Itemize Regarding Books Spoken from the Heart
| Title | : | Spoken from the Heart |
| Author | : | Laura Bush |
| Book Format | : | Hardcover |
| Book Edition | : | Special Edition |
| Pages | : | Pages: 464 pages |
| Published | : | May 4th 2010 by Simon & Schuster Adult Publishing Group (first published May 4th 2009) |
| Categories | : | Nonfiction. Autobiography. Memoir. Politics. Biography |
Laura Bush
Hardcover | Pages: 464 pages Rating: 3.98 | 7151 Users | 882 Reviews
Narrative As Books Spoken from the Heart
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.
Point Books Conducive To Spoken from the Heart
| ISBN: | 1439195617 (ISBN13: 9781439195611) |
| Characters: | George W. Bush, Laura Bush |
| Literary Awards: | Goodreads Choice Award Nominee for Memoir and Autobiography (2010) |
Rating Regarding Books Spoken from the Heart
Ratings: 3.98 From 7151 Users | 882 ReviewsCrit Regarding Books Spoken from the Heart
The fact that she's married to W touts her herculean patience and strong motherly instincts much better than any memoir.A lovely memoir from a lovely woman. Ms. Bush has always been a private person and I got the sense writing her story was not easy for her. I felt she was holding back at times. Understandable, but as a reader I wanted a little more open-ness/self-reflection.
Regardless of your political views, this is a well-written, thoughtful work. The book providse a very detailed account of Laura Bush's life (from her own memories, notes, and official government logs). Her voice and perspective exude class and character. My favorite moment in the book came when Laura described her struggle with infertility: "The English language lacks the words to mourn an absence. For the loss of a parent, grandparent, spouse, child or friend, we have all manner of words and
It became clear to me early on while reading this memoir that it was going to be a beautiful read. From cover to cover, Laura Bushs personal and deeply touching story is beautifully written and a delight to read. I closed the book with a smile on my face and yet sadness that it was the end. Taking three weeks to read it (due partly to the fact that I was on business travel one of those weeks and by the time my head hit the pillow I could hardly read a single paragraph), I feel I spent enough
I enjoyed learning about Laura Bush and what made her who she was and her experiences in public and private life. It was interesting to learn how she was an only child and the close relationship she had with her parents, the effect of a car accident when she was a teenager, her love for books, her life as a teacher and librarian, the impact of JFK's assassination in her community and life, marrying George and then being related to the Vice President and President, and especially her life as a
I've long been fascinated by the stories of the women "behind the men" - the wives, lovers, sisters and daughters of the famous men we read about in the history books. But mostly my interest has veered towards women in the distant past, most likely because linking oneself to a man was really the only way to achieve upward social mobility. Today, a woman can carve out a page in history for herself, on her own terms, without necessarily needing that "wife of" addendum to her name. So reading the
Laura Bush was once described by a British newspaper as "a cookie baking homemaker,dull and old fashioned." Similarly,her book is also pretty dull.She starts off with her early days in small town Texas. The most significant event of that period was when she was involved in a car accident as a teenager.She hit another car and its driver was killed.The book hardly comes to life as she describes meeting Bush,marrying him and his political career. The drama and controversy of the 2000 presidential
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