First Ladies

The Ever Changing Role, from Martha Washington to Melania Trump

By: Betty Boyd Caroli

Narrated by: Susan Ericksen

Betty Boyd Caroli's engrossing and informative First Ladies is an essential resource for anyone interested in the role of America's First Ladies. Caroli observes the role as it has shifted and evolved from ceremonial backdrop to substantive world figure. This expanded and updated fifth edition presents Caroli's keen political analysis and astute observations of recent developments in First Lady history, including Melania Trump's reluctance to take on the mantle and former First Lady Hilary Clinton's recent run for president. Caroli here contributes a new preface and updated chapters.

Covering all 45 women from Martha Washington to Melania Trump and including the daughters, daughters-in-law, and sisters of presidents who served as First Ladies, Caroli explores each woman's background, marriage, and accomplishments and failures in office. This remarkable lot included Abigail Adams, whose "remember the ladies" became a 20th-century feminist refrain; 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; Eleanor Roosevelt, who epitomized the politically involved First Lady; and Pat Nixon, who perfected what some have called "the robot image."

©1987, 1995, 2003, 2010, 2019 Oxford University Press (P)2019 HighBridge, a division of Recorded Books

Comprehensive

Content was fascinating and seemed accurate.
The reading style took getting used to, but finally adjusted.

Amazing book and stories

Absolutely loved the writing and narration. Phenomenally well done to cover so much, so concisely.

Thorough

Very long, but thorough book. Included too much information on President Trump, not a First Lady.

interesting read

it was interesting to hear how the first lady role has changed depending on circumstances of the president as well as our country. it's difficult to cover every first lady in great detail in one book. this book has triggered an interest in finding out more information about specific first ladies. thank you for continuing to keep it updated.

period overviews and comparisons

Human analysis with period overviews and detail comparisons, were interesting, without being boring or repetatative.

What a rich history!

Loved this trip through history in the POV of First Ladies. A little partial in places but overall even and bipartisan.

interesting historical trivia

Disapponting, subtle, yet obvious, political bias as she discussed the recent first ladies. This is unnecessary and adds nothing to the work.

not my favorite

I struggled to finish, and was not impressed with narration or story. Too long for what was said.