made the weird choice to leave off Jackie Onassis' last name, listing her here as Jacqueline Lee Bouvier Kennedy. If you grew up in the 80's, you know her as Jackie O, and it's weird to see her name shortened like this.

3) I learned from this book that Lady Bird Johnson's name wasn't actually Lady Bird, and that it was a nickname.

[Susie · Rating 3 out of 5]

While a somewhat uneven treatment of some first ladies, I still learned a lot. I was amazed at the number of first ladies who suffered tragedies, even death, before and during the terms of their husbands. I have to admit, I had never heard the first names of some of them. So many suffered from Bright's disease, or even tuberculosis. The print was somewhat small, and the book could have used more editing. At times, the practice of calling some people by first names and others by last names seemed a bit jarring. I did like the fact that several of them were represented by illustrations or photographs of their younger years, not just the older ones we are used to seeing.

[Sarah Stook · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting enough, but four quibbles:
1) Errors and mistakes that could have easily been rectified with a Google search. For example, John Quincy Adams died of a stroke, not a heart attack, and Pat Nixon’s first names were Thelma Catherine, not Patricia
2) There were definite biases towards and against certain First Ladies
3) The author did not consider time periods when making judgemental remarks about First Ladies, nor did she go into much detail on certain issues, instead expanding on things that were unnecessary
4) There wasn’t an equal or fair amount on each First Lady

[Stephanie Thode · Rating 5 out of 5]

I always grab up books about presidents, but hardly ever bother learning about the first ladies. This book gives brief discricptions about each lady to enter the White House. The informatiinal tidbits left me wanting to know more about these incredible women. Knowing now everything these women went through, whether or not they had any ambitions to being First Lady, I'm really starting to question when are we, and why haven't we had, a woman president?

[Kate · Rating 4 out of 5]

A book of short biographies about each U.S. first lady; even those who died before being able to take up the position. While nearly each section is no longer than four pages (Eleanor Roosevelt’s is longer), this was a slow-moving book. The information was still good, though, and it made me want to get to know more about some of the first ladies I read about.

[Ann Barbieri · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent book. First Ladies from the first First to the current, all had stories to tell, some heartbreaking and some uplifting. So many of these women had serious health problems, even into the 20th century. The Afterword is titled “What will it take to elect the first female president of the United States?” I hope this will happen in my lifetime.

[Rachel · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book focused on all of the first ladies from Martha Washington to Dr. Jill Biden. I liked that each lady received the same amount of page coverage (the photos were very interesting) unless relatively little was known about them or they died before their husband actually served. It was fun to discover who wanted to serve (and who did not) and how they viewed their role.

[Joseph J. · Rating 4 out of 5]

A Christmas gift. My friends howled at the relatively small print size. Laughs later as I told them I "fell into" the end notes-really tiny print there. But as a Presidential/First Lady geek I enjoyed this really up to date volume. It would be especially valuable as an introduction to the history of these diverse women and the evolution of the role in the White House.

[Judy Zell · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good way to learn something new about each of the first ladies, but a bit like reading a reference book. Surprising how many of them didn't want to be a first lady. Needed better editing, for example, Mrs. Taylor's date of death was wrong in big print in the heading of her article. I prefer Upstairs at the White House by J.B. West, but it only covers Eleanor Roosevelt through Pat Nixon.

[Nancy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I very much enjoyed this book. A summary of each of the first ladies, mostly captured in 2 pages. So interesting to learn about the earlier first ladies and the hardships they endured. And fun to look at them in contrast to each other and their husbands. I blew through it in 2 days.

[Lisa Montgomery · Rating 4 out of 5]

I actually purchased this for one of my grandchildren, but I read through it first. The grandchild is into history, and I thought he would enjoy it. The "illustrated story" will be great for him.

[Tiffany · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read a page or two a day over lunch. Was interesting for quick reads. The editing (WAS there editing??) not great. How does something get printed with incorrect dates and misspelled names?

[Sally Zeinemann · Rating 4 out of 5]

I learned a lot about these amazing women.

[Emylye Laperriere · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really good fast read that is informative. I learned so much about the first ladies that they definitely don't teach you in school.

[Deanna · Rating 4 out of 5]

Quick and easy reference to learn about the Women of the White House.

[Kelly · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very interesting brief overview of each First Lady.

[Nancy Brown · Rating 2 out of 5]

Lightweight overview of the "ladies."