The Matriarch
Barbara Bush and the Making of an American Dynasty
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The Matriarch
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Narrated by:
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Kate Levy
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Written by:
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Susan Page
About this listen
A vivid biography of former first lady Barbara Bush, one of the most influential and underappreciated women in American political history.
Barbara Pierce Bush was one of the country's most popular and powerful figures, yet her full story has never been told.
The Matriarch tells the riveting tale of a woman who helped define two American presidencies and an entire political era. Written by USA Today's Washington Bureau Chief Susan Page, this biography is informed by more than 100 interviews with Bush friends and family members, hours of conversation with Mrs. Bush herself in the final six months of her life, and access to her diaries that spanned decades. The Matriarch examines not only her public persona, but also less well-known aspects of her remarkable life.
As a girl in Rye, New York, Barbara Bush weathered criticism of her weight from her mother, barbs that left lifelong scars. As a young wife, she coped with the death of her three-year-old daughter from leukemia, a loss that changed her forever. In middle age, she grappled with depression so serious that she contemplated suicide. And as first the wife and then the mother of American presidents, she made history as the only woman to see - and advise - both her husband and son in the Oval Office.
As with many women of her era, Barbara Bush was routinely underestimated, her contributions often neither recognized nor acknowledged. But she became an astute and trusted political campaign strategist and a beloved first lady. She invested herself deeply in expanding literacy programs in America, played a critical role in the end of the Cold War, and led the way in demonstrating love and compassion to those with HIV/AIDS. With her cooperation, this audiobook offers Barbara Bush's last words for history - on the evolution of her party, on the role of women, on Donald Trump, and on her family's legacy.
Barbara Bush's accomplishments, struggles, and contributions are many. Now, Susan Page explores them all in The Matriarch, a groundbreaking audiobook certain to cement Barbara Bush as one of the most unique and influential women in American history.
PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying PDF will be available in your Audible Library along with the audio.
©2019 Susan Page (P)2019 Hachette AudioCritic Reviews
"Barbara Bush was the wife of one president and the mother of another, but as Susan Page shows, was far more interesting than that. In the nick of time, Page managed to interview Mrs. Bush at length, gain access to her diaries, and acquire other information that many earlier authors did not have in order to bring us this highly readable portrait, which expands our understanding of this strong, decisive woman, whose influence spanned an era." (Michael Beschloss, New York Times best-selling author of Presidents of War)
"Formidable and fearless, candid and sharp, Barbara Bush was among the most interesting people of our time. Susan Page's intimate biography covers both the triumphs and tribulations that made her so fascinating and beloved." (Walter Isaacson, Pulitzer Prize finalist and number one New York Times best-selling author of Leonardo da Vinci, Steve Jobs, and Einstein)
"What a fascinating read! By giving Page access to her diaries and agreeing to long interviews, Barbara Bush finally reveals the person behind the pearls. And she turns out to be one of the most interesting and influential women of the twentieth century." (Cokie Roberts, New York Times best-selling author of Ladies of Liberty and political commentator for NPR and ABC News)