Friday, April 16, 2010

Spoken from the Heart

I want to share a new book I'm looking forward to reading. Written by one of the loveliest and most gracious ladies in America -- former First Lady Laura Bush -- the book is titled, Spoken from the Heart, and will be available in bookstores on May 4th.

I love the title Mrs. Bush chose for her book because any time I see her being interviewed on television or read an article about her in a magazine, I always feel that she is so genuine and sincere and real ... and does, indeed, "speak from her heart."

I can't wait to read her book, and would like to share the following synopsis I found on the Barnes & Noble website:

    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.

I find it difficult to express how much I admire and respect this gracious and compassionate lady. Not only is she beautiful on the outside, but she has an inner beauty that is reflected in her sweet spirit and in the way she treats others.

I hope she and President Bush are enjoying their "retirement," and I hope their days are filled with lots of love, laughter, and "happiness ever after."

7 comments:

Stacey said...

That sounds wonderful! I'd like to read it too. Thanks for the info. :)

Marjorie (Molly) Smith said...

I agree with you Laura Bush is a true lady. One of a few rare ones left in our days and times.
I always feel so peaceful when she is speaking, just something about her makes you feel like all is well. Sad how some folks tried to destroy the President by trying to make her look bad. Thank God it didn't work and she was too much of a lady to let it effect her. I even saw a Tabloid headline the other day saying "LAURA BUSH HAS HAD ENOUGH, WANTS OUT, ASK GEORGE FOR DIVORCE" when will they stop and leave this sweet lady alone to enjoy their retirement.
Thanks for sharing her book with us, I will have to order it. I just admire this Lady so much.
Molly

Deb said...

I can't wait to read her book also...I got to see her when President Bush was Governor of Texas...my son's school choir sang at a reception and she was one of the guests...she was so sweet and gracious...and was so nice to the kids...I'll always remember she came in a SUV...one of our city council women showed up in limo...she was dressed in a nice conservative dress...our city council woman showed up in a bright red dress with a big red hat...such a contrast...

Carolyn said...

Thanks for the review, I can't wait to read this book. I admire Laura Bush very much. She is such a gracious lady and represented our country with dignity.
Carolyn

nancygrayce said...

Laura Bush was a true first "lady"! I can't wait to read her book!

Beth at Aunties said...

I agree and truly admire this lovely lady. You said is perfectly! I look forward also to reading her memoire:) Thanks for sharing the synopsis.

Auntie sezzzzzz... said...

Thank you for telling me about this book! I so look forward to reading it!

^_^
.