Description

In this brave, beautiful, and deeply personal memoir, Laura Bush, one of our most beloved and private first ladies, tells her own extraordinary story. 

Born in the boom-and-bust oil town of Midland, Texas, Laura Welch grew up as an only child in a family that lost three babies to miscarriage or infant death. She vividly evokes Midland's brash, rugged culture, her close relationship with her father, and the bonds of early friendships that sustain her to this day. For the first time, in heart-wrenching detail, she writes about the devastating high school car accident that left her friend Mike Douglas dead and about her decades of unspoken grief.

When Laura Welch first left West Texas in 1964, she never imagined that her journey would lead her to the world stage and the White House. After graduating from Southern Methodist University in 1968, in the thick of student rebellions across the country and at the dawn of the women's movement, she became an elementary school teacher, working in inner-city schools, then trained to be a librarian. At age thirty, she met George W. Bush, whom she had last passed in the hallway in seventh grade. Three months later, "the old maid of Midland married Midland's most eligible bachelor." With rare intimacy and candor, Laura Bush writes about her early married life as she was thrust into one of America's most prominent political families, as well as her deep longing for children and her husband's decision to give up drinking. By 1993, she found herself in the full glare of the political spotlight. But just as her husband won the Texas governorship in a stunning upset victory, her father, Harold Welch, was dying in Midland.

In 2001, after one of the closest elections in American history, Laura Bush moved into the White House. Here she captures presidential life in the harrowing days and weeks after 9/11, when fighter-jet cover echoed through the walls and security scares sent the family to an underground shelter. She writes openly about the White House during wartime, the withering and relentless media spotlight, and the transformation of her role as she began to understand the power of the first lady. One of the first U.S. officials to visit war-torn Afghanistan, she also reached out to disease-stricken African nations and tirelessly advocated for women in the Middle East and dissidents in Burma. She championed programs to get kids out of gangs and to stop urban violence. And she was a major force in rebuilding Gulf Coast schools and libraries post-Katrina. Movingly, she writes of her visits with U.S. troops and their loved ones, and of her empathy for and immense gratitude to military families.

With deft humor and a sharp eye, Laura Bush lifts the curtain on what really happens inside the White House, from presidential finances to the 175-year-old tradition of separate bedrooms for presidents and their wives to the antics of some White House guests and even a few members of Congress. She writes with honesty and eloquence about her family, her public triumphs, and her personal tribulations. Laura Bush's compassion, her sense of humor, her grace, and her uncommon willingness to bare her heart make this story revelatory, beautifully rendered, and unlike any other first lady's memoir ever written.

Details

• Published on: 2010-04-28
• Released on: 2010-05-04
• Format: Kindle Book

Reviews

Bravo
I have long respected and admired Laura Bush. After reading Spoken From The Heart my respect and admiration for her greatly increased. To read about the scheduled events and obligations; the meetings, dinners, and trips as First Lady, is to realize how little personal time she had left for family and friends and introspection. During her years as First Lady, she worked tirelessly to highlight and to make aware of the many basic unmet human needs in health in Africa and Haiti and elsewhere, literacy and women's rights in Afghanistan, and the many freedoms that are so lacking in many countries around the world. Through her efforts avenues were opened to begin to bring solutions to some of these serious problems. Through the many shattering events of the Bush Presidency she helped illuminate and honor the resiliency of the human spirit of people everywhere. This book was an eye opener for me into the lives of President Bush and Mrs. Bush, and all the people who served with them and the utter complexity of solving world problems. She met many people; the rich and the poor, the powerful and famous and the unknown, the well and the sick, the kind and the rude, and treated them all with the civility and grace that are her hallmarks. She is truly a remarkable person.

Two different books.....
This book starts out with what a number of professional reviewers called, rightly, "lyrical descriptions" of Mrs. Bush's small-town childhood. I enjoyed that portion and found her recall of specific childhood incidents to be impressive and meaningful. She also did a beautiful job of telling the reader in a very straightforward way of the events of the night when, as an inexperienced driver, she accidentally killed a friend.

Where the book changed tone was in the many descriptions of White House events and the people who attended various state dinners. While these lists were complete, Mrs. Bush almost never provides any personal comments about the famous people she has met, whether celebrities or heads of state. Having gotten to know her in the preceding sections of the book as a thoughtful, loyal and gracious person, it would have been nice to get her "take" on people; instead, she maintains a gracious, somewhat distant tone. Perhaps this is consistent with the sensitive and graceful aspects of her personality but it does make for dry reading.

Overall, a well-written book with many details of a fascinating life but certainly no Kitty Kelly-like tell-all. Recommended for those who want to know both the story behind the news and to appreciate the complexity of the role of First Lady.

By the way, since so many reviewers here took pains to say they are Democrats or Independents, I am proud to say that I am a Republican, like almost half the country. We, too, read books and have opinions.

A Private Life That Became Public
No matter your politics, Laura Bush has always been a woman that most of us respect. She portrays the love of her man and her family. She loves to read, she likes to travel, take care of her home, and loves her country. Within this book,she has given us a piece of herself.

Laura starts her book by relating her childhood in Midand, Texas Her parents loved children, but her mother had several miscarriages, so Laura was the only child. She was much loved and grew up in a strong, supportive family. She had a normal lively childhood. When she was a young teen, she was driving her friend to a movie, she missed a stop sign and had a collision. One of her good friends died in the crash, and this changed Laura's life. No one spoke about the death, ever. In her book, Laura recommends that everyone face their demons and stand up to them. She wishes she had visited the family, but no one thought it a good idea. This life altering event was faced alone. She went to college, graduated and met George. They fell in love quickly and married. In a few years, twins came along, and Laura's life was complete. All this time her life was private, and then George entered the political world and it changed. She was able to maintain some of her privacy but much of her life was out there for all to see. She discusses her travels as the President's First Lady, her life as a wife and all that entails. She does discuss George Bush's propensity for alcohol, and his decision to stop drinking after a 40th birthday party get away. He is a man of great disclipine, she says, and he found exercise and athletics a joy. One of her happiest days was the day they moved back to their ranch as private citizens. She talks about her life now. Taking her mom to Target to Christmas shop. The life of a woman who has seen the world and much prefers home.

Laura Bush opened her private life to share, and it truly is spoken from the heart. I am not a fan of her husband's politics, but I admire Laura Bush a great deal. She has remained true to herself and her family. Her two daughters are beautiful and bright and helpful to the world. She loves her husband, and their ranch near Crawford is where they want to end their days. Kudos to Laura for a story well told.

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