Celebrating America's First Ladies

Resources at the SJRCC Libraries

PAL = Palatka Campus | OPC = Orange Park Campus | SAC = St. Augustine Campus

= Book | = DVD| = internet resource

Hidden Power: Presidential Marriages That Shaped Our Recent History - Publisher's Marketing: "An extraordinary work of history and original reporting that reveals the ways in which presidential marriages have affected the tone, character, and policies of twelve administrations, from Woodrow and Edith Wilson to George W. and Laura Bush.
Each of the marriages that Kati Marton examines in this hugely appealing book offers up its own unexpected lessons about power and marriage, about the influence of presidential wives, and about the evolution of women's roles in the twentieth century. Based on private White House documents and on interviews with the participants and with eyewitnesses to presidential events, "Hidden Power explores how both the personal dynamics and public faces of White House marriages have shaped our history.
We see Edith Wilson literally running the government when her deeply beloved husband becomes ill; how the combination of Franklin Roosevelt's reassuring spirit and his wife's humility guided the country through Depression and war; how Bess Truman's loyalty, bluntness, and unpretentiousness were some of her
husband's greatest resources; the superb and necessary diplomacy of Jacqueline Kennedy.
We observe Lady Bird Johnson retaining her own compass in the face of massive criticism of her husband; how Patricia Nixon's estrangement from her husband fed his paranoia; how the Fords reassured us after the debacles of Vietnam and Watergate; Rosalynn Carter's struggle to carve out new territory as first lady; the generally constructive role Nancy Reagan played, despite her frivolous reputation; the razor-sharp political instincts behind Barbara Bush's grandmotherly image; how Hillary Clinton saved her husband's presidency; and how Laura Bush providesemotional ballast for her husband.
Here are the stories of the ultimate power couples--each one very different, but all of them informative, lively, and absolutely fascinating."

Call number: OPC - E176.1 .M368 2001

First Ladies - Publisher's Marketing: "As we move toward the year 2000, Americans continue to debate the job of First Lady. How much power does the position actually hold? How publicly should that power be wielded? First Ladies tells the story of this curious institution and the evolution of these women's role from ceremonial backdrop to substantive world figure. This expanded edition brings us up to the present, examining the legacies of our three most recent First Ladies: Nancy Reagan, credited with raising the job to that of "Associate President"; Barbara Bush, who took a more traditional approach); and Hillary Rodham Clinton, widely billed as the person responsible for changing the job completely. Covering all thirty-nine women from Martha Washington to our current First Lady and including the daughters, daughters-in-law, and sisters of presidents who sometimes served as First Ladies, Betty Boyd Caroli explores the background, marriage, and accomplishments and failures in office of each woman. This remarkably diverse lot included Abigail Adams, whose "remember the ladies" became a twentieth-century feminist refrain; Edith Wilson, who alone controlled access to the President when he suffered a stroke; Jane Pierce, who prayed her husband would lose the election; Helen Taft, who insisted on living in the White House, although her husband would have preferred a judgeship; and Pat Nixon, who perfected what some have called "the robot image." They ranged in age from early 20's to late 60's; some received superb educations for their time, while others had little or no schooling. Including the courageous and adventurous, the emotionally unstable, the ambitious, and the reserved, these women often did not fit the traditionalexpectations of a presidential helpmate.
Depicting how these women used the "magic wand" given to them, Caroli reveals not only how each First Lady changed the role, but also how the role changed in response to American culture. Because of their position, these women left remarkably complete records, and their stories offer us an insider's view not only of their lives but also of the history of American women in general."

Call number: SAC - E176.2 .C37 1995

Call number: OPC - E176.2 .C37 1989b

Fascinating First Ladies: Memorable Moments in the Lives of Fifteen Presidents' Wives

Call number: OPC - E176.2 .L65 1977

About the White House > First Ladies

http://www.whitehouse.gov/about/first_ladies/

Michelle's story carries with it all the extraordinary achievements and lingering pain of America in the post-civil rights era. She grew up on the south side of Chicago, the daughter of a city worker and a stay-at-home mom in a neighborhood rocked by white flight. She was admitted to Princeton amid an angry debate about affirmative action and went on to Harvard Law School, where she was more comfortable doing pro-bono work for the poor than gunning for awards with the rest of her peers. She became a corporate lawyer, then left to train community leaders. She is modern in her tastes but likes to watch reruns of "The Dick Van Dyke Show" and "The Brady Bunch."

In this carefully reported biography, drawing upon interviews with more than one hundred people, including one with Michelle herself, Mundy captures the complexity of this remarkable woman and the remarkable life she has lived."

Call number: SAC - E901.1 .O24 M86 2008

Call number: OPC - E901.1.O24 M86 2008

Hillary Rodham Clinton came of age during a time of tumultuous social and political change in America. Like many women of her generation, she grew up with choices and opportunities unknown to her mother or grandmother. She charted her own course through unexplored terrain -- responding to the changing times and her own internal compass -- and became an emblem for some and a lightning rod for others. Wife, mother, lawyer, advocate and international icon, she has lived through America's great political wars, from Watergate to Whitewater.

The only First Lady to play a major role in shaping domestic legislation, Hillary Rodham Clinton traveled tirelessly around the country to champion health care, expand economic and educational opportunity and promote the needs of children and families, and she crisscrossed the globe on behalf of women's rights, human rights and democracy. She redefined the position of First Lady and helped save the presidency from an unconstitutional, politically motivated impeachment. Intimate, powerfuland inspiring, "Living History" captures the essence of one of the most remarkable women of our time and the challenging process by which she came to define herself and find her own voice -- as a woman and as a formidable figure in American politics. "

Call number: SAC - E887.C55 C55 2003

For Love of Politics: Bill and Hillary Clinton: The White House Years - Publisher's Marketing: "New York Times" bestselling author Bedell Smith strips away the secrecy of the White House to show how the Clintons political partnership preserved their marriage and paved the way for Hillarys historic run for the presidency. Two 16-page b&w photo inserts."

Call number: PAL - E886.2 .S555 2007

Hillary Rodham Clinton: Polarizing First Lady - Publisher's Marketing: "In this lively and refreshingly non sensational new book. Gil Troy provides a revealing look at arguably the most polarizing first lady in history and undoubtedly the most prominent American women of the time--Hillary Rodham Clinton."

Call number: PAL - E887.C55 T76 2006

It Takes a Village - Publisher's Marketing: "In celebration of the tenth anniversary of "It Takes a Village," this splendid edition includes photographs and a new Introduction by Senator Clinton. As relevant as ever, this anniversary edition makes it abundantly clear that the choices made by parents today about how to raise children and how to support families will determine how the nation will face the challenges of the 21st century."

Call number: SAC - HQ792.U5 C57 2006

Call number: OPC - HQ792.U5 C57 1996

Barbara Bush: A Memoir - Publisher's Marketing: "Barbara Bush is certainly among the most popular First Ladies ever to live in the White House. Politics aside, people worldwide have come to admire her wit, her candor and compassion, as well as her unswerving devotion to her husband and children. In her memoir, Mrs. Bush for the first time gives readers a very private look at a life lived in the public eye for more than twenty-five years. She begins with a compelling portrait of her early years, including: growing up in Rye, New York, and meeting George Bush; life as a young bride and mother, moving far away from home to West Texas; and the almost unbearable pain of losing a child. With contemporary American history as the backdrop, Mrs. Bush remembers the shock of learning that her fiance has been shot down in the Pacific during World War II; the disbelief when a black friend is refused service in a Southern restaurant in the 1950s; and the fear when she is caught in the middle of a student protest march in the 1960s. She recounts her years in public life, from first moving to Washington when George Bush was elected to Congress; to her experience living in New York as the wife of the Ambassador to the United Nations and in China as wife of the U.S. envoy. She talks candidly about the ups and downs of three presidential campaigns and describes her role as the wife of the Vice President, culminating in the climactic White House years. Drawing upon excerpts from her diary, which she has compiled for more than thirty years, Mrs. Bush takes us behind the scenes of the Persian Gulf conflict and the end of the Cold War. She talks about both the Bushes' struggle to overcome Graves' disease and how she faced the controversy that erupted atWellesley College before her commencement speech. Through the friendships she developed over the years with world leaders and their spouses, we meet and get to know the Gorbachevs, the Thatchers, the Mitterrands, the Mubaraks, and many others. And she tells us why she threw so much of her energy and compassion behind the important cause of making more Americans literate. This memoir includes hundreds of the funny, often self-deprecating, and occasionally touching anecdotes for which Mrs. Bush is well known: surprising a rat while swimming in the White House pool; accidentally stomping on Boris Yeltsin's foot under the table during a state dinner; wearing a $29 pair of shoes for her husband's inaugural ball. She also talks about the disappointments of the 1992 presidential campaign and the joys of rediscovering private life, including driving and cooking again for the first time in twelve years. This is a warm and funny memoir that will charm Mrs. Bush's millions of admirers and earn her many more."

Call number: OPC -E883.B87 A3 1994

Nancy Reagan: The Unauthorized Biography by Kitty Kelley - Publisher's Marketing: "The best-selling author turns her piercing eye to the former First Lady in an unauthorized account of Nancy Reagan's life."

Call number: PAL - E878.R43 K45 1991

Call number: OPC - E878.R43 K45 1991

First Lady from Plains By Rosalynn Carter - Publisher's Marketing: "The former first lady's memoir covers her small-town childhood, her life as a wife and mother, her role in the family business, her public and political efforts, and her years near the center of power."

Call number: PAL - E874 .C434 1984

Mrs. Ike: Memories and Reflections on the Life of Mamie Eisenhower - Publisher's Marketing: "Susan Eisenhower - writer, political analyst, public speaker, career woman - here looks back on the life of her grandmother in a tribute that coincides with the centenary of Mamie Eisenhower's birth. In this compelling biography of an army captain's wife who becomes First Lady, she paints the portrait of an independent, headstrong woman who was passionately engaged in a lifelong relationship with a man who was her utter opposite. Although Ms. Eisenhower writes with warm appreciation for her grandmother's life, she does not skirt controversy or bypass rumors. Based on a treasure trove of unpublished letters, Mrs. Ike breaks new historical ground and provides, for the first time, a rare insight into the personalities and interrelationship of two complex people. Set against the background of some of the century's greatest events, Mrs Ike is an American love story as well as a chronicle of "a simpler, perhaps nobler time" in American life - a period whose special tone has all but vanished from the contemporary scene. But the human qualities are enduring ones: Susan Eisenhower helps us to see Mamie as Ike did - a heroic and irresistible figure in her own right."

Call number: PAL - E837.E4 E45 1996

This Is My Story By Eleanor Roosevelt

Call number: PAL - E807.1 .R443 1937

This I Remember By Eleanor Roosevelt

Call number: PAL - E807.1 .R428 1949

On My Own: The Years Since the White House By Eleanor Roosevelt

Call number: PAL - E807.1 .R424 1958

This landmark biography provides a compelling new evaluation of one of the most inspiring women in American political history. Celebrated by feminists, historians, politicians, and reviewers everywhere, it presents an unprecedented portrait of a brave, fierce, passionate political leader of our century."

Call number: SAC - E807.1.R48 C66 1993

It Seems to Me demonstrates Roosevelt's significance as a stateswoman and professional politician, particularly after her husband's death in 1945. These letters reveal a dimension of her personality often lost in collections of letters to family members and friends -- that of a shrewd, self-confident woman unafraid to speak her mind.

In her letters, Eleanor Roosevelt lectured Truman, badgered Eisenhower, and critiqued Kennedy. She disagreed with the Catholic Church over aid to parochial schools, made recommendations for political appointments, and expressed her opinion on the conviction of Alger Hiss. Some letters demonstrate her commitment to civil rights, many her understanding of Cold War politics, and still others her support of labor unions. As a whole this collection provides unique insights into both Eleanor Roosevelt's public life as well as American culture and politics during the decades following World War II."

Call number: SAC - E807.1.R48 A4 2001

Empty Without You: The Intimate Letters of Eleanor Roosevelt and Lorena Hickok - Publisher's Marketing: "In 1978, more than 3,500 letters written over a thirty-year friendship between Eleanor Roosevelt and Lorena Hickok were discovered by archivists. Although the most explicit letters had been burned (Lorena told Eleanor's daughter, "Your mother wasn't always so very discreet in her letters to me"), the find was still electrifying enough to create controversy about the nature of the women's relationship. Historian Rodger Streitmatter has transcribed and annotated more than 300 of those letters--published here for the first time--and put them within the context of the lives of these two extraordinary women, allowing us to understand the role of this remarkable friendship in Roosevelt's transformation into a crusading First Lady."

Call number: SAC - E807.1.R48 A4 2000

Eleanor and Franklin: The Story of Their Relationship, Based on Eleanor Roosevelt's Private Papers

Call number: PAL - E807.1 .R572 1971

Courage in a Dangerous World: The Political Writings of Eleanor Roosevelt - Publisher's Marketing: "More than two hundred columns, articles, essays, speeches, and letters, tracing ER's development from timorous columnist to one of liberalism's most eloquent and outspoken leaders. From "My Day" columns on Marian Anderson, excerpts from "Moral Basis of Democracy" and "This Troubled World," to speeches and articles on the Holocaust and McCarthyism."

Call number: PAL - E807.1.R48 A3 1999

No Ordinary Time: Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt, the Home Front in World War II - Publisher's Marketing: "Presenting an aspect of American history that has never been fully told, Doris Kearns Goodwin writes a brilliant narrative account of how the United States of 1940, an isolationist country divided along class lines, still suffering the ravages of a decade-long depression and woefully unprepared for war, was unified by a common threat and by the extraordinary leadership of Franklin Roosevelt to become, only five years later, the preeminent economic and military power in the world. At the center of the country's transformation was the complex partnership of Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt. Franklin's main objective from the war's onset was victory, and he knew the war could not be won without focusing the energies of the American people and expanding his base of support - making his peace with conservative leaders and gaining the cooperation of big business. Eleanor, meanwhile, felt the war would not be worth winning if the old order of things at home prevailed and was often at odds with her husband in her efforts to preserve the gains of the New Deal and achieve reforms in civil rights, housing, and welfare programs. While Franklin manned the war room at the White House and held meetings with Winston Churchill, Joseph Stalin, Mackenzie King, and other world leaders to discuss strategy for the war abroad, Eleanor crisscrossed the country, visiting the American people, seeing how the war and policies her husband made in Washington affected them as individuals. Using diaries, interviews, and White House records of the president's and first lady's comings and goings, Goodwin paints a detailed, intimate portrait not only of the daily conduct of the presidency during wartime but of the Roosevelts themselves and their extraordinary constellation of friends, advisers, and family, many of whom lived with them in the White House: Missy LeHand, FDR's "other wife" and secretary; Harry Hopkins, FDR's closest friend and adviser; the president's indomitable mother, Sara; the Roosevelts' daughter, Anna; Eleanor's close friends Lorena Hickock and Joe Lash; Crown Princess Martha of Norway; FDR's former lover Lucy Rutherfurd, who, in a final, painful blow to Eleanor, was with him when he died. Bringing to bear the tools of both history and biography, as well as her great talent for capturing larger-than-life characters, Goodwin relates the unique story of how Franklin Roosevelt, surrounded by his small circle of intimates, led the nation to military victory abroad against seemingly insurmountable odds and, with Eleanor's essential help, forever changed the fabric of American society."

Call number: OPC - E807 .G66 1994

My Parents: A Differing View By James Roosevelt

Call number: PAL - E807 .R658 1976

An Untold Story: The Roosevelts of Hyde Park by Elliott Roosevelt

Call number: OPC - E807 .R635 1973

Eleanor: the Years Alone foreword by Franklin D. Roosevelt, Jr.

Call number: PAL - E807.1 .R574 1972

When the Cheering Stopped: The Last Years of Woodrow Wilson - Publisher's Marketing: "Examines the last seventeen months of Woodrow Wilson’s presidency and the part played by his wife during his isolation from the world because of illness."

Call number: PAL - E767 .S65 1964

The Personal Memoirs of Julia Dent Grant - Publisher's Marketing: "Julia Dent Grant wrote her reminiscences with the vivacity and charm she exhibited throughout her life, telling her story in the easy flow of an afternoon conversation with a close friend. Mrs. Grant was raised the pampered daughter of a Missouri planter, and she later remembered her girlhood as an idyll that she wished could have lasted. Many of the anecdotes she relates give fascinating glimpses into a very troubled period of American history. A dramatic reminiscence recounts the night that Lincoln was assassinated. Mrs. Grant insisted that she and her husband turn down an invitation to the theater in favor of returning home. It saved her husband’s life: he had also been marked for assassination. Throughout these memoirs, which she ends with her husband’s death, Mrs. Grant strives to correct the misconceptions she believed were being circulated about him. She wanted posterity to share her pride in this man, whom she saw as one of America's greatest heroes."

Call number: PAL - CWC E672.1.G73 A3 1988

The General’s Wife: The Life of Mrs. Ulysses S. Grant

Call number: PAL - CWC E672 .R77 1959

Mary Todd Lincoln: A Biography - Publisher's Marketing: "This definitive biography of Mary Todd Lincoln beautifully conveys her tumultuous life and times. A privileged daughter of the proud clan that founded Lexington, Kentucky, Mary fell into a stormy romance with the raw Illinois attorney Abraham Lincoln. For twenty-five years the Lincolns forged opposing temperaments into a tolerant, loving marriage. Even as the nation suffered secession and civil war, Mary experienced the tragedies of losing three of her four children and then her husband. An insanity trial orchestrated by her surviving son led to her confinement in an asylum. Mary Todd Lincoln is still often portrayed in one dimension, as the stereotype of the best-hated faults of all women. Here her life is restored for us whole."

Call number: PAL - E457.25.L55 B35 1989

Mary Todd Lincoln: Her Life and Letters

Call number: PAL - CWC E457.25 .T87 1972

Mary Lincoln: Biography of a Marriage

Call number: PAL - CWC E457.25 .R3 1953

And Tyler Too: A Biography of John & Julia Gardiner Tyler

Call number: PAL - E397 .S4 1963

As a pivotal player in the American Revolution and the early republic, John had a front-row seat at critical moments in the creation of the United States, from the drafting of the Declaration of Independence to negotiating peace with Great Britain to serving as the first vice president and second president under the U.S. Constitution. Separated more often than they were together during this founding era, John and Abigail shared their lives through letters that each addressed to "My Dearest Friend," debating ideas and commenting on current events while attending to the concerns of raising their children (including a future president).

Full of keen observations and articulate commentary onworld events, these letters are also remarkably intimate. This new collection--including some letters never before published--invites readers to experience the founding of a nation and the partnership of two strong individuals, in their own words. This is history at its most authentic and most engaging."

Call number: SAC - E322 .A4 2007

Abigail Adams, An American Woman

Call number: PAL - E322.1.A38 A35 1980

John Adams - Summary: "John Adams is a sprawling HBO miniseries event that depicts the extraordinary life and times of one of Americas least understood, and most underestimated, founding fathers: the second President of the United States, John Adams. Starring Paul Giamatti (Sideways, Cinderella Man, HBOs American Spendor) in the title role and Laura Linney (You Can Count on Me, Kinsey) as Adams devoted wife Abigail, John Adams chronicles the extraordinary life journey of one of the primary shapers of our independence and government, whose legacy has often been eclipsed by more flamboyant contemporaries like George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Alexander Hamilton and Benjamin Franklin. Set against the backdrop of a nations stormy birth, this sweeping miniseries is a moving love story, a gripping narrative, and a fascinating study of human nature. Above all, at a time when the nation is increasingly polarized politically, this story celebrates the shared values of liberty and freedom upon which this country was built."

Call number: SAC - PN1997 JohnAdams DVD

Call number: OPC - PN1997 .J647 2008 DVD

Martha Washington, Our First Lady

Call number: PAL - E312.19.D95 D4 1942

Washington's Lady

Call number: PAL - E312.19.W95 T48 1960