"[A] gossipy, but surprisingly deep, look at the women who help and
sometimes overshadow their powerful husbands." -- USA Today
From the #1 New York Times bestselling author of the groundbreaking
backstairs look at the White House, The Residence, comes an intimate,
news-making look at the true modern power brokers at 1600 Pennsylvania
Avenue: the First Ladies, from Jackie Kennedy to Michelle Obama.
One of the most underestimated--and challenging--positions in the world,
the First Lady of the United States must be many things: an inspiring
leader with a forward-thinking agenda of her own; a savvy politician,
skilled at navigating the treacherous rapids of Washington; a wife and
mother operating under constant scrutiny; and an able CEO responsible
for the smooth operation of countless services and special events at the
White House. As she did in her smash #1 bestseller The Residence,
former White House correspondent Kate Andersen Brower draws on a wide
array of untapped, candid sources--from residence staff and social
secretaries to friends and political advisers--to tell the stories of
the ten remarkable women who have defined that role since 1960.
Brower offers new insights into this privileged group of remarkable
women, including Jacqueline Kennedy, Lady Bird Johnson, Patricia Nixon,
Betty Ford, Rosalynn Carter, Nancy Reagan, Barbara Bush, Hillary
Clinton, Laura Bush, and Michelle Obama. The stories she shares range
from the heartwarming to the shocking and tragic, exploring everything
from the first ladies' political crusades to their rivalries with
Washington figures; from their friendships with other first ladies to
their public and private relationships with their husbands. She also
offers insight as to what Melania Trump might hope to accomplish as
First Lady.
Candid and illuminating, this first group biography of the modern first
ladies provides a revealing look at life upstairs and downstairs at the
world's most powerful address.
