A White House diary

Louann Atkins Temple Women & Culture Series

by Lady Bird Johnson

Originally published in 1970, A White House Diary is Lady Bird Johnson's intimate, behind-the-scenes account of Lyndon Johnson's presidency from November 22, 1963, to January 20, 1969. Beginning with the tragic assassination of John F. Kennedy, Mrs. Johnson records the momentous events of her times, including the Great Society's War on Poverty, the national civil rights and social protest movements, her own activism on behalf of the environment, and the Vietnam War.

Genres: Nonfiction, History, Biography, Politics, Political Science, Memoir

806 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1970

Reviews

[Mariah Roze · Rating 4 out of 5]

I remember reading this in high school and loving it.

[Abby Stopka · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fun book teaching and helping you learn about how LBJ when you learn about how LBJ thought and also how their family worked and being yet also how their family worked and behind the scenes in the White House in the sixties. Was a great book. Was a great book although a bit slow at times

[T.E. · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have read bits and pieces of this book and I have to say: she's not my choice of a heroine, but my God, she's just so NICE. I want her to be my aunt or my nurse or something. I kind of love her.

[Bryce Bastar · Rating 4 out of 5]

Personal Response: I think this book is very informative about President Kennedy getting shot and how everyone that was with him reacted. I liked reading this because it was a behind the scenes story of this event. She told me that he was in the operating room and his wife was standing outside the door worried.


Plot: The plot of this book was about President Kennedy getting shot and how everyone reacted to it. Kennedy was shot in the back of a car. No one would have ever thought that anything like this would have happened.


Setting: The setting took place in Dallas, Texas. In the book, Lady Bird Johnson was all over the place. It started out in Dallas, Texas. She then flew on a plane to Washington D.C. into a hospital.


Theme: The theme of this book would be to always be cautious. President Kennedy way a very well liked man. He felt to comfortable out in the open and ended up getting shot.


Recommendation: I would recommend this book to anyone who can read, because this was a big history event that everyone should know. This book would be appropriate for people older than the age of twelve. I would rate this book a four and a half out of five stars.

[★ᴄᴀʀᴍɪɴᴇ★ · Rating 3 out of 5]

made me think different 💅

julia fox?
3.5 🌟

[Stuart Jenkins · Rating 5 out of 5]

Whether you like LBJ or not, this is an interesting and enjoyable read through a time in US history. I am not a voracious reader so at 781 pages it took me over a year to complete it (mean while I’ve listened to 40 other books lol), but since it’s written as a diary you pick up right where you left off.

[Hilarie · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a delight! Lady Bird Johnson kept a detailed diary while she was first lady. She has a very distinctive voice and a great sense of story, so this was a lot of fun to read. Also, as someone who has researched LBJ in depth, it was fascinating to hear about his administration point from the vantage point of his family. Plus Lady Bird had interesting encounters both with celebrities, and other former presidents and their families. Highly recommend for people who are interested in presidential history, and the U.S. in the late 60's.

[Carmen · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this 37 years ago, but I still remember things like learning that the presidents use several pens to sign bills which are then special gifts to those involved. Lady Bird called her daughter a little girl, even though she was 16! Lady Bird was instrumental in beautification of roadways, and her efforts can still be seen on the interstates in Texas--pretty crepe myrtles planted in the middle.

[Deborah · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was a child/teenager during the Johnson presidency, and I loved reading about Lady Bird's experiences. It gave me a new appreciation for the demands placed upon the US President and family members. History was recorded as it was happening from a unique perspective. It's a long book, and I read it slowly.

[Marcia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very intersting reading and insights from Lady Bird Johnson.

[Lisa]

I love the 60s and I love Lady Bird Johnson. My parents bought this book for me after a recent trip to her Wildflower Center in Austin. I look forward to reading the book this summer.

[Kerry · Rating 5 out of 5]

Of course I immediately read the part about the earliest days of the administration, following the assasination of Kennedy. A welcome addition to my White House library.

[Renee · Rating 4 out of 5]

I adore Lady Bird Johnson. She was whip smart compassionate, and deeply cared about people and the environment. Beautification seems like a wimpy cause for a First Lady to take up, but she saw that people's live could be improved by having green spaces instead of concrete and advertising everywhere. I wish more first ladies had published their diaries instead of writing memoirs. While I know this was edited from her actual diaries, the book retains a real sense of history as it happened.
Learning more about Luci and Lynda was fun. Imagine the fuss today if a president's daughter dated a movie star. I got a chuckle over Bird hoping that her daughters' wedding dresses would be worn by latter generations since both dresses were very of the time.
Most topical was the recurring thread of should LBJ run for another full term and if not, when to announce it. At the start of 1968, the Johnsons discussed the matter with John and Nellie Connely. They decided one should only run for reelection if there would be joy in continuing to do the job and "You also ought not to run just to keep someone else from being President".

[Anne Marie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lady Bird Johnson details her days as the First Lady of the United States, from the traumatic way that her husband, LBJ succeeded JFK after his assassination to the highs of Civil Rights law passage, to a big win in 1964 to the morass of Vietnam to LBJ’s choice not to run for a second term.

What I found most interesting was the contemporary reaction to big moments and interactions with people like Jacqueline Kennedy and Martin Luther King, Jr. I loved her reflections on Alice Roosevelt and Harry Truman.

Last Bird was a proud American, respectful of her place in history and proud of her husband and daughters. There are many beautifully written passages. And then there are some that aren’t that interesting, but they are generally few and far between.

[Wendy McBain · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent book not only about Lady Bird, but the whole LBJ White House experience. Lots of good detailing showing how LBJ ran the big house and thus, the country. Shows her own involvement and how she really supported him through thick and thin. No doubt these two made an great pair. The book does give us a picture of just how successful the United States was, overall, during the 1960s and that it was truly in some of its glory days.

[Shari · Rating 5 out of 5]

My favorite thing about this book is how detailed and honest Lady Bird was about her personal life in the White House. It’s so different from modern autobiographies from famous Presidents and First Ladies who have Ben forced to demur, gloss over, and eliminate due to political reasons. Also, reading this 54 years after it was first published gives such a deep view into the social mores and gender roles of the time.

[Katherine Lavelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

I bought this book in 2013 at the LBJ Library in Austin. I read it in 2020. This book has some interesting reveals (such as LBJ had decided not to seek re-election much earlier than reported) and it's pretty interesting to read this book 50 years out if you like First Lady history.

[Marlee · Rating 5 out of 5]

Long-read that might come off as recording the White House on-goings during the Johnson Administration in an overly meticulous way for some people, but I really loved it.

[Nancy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved the book but was bothered by the fake southern accent the audiobook author used for Lady Bird's voice.

[Linda Bolthwell · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was an interesting book especially if you were alive during that period of time.

[Lisa · Rating 5 out of 5]

#119 of 120 books during 2022

[Micah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very insightful!

[Amanda Marie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This BOok is fucking stu[id

[Susan Evans · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great insight into the national mindset just after the Kennedy assassination. Lady Bird was truly a lady.