Mrs. Ike: Memories and Reflections on the Life of Mamie Eisenhower [Hardcover]

Susan Eisenhower (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 1996

Written by her granddaughter, a portrait of a beloved First Lady and an incisive account of a complex marriage examines the life of Mamie Eisenhower, a saucy young lady who found her match in handsome Ike Eisenhower, and their adventures, misunderstandings, and glowing triumphs.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

This sympathetic and competently crafted biography of President Eisenhower's first lady is written by her granddaughter, founder of the Center for Post-Soviet Studies (Breaking Free: A Memoir of Love and Revolution). The Eisenhowers were married for 53 years and, despite the difference in their backgrounds (she was wealthy, while his family struggled financially), according to the author, they were devoted to each other. Because "Ike" had embarked on an army career, Mamie (1896-1979) had to adjust to a life of constant moves and separations. Drawing on letters and conversations with Mamie, the author chronicles her long career as an army wife and gives a brief overview of the White House years. Included is a moving account of the tragic death of Ike and Mamie's young son. A traditional wife, Mamie focused on homemaking and, although disturbed by rumors of her husband's affair during WWII, she believed his denials. The author discounts rumors of Mamie's alcoholism, blaming her supposed instability on inner-ear problems. Photos not seen by PW.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal

The First Lady was once seen as the ultimate social and family support for the president, but her role has grown controversial, no matter how the particular woman interprets her part. Mamie Eisenhower chose the traditional role?being "the best Mrs. Eisenhower" anyone could be. Her granddaughter Susan (Breaking Free: A Memoir of Love and Revolution, LJ 5/15/95) took the more modern route of divorce, remarriage, and career but still takes a warm and sympathetic view of Mamie's life. A largely pampered child (although haunted by death in the family), Mamie followed the rugged life of a soldier's wife and endured the death of her firstborn child, long separations from a beloved but sometimes autocratic husband, and life at overseas hardship posts. Even with World War II fame, rumors, and life in the White House fishbowl, Mamie continued to deal with her fears, love her family, and remain devoted to Ike. Enhanced by unpublished letters (including many long, loving ones to Eisenhower), this work is a good attempt at exploring a woman of another time who lived in a different state of grace.
-?Katherine E. Gillen, Luke AFB Lib., Goodyear, Ariz.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 392 pages
• Publisher: Farrar Straus & Giroux (T); 1st edition (November 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0374215146
• ISBN-13: 978-0374215149
• Product Dimensions: 9.5 x 6.5 x 1.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.8 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #869,108 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Charming, Warm, and Revealing, July 19, 2004

By 

J Keistler "[e-mail]" (Lake Jackson, Texas USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Mrs. Ike: Portrait of a Marriage (Capital Classics) (Paperback)

I thought Margaret Truman cornered the market on good writing about parents. However, Susan Eisenhower has written a book of the same caliber. Being born in 1955, I only vaguely remember when DDE was President, though I certainly remember when Ike died in 1969. I had read so many unflattering things about Mamie, with the main exception being J.B. West's book of memoirs about being Chief Usher in the White House. Mamie is largely forgotten nowadays, particularly in light of the Kennedy administration that followed. What greater contrast than between the sixty-something Mamie and the thirty-something Jackie! After reading this book in all its details, one can better understand that Mamie considered herself first, last and always as an Army wife. It's easy for us to think of the period during and following WW II when Ike shot up through the ranks, with the perks that such a position brings. This book reminds us of the many, many years of their marriage with constant moving and not enough money to go around. Was it any wonder, then, that she would shop the newspapers for bargains while First Lady? I think we all hope that by our sixties we have a good working conception of who we are and what we want--this Mamie had in spades. She wouldn't change her hairdo or wardrobe for whims of fashion--she knew what worked for her. We also might be reminded that the position of First Lady is indeed unpaid and she is truly under no obligation to perform for us, the American public. In this book Susan Eisenhower reveals that in the eight years that Ike was President, Mamie only entered the Oval Office 4 times! Now, that's what I can call a separation of duties. We are also reminded that no President before or since had the foreign experience, including living in many foreign countries. They were a most cosmopolitan couple, perhaps masquerading as our grandparents! As West said, no couple looked more spit-and-polish than the Eisenhowers in their formality, and this included the Kennedys.

This is a must read for any fan of 20th century American history.
Many thanks to Ms. Eisenhower for her work.

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An Excellent Portrait of an Interesting Couple, January 14, 2003

By 

James B. Hagerty (Cincinnati, Ohio) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Mrs. Ike: Portrait of a Marriage (Capital Classics) (Paperback)

Ike is one my historical favorites. I think his life testifies to the American dream - that a poor but enterprising boy from Kansas could achieve everlasting distinction as a Supreme Commander and President.

In Mrs. Ike you learn about his life partner. It wasn't always a happy marriage, and it was certainly tested by tragedy (death of 3-year old son) and the rigors of nomadic military life, particularly during the disarmament era after WWI. Yet they hung in there and made the most of their life together.

This is easy reading and a sometimes touching intimate portrait of a nice old-fashioned couple. They shared a 53-year marriage that took them from a difficult penny-pinching existence post WWI to great distinction and wealth later in life.

For those interested in the Ike-Summersby question, I think this book puts another nail in that silly coffin. I particularly like the description of their relationship as like "Lou Grant and Mary Richards" (from the Mary Tyler Moore Show). Based on everything I've read they were more like affectionate father and daughter than lovers. Yet its painful to read how, after Ike's death in '69, Mamie had to endure rumors and scuttlebutt during the next decade, including a nutty divorce story by Harry Truman, now discredited and widely cited as perhaps testament to Truman's senility late in life.

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Lovely view of one of the finest First Ladies!, October 28, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: Mrs. Ike: Portrait of a Marriage (Capital Classics) (Paperback)

Susan Eisenhower, granddaughter of President Eisenhower, has written a beautiful portrait of her grandmother and the strong marriage between the President and his First Lady.