Review of
Instaread Summary of First Women The Grace and Power of America’s Modern First Ladies by
Kate Andersen Brower
Five out of five stars
Historically,
there are few, if any, positions in the U. S. federal government that are
potentially more powerful with little definition than that of the First Lady.
There is little reason to believe that this will change if the gender of the
President’s spouse is male.
Since the
founding of the nation, the only defined responsibility has been that of
official hostess for White House functions. Some First Ladies have held a lot
of power behind the scenes, some were more public and a few hated their
position. While there are a few references to earlier First Ladies, the book
being summarized here concentrates on the last holders of the position,
starting with Jacqueline Kennedy.
People being
what they are, some of the paired first ladies simply did not like each other,
others hit it off right away and others started off in a state of dislike and
later became friends. This is similar to what happens with ex-Presidents, since
so few people can truly understand what they have experienced, they naturally
gravitate to each other.
I found this
summary to be a solid synopsis of the position of the modern First Lady as well
as what they faced in dealing with the media scrutiny, ready criticism of their
actions and for some, the sexual transgressions of their husbands. Their
marital relationships are without question some of the most complex in the
world, even the appearance of being a player behind-the-scenes is fodder for
public discussion and criticism.
Key takeaway
number three is a description of what has likely been the most significant role
that First Ladies have played. “The physical and emotional well-being of the
president is a major concern for first ladies.” Given their role as the
ultimate, intimate insider with years of experience with the President, no one
can do more to maintain the emotional stability of the president.
Although necessarily
brief, this is a good primer of the role of the modern First Lady as well as of
the book that describes their position and recent history in more detail.
This book was made available for free for review
purposes.
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