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A Woman of Adventure: The Life and Times of First Lady Lou Henry Hoover
When Lou Henry married Herbert Hoover in February 1899, she looked forward to a partnership of equality and a life of adventure. She could fire a rifle and sit a horse as well as any man. The Quaker community of Whittier, California, where she lived as a teen, reinforced the egalitarian spirit of her upbringing. But history had other ideas for Lou Henry Hoover.
For the first fifteen years of married life, Lou globe-trotted with her husband as he pursued a lucrative career in mining engineering and consulting. World War I not only changed the map of the world, it changed the map of the Hoovers’ marriage. Herbert Hoover’s Commission for the Relief of Belgium launched him into a political career that led to the White House. Lou, who detested the limelight, led a dual life: she supported her husband’s political career, managed their multiple households, and saw to the needs of their family. Behind the scenes, she pursued her own interests.
History has long since forgotten the breadth of her achievements, but Lou Henry Hoover’s powerful legacy endures in the ongoing success of the Girl Scouts, the music and physical therapy degree programs at Stanford University, athletic opportunities for women, and the countless unknown men and women who received an education thanks to Lou’s anonymous financial support.
Conveying Lou’s humor, personality, and intelligence, A Woman of Adventure takes a fresh look at the first lady who preceded Eleanor Roosevelt and her also-extraordinary accomplishments.
For the first fifteen years of married life, Lou globe-trotted with her husband as he pursued a lucrative career in mining engineering and consulting. World War I not only changed the map of the world, it changed the map of the Hoovers’ marriage. Herbert Hoover’s Commission for the Relief of Belgium launched him into a political career that led to the White House. Lou, who detested the limelight, led a dual life: she supported her husband’s political career, managed their multiple households, and saw to the needs of their family. Behind the scenes, she pursued her own interests.
History has long since forgotten the breadth of her achievements, but Lou Henry Hoover’s powerful legacy endures in the ongoing success of the Girl Scouts, the music and physical therapy degree programs at Stanford University, athletic opportunities for women, and the countless unknown men and women who received an education thanks to Lou’s anonymous financial support.
Conveying Lou’s humor, personality, and intelligence, A Woman of Adventure takes a fresh look at the first lady who preceded Eleanor Roosevelt and her also-extraordinary accomplishments.
296 pages, Hardcover
First published June 1, 2022
1 person is currently reading
66 people want to read
About the author
Annette B. Dunlap
7 books1 followerAnnette Dunlap is an independent scholar and journalist. She lives in North Carolina."
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
August 3, 2022
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First ladies often prove to be fascinating individuals overshadowed by their more conspicuous spouses. This is certainly true for Lou Henry Hoover (1874-1944) who was the only female in her graduating class at Stanford, a noted linguist, president of the Girl Scouts, a private philanthropist and widely-recognized humanitarian. Her better-known husband ranks in the lowest rung of former presidents but also led a surprisingly interesting and consequential life…before entering politics.
Prior to publication of Dunlap’s biography, the most recent serious work on Lou Henry Hoover was Anne Beiser Allen’s biography published in 2000 (which can be hard to find and costly to acquire). A director at the National First Ladies’ Library suggested that Dunlap consider writing a biography of the notoriously publicity-shy Hoover, whose accomplishments were neither widely recognized nor fully appreciated. Dunlap accepted the challenge.
The resulting narrative spans 240 pages, covering Hoover’s entire life including attention to her family and her professional and philanthropic accomplishments. The writing is fast-paced, generally lively and uncommonly accessible. It generously incorporates Hoover’s own voice where appropriate and contains almost none of the stiff, erudite language that can burden some biographies.
Lou Henry Hoover’s life was remarkably purposeful and from an early age she was poised to leave her impression on the world. Even before future first lady Eleanor Roosevelt blazed her own bright path, Lou Henry was capable and cocksure. Dunlap is consistently attentive to Hoover’s unique combination of grit, gumption and achievement.
But for all this biography’s merit – and its enormous potential – the book’s pace is too brisk. Whether this is due to a tight editorial filter or, more likely, a lack of primary source material, the result is the same: there is a pervasive, unshakeable feeling that a great deal of important “connective tissue” is missing and that only part of the story is being told. Unfortunately, the author never discusses the constraints she encountered in researching her subject, and there is no bibliography for the curious reader to peruse.
In addition, Dunlap is so focused on laying out the known facts of Hoover’s life that she often fails to fully develop her subject’s most important (and seemingly interesting) relationships. More deeply explored, her closest interpersonal connections could add a great deal of color and texture to Hoover’s somewhat flat portrait.
Overall, Annette Dunlap’s biography of former first lady Lou Henry Hoover is a welcome addition to the limited body of work covering this talented and under-appreciated woman. But for all the book’s value in revealing Hoover’s talents and triumphs, her penchant for privacy is an obstacle Dunlap is never able to fully overcome.
Overall rating: 3¼ stars
First ladies often prove to be fascinating individuals overshadowed by their more conspicuous spouses. This is certainly true for Lou Henry Hoover (1874-1944) who was the only female in her graduating class at Stanford, a noted linguist, president of the Girl Scouts, a private philanthropist and widely-recognized humanitarian. Her better-known husband ranks in the lowest rung of former presidents but also led a surprisingly interesting and consequential life…before entering politics.
Prior to publication of Dunlap’s biography, the most recent serious work on Lou Henry Hoover was Anne Beiser Allen’s biography published in 2000 (which can be hard to find and costly to acquire). A director at the National First Ladies’ Library suggested that Dunlap consider writing a biography of the notoriously publicity-shy Hoover, whose accomplishments were neither widely recognized nor fully appreciated. Dunlap accepted the challenge.
The resulting narrative spans 240 pages, covering Hoover’s entire life including attention to her family and her professional and philanthropic accomplishments. The writing is fast-paced, generally lively and uncommonly accessible. It generously incorporates Hoover’s own voice where appropriate and contains almost none of the stiff, erudite language that can burden some biographies.
Lou Henry Hoover’s life was remarkably purposeful and from an early age she was poised to leave her impression on the world. Even before future first lady Eleanor Roosevelt blazed her own bright path, Lou Henry was capable and cocksure. Dunlap is consistently attentive to Hoover’s unique combination of grit, gumption and achievement.
But for all this biography’s merit – and its enormous potential – the book’s pace is too brisk. Whether this is due to a tight editorial filter or, more likely, a lack of primary source material, the result is the same: there is a pervasive, unshakeable feeling that a great deal of important “connective tissue” is missing and that only part of the story is being told. Unfortunately, the author never discusses the constraints she encountered in researching her subject, and there is no bibliography for the curious reader to peruse.
In addition, Dunlap is so focused on laying out the known facts of Hoover’s life that she often fails to fully develop her subject’s most important (and seemingly interesting) relationships. More deeply explored, her closest interpersonal connections could add a great deal of color and texture to Hoover’s somewhat flat portrait.
Overall, Annette Dunlap’s biography of former first lady Lou Henry Hoover is a welcome addition to the limited body of work covering this talented and under-appreciated woman. But for all the book’s value in revealing Hoover’s talents and triumphs, her penchant for privacy is an obstacle Dunlap is never able to fully overcome.
Overall rating: 3¼ stars
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June 30, 2022A warm and unabashedly partisan biography of the forceful, chatty wife of US President Herbert Hoover. My full review is here: https://openlettersreview.com/posts/a...
April 27, 2022
Lou Henry Hoover isn’t a well-known First Lady. It doesn’t help that her husband President Herbert Hoover has a poor ranking among the presidents. He is remembered for ineffectual and even harmful policies during the Depression, plus his public persona was cold and inflexible. And yet….It was Hoover who aided starving Belgium after WWI and fed Europe after WWII, giving the work his 100%. This biography attests that even his wife and family were left behind in his dedication.
The fun-loving man who Lou married changed. Early in their marriage, Lou traveled with him across the world. During the war, she was virtually abandoned. Luckily, Lou led her own active life while defending her husband to the end.
Lou’s dad raised her as a boy; they even worked together in a gold mine one summer. She was physically active and intelligent. She was the first woman at Stanford University to earn a degree in geology. She meet fellow student ‘Bert’ Herbert Hoover and after Lou graduated they married and went off to China for his work. The couple had to flee China during the Boxer Rebellion, and in Australia traveled across the outback. They jointly translated an ancient Latin treatise on mining. It was an exciting and adventurous life for Lou. Then the war came, taking Bert’s entire energy and attention.
The family was in England during WWI and Lou and their sons returned to America while Bert stayed to run the relief organization to feed Belgium. Lou raised funds from their home in California, but Bert insisted she return to him in London without the boys. It was a dangerous time for sea travel to England. Lou was not sure she would survive the trip and wrote letters to friends and her sons detailing her wishes if she and Bert did not survive the war. It was heartbreaking to read.
I know that if I should die, I can pray my soul to go over to my two dear little boys and to help and comfort their souls.
letter from Lou Henry Hoover to her son Allan
Bert’s work continued to keep him aloof from his family. Lou and Bert’s relationship had altered, its closeness ended. Lou depended on their financial manager to keep her in the loop about her husband’s activities and plans as he organized and ran the Food Administration, initiating food conservation for the war effort.
Lou found satisfaction in her volunteer work. The founder of the Girl Scouts asked for her service. She traveled the country teaching ‘Hooverizing’, Bert’s goals for food conservation. She was a natural manager and fund-raiser. She traded her tomboy attire for elegant fashions.
Although Lou was generous with her charitable giving, secretly aided individuals in need and funding girls college tuition, she resisted any publicity. Both the Hoovers were distrustful of the press and self-promotion, and their demands for privacy created a distance with the American public. They did not realize how their image impacted Bert’s political career and reelection. When FDR won the presidency, Bert was angry and resentful.
The Hoovers both believed in American exceptionalism and superiority, which included only white Americans. They valued “the dignity of work versus the ignominy of a handout.” Bert called for volunteerism to attack the Depression. He tried to correct a budget shortfall by slashing the federal budget and calling for a tax increase. Other programs he supported addressed banking problems. He saw the Depression as the market correcting itself. The handling of the WWI veterans who converged on Washington DC demanding a promised bonus was disastrous, ending in much publicized violence.
Lou courted controversy when she included the wife of an African American congressman to a White House tea, which alienated Southern congressmen and perhaps fueled Bert’s reelection defeat.
A Woman of Adventure is a great introduction to Lou Henry Hoover. The couple spent years living apart and separate lives, reminding me of Eleanor and Franklin Roosevelt’s marriage. Bert relied on Lou, but offered her little in return. The author mentions press rumors of Bert having an affair. It would be fascinating to understand more about this aspect of their marriage. For all of Lou’s exceptional life that broke gender boundaries, she placed herself second to Bert, ignoring health signs that perhaps lead to her early death.
It was interesting to read the author’s insight into the Hoovers’ reticence to publicity and how their antagonistic relationship with the press impacted Bert’s image in the public eye, leading to public anger and his losing reelection. Lou preferred a public image of wife and homemaker, repressing public knowledge of her many gifts and talents.
Another interesting insight is that Lou was interested in restoring the White House to period furniture of the Monroe presidency, even creating copies of the original furniture. and commissioning a copy of Elizabeth Monroe’s privately held portrait. Few knew about her work.
The book is filled with revelations about Lou’s multitude of gifts and contributions.
I received a free egalley from the publisher through NetGalley. My review is fair and unbiased.
The fun-loving man who Lou married changed. Early in their marriage, Lou traveled with him across the world. During the war, she was virtually abandoned. Luckily, Lou led her own active life while defending her husband to the end.
Lou’s dad raised her as a boy; they even worked together in a gold mine one summer. She was physically active and intelligent. She was the first woman at Stanford University to earn a degree in geology. She meet fellow student ‘Bert’ Herbert Hoover and after Lou graduated they married and went off to China for his work. The couple had to flee China during the Boxer Rebellion, and in Australia traveled across the outback. They jointly translated an ancient Latin treatise on mining. It was an exciting and adventurous life for Lou. Then the war came, taking Bert’s entire energy and attention.
The family was in England during WWI and Lou and their sons returned to America while Bert stayed to run the relief organization to feed Belgium. Lou raised funds from their home in California, but Bert insisted she return to him in London without the boys. It was a dangerous time for sea travel to England. Lou was not sure she would survive the trip and wrote letters to friends and her sons detailing her wishes if she and Bert did not survive the war. It was heartbreaking to read.
I know that if I should die, I can pray my soul to go over to my two dear little boys and to help and comfort their souls.
letter from Lou Henry Hoover to her son Allan
Bert’s work continued to keep him aloof from his family. Lou and Bert’s relationship had altered, its closeness ended. Lou depended on their financial manager to keep her in the loop about her husband’s activities and plans as he organized and ran the Food Administration, initiating food conservation for the war effort.
Lou found satisfaction in her volunteer work. The founder of the Girl Scouts asked for her service. She traveled the country teaching ‘Hooverizing’, Bert’s goals for food conservation. She was a natural manager and fund-raiser. She traded her tomboy attire for elegant fashions.
Although Lou was generous with her charitable giving, secretly aided individuals in need and funding girls college tuition, she resisted any publicity. Both the Hoovers were distrustful of the press and self-promotion, and their demands for privacy created a distance with the American public. They did not realize how their image impacted Bert’s political career and reelection. When FDR won the presidency, Bert was angry and resentful.
The Hoovers both believed in American exceptionalism and superiority, which included only white Americans. They valued “the dignity of work versus the ignominy of a handout.” Bert called for volunteerism to attack the Depression. He tried to correct a budget shortfall by slashing the federal budget and calling for a tax increase. Other programs he supported addressed banking problems. He saw the Depression as the market correcting itself. The handling of the WWI veterans who converged on Washington DC demanding a promised bonus was disastrous, ending in much publicized violence.
Lou courted controversy when she included the wife of an African American congressman to a White House tea, which alienated Southern congressmen and perhaps fueled Bert’s reelection defeat.
A Woman of Adventure is a great introduction to Lou Henry Hoover. The couple spent years living apart and separate lives, reminding me of Eleanor and Franklin Roosevelt’s marriage. Bert relied on Lou, but offered her little in return. The author mentions press rumors of Bert having an affair. It would be fascinating to understand more about this aspect of their marriage. For all of Lou’s exceptional life that broke gender boundaries, she placed herself second to Bert, ignoring health signs that perhaps lead to her early death.
It was interesting to read the author’s insight into the Hoovers’ reticence to publicity and how their antagonistic relationship with the press impacted Bert’s image in the public eye, leading to public anger and his losing reelection. Lou preferred a public image of wife and homemaker, repressing public knowledge of her many gifts and talents.
Another interesting insight is that Lou was interested in restoring the White House to period furniture of the Monroe presidency, even creating copies of the original furniture. and commissioning a copy of Elizabeth Monroe’s privately held portrait. Few knew about her work.
The book is filled with revelations about Lou’s multitude of gifts and contributions.
I received a free egalley from the publisher through NetGalley. My review is fair and unbiased.
Read
June 29, 2025Good biography of a relatively unknown First Lady. A bit tedious at times but thorough. Would have liked more about her relationship with her husband which seemed to be non-existent in the later years. Solid historical biography.
September 10, 2023
I read “A Woman of Adventure: The Life and Times of First Lady Lou Henry Hoover” in preparation for an online meeting of the Iowa History Book Club sponsored by the State Historical Society of Iowa. As anticipated, I found the life story of a First Lady who was very accomplished in her own right. Lou Henry Hoover was a native of Iowa who migrated with her family to California where she pursued a degree in geology at the then relatively new Stanford University where she met her husband, Herbert Hoover. Their joint and parallel lives were ones of adventure, extending across the world including Australia, China, Britain, France and both coasts of the United States. Ignoring warnings to leave China out of loyalty to servants and employees, Lou and Bert were trapped in the foreign concession of Tianjin during the Boxer Rebellion. Possessing skills customarily associated with men and women, Lou performed armed patrols of the walls, participated in raids, cooked, and nursed the sick and injured. The outbreak of World War I brought Bert, and with him Lou, into the world of philanthropy through arranging passage for Americans evacuating belligerent nations and relief for Belgium among others initiatives.
Lou undertook numerous philanthropic causes, both in conjunction with Bert and on her own. She became a long-time patron and officer of the Girl Scouts of America as well as other organizations. Lou executed the duties of candidate’s wife and First Lady within the dictates of her time. Perhaps her most delicate task arose in connection with receptions for wives of members of the House of Representatives. An invitation to Jessie De Priest, wife of Oscar De Priest, the first black Representative since Reconstruction, threatened to disrupt Washington society. Lou finessed the issue by extending the invitation to which Mrs. De Priest was entitled, but to a smaller group, so as to minimize backlash. While current critiques might say Lou should have faced the issue head on, Lou followed a middle course within the constraints of her time that created a precedent for later inclusion of black guests. Throughout their shared lives, Lou and Bert were often apart, but their relationship never weakened.
This work struck me as a dual biography of Lou and Bert. As Author Annette B. Dunlap explained during the book club meeting, it is impossible to tell Lou’s tale without extensively including Bert’s. Readers may be left trying to compare Lou to other First Ladies, both her contemporaries and those more recent. She was a very successful woman who needed and used her husband to open doors closed to other women of her era. Not constrained to White House years but looking at their whole lives, Lou has few rivals among First Ladies and possibly no betters. Eleanor Roosevelt and Hilary Clinton achieved much through politics and government service but a strong case can be made for Lou as a greater contributor to human betterment.
Annette Dunlap has performed a valuable service to history by casting a spotlight on this most remarkable woman though this most readable biography.
Lou undertook numerous philanthropic causes, both in conjunction with Bert and on her own. She became a long-time patron and officer of the Girl Scouts of America as well as other organizations. Lou executed the duties of candidate’s wife and First Lady within the dictates of her time. Perhaps her most delicate task arose in connection with receptions for wives of members of the House of Representatives. An invitation to Jessie De Priest, wife of Oscar De Priest, the first black Representative since Reconstruction, threatened to disrupt Washington society. Lou finessed the issue by extending the invitation to which Mrs. De Priest was entitled, but to a smaller group, so as to minimize backlash. While current critiques might say Lou should have faced the issue head on, Lou followed a middle course within the constraints of her time that created a precedent for later inclusion of black guests. Throughout their shared lives, Lou and Bert were often apart, but their relationship never weakened.
This work struck me as a dual biography of Lou and Bert. As Author Annette B. Dunlap explained during the book club meeting, it is impossible to tell Lou’s tale without extensively including Bert’s. Readers may be left trying to compare Lou to other First Ladies, both her contemporaries and those more recent. She was a very successful woman who needed and used her husband to open doors closed to other women of her era. Not constrained to White House years but looking at their whole lives, Lou has few rivals among First Ladies and possibly no betters. Eleanor Roosevelt and Hilary Clinton achieved much through politics and government service but a strong case can be made for Lou as a greater contributor to human betterment.
Annette Dunlap has performed a valuable service to history by casting a spotlight on this most remarkable woman though this most readable biography.
March 24, 2022
I received an eARC of this book from NetGalley and the publisher.
I’ve read a number of both autobiographies and biographies about the US First Ladies. Some have been well written and others, not so. So, I was pleased to be able to read “A Woman of Adventure: The Life and Times of First Lady Lou Henry Hoover” by Annette Dunlap.
Let me start by saying what I knew about Ms. Hoover before reading this book: she graduated from Stanford University with a Geology degree, with her husband she traveled to China, she traveled to various places about the world with her husband - assisting with his mining work, she did some work with WWI food relief in Europe, she promoted the US Girl Scouts, and she died before her husband. So, I knew some things about Ms. Hoover, but nothing beyond some basic facts.
While reading this book, I learned that Ms. Hoover’s “Palo Alto” house, that she mainly designed, is now both a historical landmark and the home for the current Stanford University President. I also learned that why not much is not known about Ms. Hoover is that she really disliked interviews and the press, especially after an “afternoon tea” invite to the wife of a Black congressman. I didn’t know that Ms. Hoover was involved with a number of organizations, including a number that promoted education and fitness. However, what I never felt that the author, Ms. Dunlap, was able to convey was an essence of Ms. Hoover herself. This book includes letters that Ms. Hoover wrote to her family, where she mentions some of her frustrations about things, but a bit annoyingly other things are just mentioned as happening - such as attending her eldest child’s graduation from Stanford, but missing both the high school and Stanford graduation of her other child.
While I’d criticize the book for being a bit dry, it may also be that Ms. Dunlap did the best she could with the information she had available from her sources. I’m glad that I was able to read this book to learn a bit more about Ms. Hoover, but I may try reading some other books to see if they shed a bit more light into this interesting woman.
I’ve read a number of both autobiographies and biographies about the US First Ladies. Some have been well written and others, not so. So, I was pleased to be able to read “A Woman of Adventure: The Life and Times of First Lady Lou Henry Hoover” by Annette Dunlap.
Let me start by saying what I knew about Ms. Hoover before reading this book: she graduated from Stanford University with a Geology degree, with her husband she traveled to China, she traveled to various places about the world with her husband - assisting with his mining work, she did some work with WWI food relief in Europe, she promoted the US Girl Scouts, and she died before her husband. So, I knew some things about Ms. Hoover, but nothing beyond some basic facts.
While reading this book, I learned that Ms. Hoover’s “Palo Alto” house, that she mainly designed, is now both a historical landmark and the home for the current Stanford University President. I also learned that why not much is not known about Ms. Hoover is that she really disliked interviews and the press, especially after an “afternoon tea” invite to the wife of a Black congressman. I didn’t know that Ms. Hoover was involved with a number of organizations, including a number that promoted education and fitness. However, what I never felt that the author, Ms. Dunlap, was able to convey was an essence of Ms. Hoover herself. This book includes letters that Ms. Hoover wrote to her family, where she mentions some of her frustrations about things, but a bit annoyingly other things are just mentioned as happening - such as attending her eldest child’s graduation from Stanford, but missing both the high school and Stanford graduation of her other child.
While I’d criticize the book for being a bit dry, it may also be that Ms. Dunlap did the best she could with the information she had available from her sources. I’m glad that I was able to read this book to learn a bit more about Ms. Hoover, but I may try reading some other books to see if they shed a bit more light into this interesting woman.
December 1, 2025
Lou Henry Hoover may not be a household name like Eleanor Roosevelt or Jackie Kennedy, but after reading this book, it’s clear she deserves far more recognition. Annette B. Dunlap’s meticulously researched biography brings this trailblazing First Lady out of the shadows, revealing a woman of intellect, resilience, and quiet but profound influence. A Stanford geology graduate, fluent in multiple languages, and a sharpshooter who once patrolled the walls of Tianjin during the Boxer Rebellion, she defied the demure "political wife" stereotype. But as Herbert Hoover’s career ascended, she navigated the constraints of her era, supporting his work while carving out her own legacy. Her leadership in the Girl Scouts and her anonymous philanthropy (funding countless educations) show that she was a woman who believed in action over accolades.
Dunlap doesn’t shy from the complexities of Lou’s marriage—how wartime separations and Herbert’s political ambitions strained their once-equal partnership. The letters Lou wrote to her sons during her perilous WWI Atlantic crossing are heartbreakingly poignant, revealing a mother torn between duty and fear. Yet even as her public role narrowed, her private impact expanded, from advocating for women’s athletics to quietly integrating White House events (her 1929 tea invitation to Jessie De Priest, wife of a Black congressman, was a quiet act of defiance).
The book’s only flaw is its occasional dryness—some sections read more like a chronicle than a narrative. Still, Dunlap’s dedication to detail pays off, especially in debunking myths (like Lou’s supposed disdain for the limelight; she simply preferred *substance* over spectacle). And while Herbert’s presidency remains controversial, Lou’s story reframes their legacy: two globally minded idealists whose humanitarian work (such as feeding Europe after the war) speaks volumes.
Thank you to the publishers and NetGalley for the opportunity to review a temporary digital ARC in exchange for an unbiased review.
Dunlap doesn’t shy from the complexities of Lou’s marriage—how wartime separations and Herbert’s political ambitions strained their once-equal partnership. The letters Lou wrote to her sons during her perilous WWI Atlantic crossing are heartbreakingly poignant, revealing a mother torn between duty and fear. Yet even as her public role narrowed, her private impact expanded, from advocating for women’s athletics to quietly integrating White House events (her 1929 tea invitation to Jessie De Priest, wife of a Black congressman, was a quiet act of defiance).
The book’s only flaw is its occasional dryness—some sections read more like a chronicle than a narrative. Still, Dunlap’s dedication to detail pays off, especially in debunking myths (like Lou’s supposed disdain for the limelight; she simply preferred *substance* over spectacle). And while Herbert’s presidency remains controversial, Lou’s story reframes their legacy: two globally minded idealists whose humanitarian work (such as feeding Europe after the war) speaks volumes.
Thank you to the publishers and NetGalley for the opportunity to review a temporary digital ARC in exchange for an unbiased review.
February 27, 2025
This was a good biography of a little-known subject. Lou Hoover is barely thought about today when you think of American First Ladies. Her successor in the White House, Eleanor Roosevelt, brought such a huge personality to the office of First Lady that Lou sort of gets lost in her shadow. But Lou was very much ahead of her time. She was very involved in the First World War effort to help Belgium, and saved many lives because of her efforts. She was a great worker for the Girl Scouts, eventually serving as the group's President. She was very interested in geology, and regularly kept abreast of the goings on in the mining field.
As the introduction says, Lou is an under-rated First Lady. Give this book a read. You won't be disappointed.
As the introduction says, Lou is an under-rated First Lady. Give this book a read. You won't be disappointed.
April 24, 2022
Lou Henry Hoover was an accomplished woman. Yet, many people don’t know that or half of the things she did. She was an activist with the Girl Scouts and never wanted to be in the national limelight.
Dunlap has written an informative biography. I found the information To be interesting but the writing was a tad dry. It lacked luster and was rather perfunctory.
The author claims Hoover was the Last First Lady to predecease her husband, which is incorrect. That was Barbara Bush in 2018.
Thanks to University of Nebraska Press and NetGalley for the advance read.
Dunlap has written an informative biography. I found the information To be interesting but the writing was a tad dry. It lacked luster and was rather perfunctory.
The author claims Hoover was the Last First Lady to predecease her husband, which is incorrect. That was Barbara Bush in 2018.
Thanks to University of Nebraska Press and NetGalley for the advance read.
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June 14, 2022A WOMAN OF ADVENTURE, THE LIFE AND TIMES OF FIRST LADY LOU HENRY HOOVER has gone beyond biographical conventions by giving us not just the woman behind the man but the whole woman’s inner life.
Read BookTrib's full review.
Read BookTrib's full review.
November 11, 2022
The first section was interesting, but it rambled on at the end and was a bit repetitive.
I did like hearing about the development of the Stanford campus and surroundings.
I did like hearing about the development of the Stanford campus and surroundings.
September 21, 2023
I've been looking for a good biography of Lou,and I am so glad I found it!
August 8, 2025
After visiting the Hoover Presidential Library in Iowa, I wanted to learn more about Lou Henry Hoover. She is an impressive, smart, strong woman. She was kind and supported many young women and had an active role in Girl Scouting. She lived around the world. Interesting life!
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews