Customer Reviews

Rating The First Ladies: The Women Who Influenced the Presidency

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

DO NOT BUY THIS BOOK. ... He makes incredible errors of historical fact-well known historical fact, at that. For heaven's sakes never mind his errors regarding the women's lives, he puts Warm Springs (where FDR died) in West Virgina instead of Georgia(and where were his editors?) His lack of understanding of the truth of women's lives is no worse than many otherwise credible male biographers. Read it with a spoonful of salt, and you will learn of many women who have been overlooked. Just know going in that you are reading what amounts to a shallow overview magazine type article. Not unenjoyable just disappointing. I ignored the whole rating thing which is absurd.

Life is competitive, right? This is an engrossing book that really helps explain why Eleanor Roosevelt ranks #1,Abigail Adams #2, Dolley Madison #3, Jackie O #4, Hillary #5, Rosalynn Carter #6, Lady Bird Johnson #7, Betty Ford #8, Edith Roosevelt #9, and Sarah Polk #10. Find out why Laura Bush is only #24!
This book dishes lots of embarrassing details passed over by other more flattering accounts of first ladies. Don't be bothered by hisotorical nit-pickers who can't see the forest for the trees -- this isn't an encylopedia, it's a way to measure first ladies. You'll never think of them in old-fashioned stereotypes again after reading this book.

This book was a Christmas gift, and I didn't know what to expect since I'm not really into politics and I like biography more. Once I started reading I was hooked by the biographies and the way the writer places each woman in the sweep of the history and politics of her times. I found the rating system easy to understand and the author explained it in great detail in the book's introduction. John Roberts really brings politics to life, instead of the dry boring subject I always thought it was. I'm really glad I read it this year, when the focus is on presidential candidates and potential first ladies. I plan to give this book to many on my birthday list this year.

Why haven't other authors probed the hidden political history of first ladies like this book does? There is no other single book about first ladies which comprehensively examines the contribution each and every woman has made in shaping our history. This is the best and most concise analysis of first ladies and their political influence in the White House. The book uncovers the involvement of 19th-century first ladies in political campaigns, congressional debates, legislation, and even war. This book really hits its stride when it comes to 20th centiry first ladies, from the adventurous and globe-trotting Lou Hoover to the manipulative Helen Taft and the neurotic Betty Ford. Edith Roosevelt carries out secret diplomacy for Teddy, helping him earn a Nobel Prize for peacemaking, Edith Wilson learns codes and ciphers to translate diplomatic cables and intelligence reports for Woodrow, and Eleanor Roosevelt flies into combat zones to rally troop morale. Roberts doesn't have much sympathy for the public images first ladies project as glossy fashion queens, charity dilettantes and fundraisers for non-profit organizations -- he focuses on the meatier role about how political spouses help determine presidential fortunes -- and misfortunes. His analysis of Rosalynn Carter, Nancy Reagan, Barbara Bush and Laura Bush presents completely new information about these first ladies and their influence. The book gives a panorama of U.S. history and many interesting political anecdotes that are glossed over, buried, or simply ignored in other accounts of first ladies.

This book puts the Hillary phenomenon into perspective. She's rated No. 2, second only to Eleanor Roosevelt, but the author's take on her presents her fully -- with political strengths and blemishes. What I like about this book is its candor, and the fact that it's non-partisan. Roberts reveals all the warts, whether the first lady is Republican or Democrat. Beginning with Martha Washington, first ladies have influenced world events, shaped domestic policies, had their hands in politics, and hired and fired Cabinet officials. They have also held White House séances, consulted astrologers, taken bribes, and abused power. From the top-ranked Eleanor Roosevelt to last-placed Mary Lincoln, Roberts looks at the way each First Lady has used her unelected power to shape her husband's administration and political destiny, further his causes, and in many cases, promote her own. Roberts shows them as ambitious, ambivalent, idealistic, greedy, egotistical, and selfless, in biographical essays that make for compelling and surprising reading.

I would not normally review a book that I had not read in its entirety, but when I saw the glaring error in the section on Dolley Madison, I felt I needed to inform potential readers about it.

Lately I have been doing quite a bit of research on Dolley Madison and therefore I was surprised to see Mr. Roberts state that she was the one who saved the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence when the British burned the White House in 1814. This is a commonly told myth. While she did save as many documents as she was able to at the expense of her personal items, neither the Declaraton nor Constitution were kept in the White House. They were kept in the State Department.

In Richard N. Cote's biography, Strength and Honor, the Life of Dolley Madison, he states, "Some have credited Dolley with being the savior of the Declaration of Independence, but that honor goes to Stephen Pleasanton, a brave clerk in the secretary of state's office. Despite the scorn of Secretary of War Armstrong, who scoffed at any danger of invasion, Pleasanton and other clerks "stuffed bags with the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution, international treaties, and the correspondence of George Washington."

Anthony S. Pitch's book, The Burning of Washington, the British Invasion of 1814, also tells this story although he spells the last name "Pleasonton".

In the website, The Dolley Madison Project, it states that she saved "the Gilbert Stuart portrait of George Washington along with official papers, silver, and other valuables."

I am quite a fan of Dolley Madison, but it is Stephen Pleasanton or Pleasonton to whom we owe the survival of those two most treasured documents.

I'm an avid reader of first lady biographies, but this is the first book I've come across that treats first ladies as equal partners in the presidency. This book won't please hardcore feminists, who want us to think most first ladies were helpless victims of male oppression, nor will it please male chauvinists who think a first lady's place should be confined to charitable causes. What these essays show is that throughout our history women have been a vital part of the presidency. This book brings a much needed sense of historical balance to the story of the women who have shared the White House with our presidents. It isn't written by a historian, but by a political consultant with hands-on experience working in the White House. It's the best contribution to the history of first ladies in years.

This book really delivers. It's enjoyable history, with short chapters on each first lady that read like short stories. Don't be fooled by those who say you can't compare first ladies simply because modern ones get more media coverage. That's like saying you can't compare presidents because television didn't exist when Lincoln was in the White House. Throughout history, first ladies have been chronicled in letters, books, newspapers, and accounts from their contemporaries. Later radio and television were included. This book relies on these and many other sources, but gives a unique viewpoint that only a political insider can add. There are many new revelations here about Nancy Reagan (whom the author clearly admires) and Barbara Bush, among others. I liked it because it adds a whole new dimension to presidential history. But if all you like about first ladies is the fluff, skip this book. This is a book about the nitty-gritty of politics and power.

If you are interested in, or fascinated by U.S. history then Rating the First Ladies is a must read. Unlike most history books which can be dry and boring, I found this account of America's First Ladies and the roles they have played in the U.S. Presidency to be not only informative, but downright entertaining. Each First Lady's biography is filled with interesting and juicy tidbits of information. This book helped me to realize that the First Ladies of the United States have played an integral role in the U.S. Presidency as well as national and world politics long before Hillary Clinton or Barbara Bush ever occupied the White House. Some of our least formally educated First Ladies became the greatest help to their Presidential husbands. Rating the First Ladies is a great read. All Americans should have a copy of this book in their home.

I REALLY LIKED THIS BOOK UNTILL I GOT TO ELEANOR ROOSEVELT. WHY WRITE A BOOK ON RATING THE FIRST LADIES BASED ON SOMEONE ELSES RATINGS WHEN YOU HATE THE WOMAN WHO IS RATED NUMBER ONE BY THEM. I SAW THE AUTHOR ON PBS AND THOUGHT THIS BOOK WOULD BE FUN. I WAS BESIDE MYSELF. WE ALL KNOW ELEANOR WAS BISEXUAL. WAS THERE ANY VALID REASON TO POINT OUT THAT HER FEMALE LOVER HAD A BEDROOM IN THE WHITE HOUSE FOUR TIMES IN A TWELVE PAGE CHAPTER? NOT ONLY THAT BUT AS SOMEONE WHO WORKED FOR REGAN, I SHOULD HAVE NOT BEEN SURPRISED TO SEE THE AUTHOR SLANDER EVERY DEMOCRATE AND ATTRIBUTE THEIR TRIUMPHS TO THE REPUBLICANS. HE ACTUALLY TRIES TO JUSTIFY MCCARTHYISM AND FAILS TO EVEN POINT OUT THAT ELEANOR ROOSEVELT PLACED MARIAN ANDERSON IN FRONT OF THE LINCON MEMERIAL TO SING " GOD BLESS AMERICA " AFTER THE SNUB BY THE DAUGHTERS OF THE REPUBLIC. THIS GUY ACTUALLY BRINGS UP ANDERSON WHEN HE TALKS ABOUT MAMIE EISENHOWER. I REALLY LIKE THE BOOK UNTILL YOU GET TO RECENT ADMINISTRATIONS.
I HAVE TO ASK THE AUTHOR WHAT COLOR IS THE SKY IN YOUR WORLD.