The First Ladies: From Martha Washington to Mamie Eisenhower, an Intimate Portrait of the Women Who Shaped America

by Feather Schwartz Foster

The Legacies and Personalities that built the White House

Genres: Nonfiction, History, Historical, Biography, American History

192 pages

First published February 1, 2011

About the author

Feather Schwartz Foster is the author of "LADIES: A Conjecture of Personalities" - about the OLD First Ladies, Martha thru Mamie; "Garfield's Train" A novel about the death of President Garfield in 1881, and "T: An Auto-Biography" - a children's book about a Model-T Ford."

Reviews

[Sarah Vigorito · Rating 4 out of 5]

I picked up this book during a vacation I had at Gettysburg a few months ago. My boyfriend and I visited the Eisenhower farm and house. It was a wonderful place and the house was kept exactly as it was when the Eisenhowers lived there. We walked from room to room, admiring what we saw, and explored the rest of the farm. It was so full of history and we learned a lot. When we arrived back at the Gettysburg Visitor's Center, I bought this little book in the bookstore. I'm glad I did!

It covers the First Ladies from Martha Washington to Mamie Eisenhower and goes briefly, but interestingly over their lives. It reveals how each of them brought her own special qualities to the role of First Lady. As the author explains at the end, "It is a hors d'oeuvre." You feel inspired to learn more about them. This book is readable and fun.

[Christine · Rating 4 out of 5]

I gave this book 4 stars based on the Afterword, where the author states her purpose in writing the book. Her goal was to introduce us to the early First Ladies. I would have approached the reading in a different way if this was stated in the Forward. that said, Foster achieves her goal and gives insight into individuals important to our early presidents. Prior to the 1960s and the scrutiny of the media, the First Ladies often had a different role than the expectations we now have for our public personalities.

[Sharon Honeycutt · Rating 4 out of 5]

I picked up this book after touring one of the early Presidents’ homes - probably Madison’s as I was intrigued by Dolly Madison’s impact on Washington social life and the balance she provided for her husband.

I enjoyed these quick snippets of the various First Ladies and their impact on the role.

[Rosemary Miller · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book has short stories about important aspects of the first ladies lives. Would be a great starting point for a class project with each student doing more complete research on their individual personality.

[Christine · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book gives the reader a small glimpse into who several of our First Ladies were. I loved to read that they had their own quirks and challenges! This book did leave me wanting to know more, and Foster explains that was her hope.

[Angelyn Hobson · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. This book is composed of easy-to-read little “snippets” about the First Ladies through Mrs. Eisenhower. The author is respectful toward each one, regardless of their accomplishments, beliefs, or leanings. That made it a fun read. Definitely recommend!

[Rebecca · Rating 3 out of 5]

Quick, easy, fun little book about the First Ladies.

[Rachel · Rating 2 out of 5]

The tone was biased and judgmental in many places.

[Christie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I bought this book at the Montpelier gift shop. It has interesting facts about the first ladies, and some info on some of the presidents. Each first lady has a section of about 5 to 8 pages, so you will not get in depth knowledge, but definitely interesting blurbs on each.

[Allizabeth Collins · Rating 4 out of 5]

Description:

The First Ladies is a brief, yet intriguing portrait of the remarkable women behind our presidents, and the sacrifices they made for our beloved country - the U.S. of A. From Martha Washington to Mamie Eisenhower, Feather Schwartz Foster takes readers on an entertaining, fascinating, and humorous journey through the lives, loves, and personalities of our often overlooked Founding Mothers.

Review:

My parents have always instilled in my siblings and I that history is important, especially the history of our family and of our great country. So when I saw The First Ladies up for review, I grabbed at the opportunity to learn more about the women of the White House. I have taken numerous classes throughout high school and college detailing U.S. government, U.S. history, and democracy, but I have honestly never taken a class where the U.S. Presidents' wives were discussed, or even considered important in our history; and I find that to be a travesty. The only two wives I remember hearing about were Martha Washington and Eleanor Roosevelt, and it was pretty much just said in passing. But now I know so much more! Feather Schwartz Foster's guide to the Founding Mothers isn't just a list of people and their details, but a chance to delve into the little-known lives of the presidents' wives: their personalities, their passions, their accomplishments, and their legacies. The writing style is succinct, yet full of fun and surprising facts; Did you know that William Taft would have never become president if his wife Nellie "forced" him to run? I didn't. Now that I know these things, I would love to read more about them - "The Old Gals". Overall, a wonderfully entertaining read that will leave the reader smiling and inspired. Recommended for everyone who wants a peak into the lives of the White House's first wives.

Rating: On the Run (4/5)

*** I received this book from the author in exchange for an honest and unbiased review.

[Tracy Riva · Rating 5 out of 5]

The First Ladies
By Feather Schwartz Foster
Copyright 2011, Published by Cumberland House, ISBN10 1402242727, ISBN 13 978-14-2242724

The First Ladies by Feather Foster Schwartz offers a brief view of the First Ladies of the Presidency of the United States from Martha Washington to Mamie Eisenhower, the last of the First Ladies born in the nineteenth century.

The First Ladies take a brief, but fascinating look into the disposition, life and a contribution each First Lady brought to her husband’s presidency. It looks at which First Ladies eagerly took up the office as well as those who were reluctant or who refused to take it up. It looks very briefly at the relationship the President had with his wife – was she a confidant, a helper or simply a good example of the average woman of her time. What did she bring to the proverbial table at the time her husband took up the office of President of the United States?

I greatly enjoyed The First Ladies. It wasn’t a book of dry historical facts but rather a glimpse into the life and personality of each woman. I found it fascinating. It was as if I stepped briefly into each woman’s life and understood, to a very small degree not only what she brought to the Presidency, but also what the Presidency brought to her. Was it a joy, a challenge to rise to, or an unwanted and unwelcomed burden? The First Ladies examines women who looked at the job of wife of a President in all these ways and it makes them more accessible and understandable. I think it is a wonderful example of scholarship, without being dry or boring and would make an excellent addition to any home or library.

[Mel · Rating 3 out of 5]

Information on each first lady ending with Mamie Eisenhower shows the individual personalities and personal struggles of each woman and family. Most of the information I found to be new to me and so intriguing. None of the information was came across as scathing, but gave a balance; ie Eleanor Roosevelt did a great deal of work, but for the many people that loved her there were also those that didn't like her. Some of the reasons were included.
The life of the earlier first ladies was harsher than life today and in the trials and tribulations they endured it shows what strong women they were.

[Yaaresse · Rating 4 out of 5]

Most likely written for high school students, this slim book covers the First Ladies from Martha Washington to Mamie Eisenhower in short (about 1000 word) bios. Rather than trying to shoehorn in a litany of facts, the author picks out the women's most defining characteristic (which is sometimes a tough task given some of the more retiring or unsocial ones) and examples of that attribute.

A good little warm-up for my plan to start reading some bios of Presidents in the coming year. I had been dreading Coolidge and Hoover. Based on the info in here, they may not be as dull as I fear.

[Corgi · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed The First Ladies by Feather Schwartz Foster. Foster indicates at the end of the book her purpose for writing the book and I believe she achieved her goal. I learned something about each First Lady that was featured. I plan on reading more about some of the First Ladies. My only con: more attention could have been paid to editing the book as there are some obvious typos.

I would recommend The First Ladies to readers who enjoy reading about history, women and presidents.

[Heidi · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book accomplished what the author set out to do. It gave you a brief overview of overlooked first ladies. However, she kind of took for granted that the reader would know facts and events that I did not. It took me away from their stories trying to find context. (I should have studies US history instead of European.)

[Paul Hoffman · Rating 4 out of 5]

An easy, but interesting read. Well researched and concise. I learned a lot; most importantly, that many first ladies were no where near as socially and/or politically ambitious as recent first ladies. Indeed, many of them lead rather tragic lives.

[Connie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very succinct and entertaining portraits of early First Ladies. The anecdotes and biographical details are well-chosen to provide context and add depth to historical understanding, so the book's more interesting the more history you know.

[Lee Ann · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was an easy read, with some interesting profiles of first ladies. It included some facts of which I was unaware, so now I'm wanting to find out more information about some of them.

[Judy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting vignettes about strong points of first ladies up to and including Mamie Eisenhower.

[Sue · Rating 5 out of 5]

Easy fast read. Not knowing too much about the earlier first ladies, this book gave me insight in to what they were like. Quite surprised to learn that some of them were not so well liked!

[Jodi · Rating 3 out of 5]

Great introduction to the First Ladies. Definitely leaves you wanting to know more. I especially appreciate the awesome bibliography--tons of books for further reading!

[Michelle]

Pretty interesting book on the First Ladies. After reading this, I went to Wickpedia and researched what this website had to say. Some very interesting ladies.