First Mothers: The Women Who Shaped The Presidents [Paperback]

Succinct and highly readable, this group portrait of the 11 women who gave birth to America's 20th-century presidents might just put a more favorable spin on the phrase "mama's boy." From Franklin Roosevelt to Bill Clinton, all these chief executives were devoted to their mothers (relations with Dad were often more problematic), and that devotion had a direct effect on their presidencies--for the most part, a positive one. Sara Delano Roosevelt's adoration gave her son the self-confidence necessary to champion the New Deal's more unpopular measures. Martha Truman's personal experiences of the Civil War's bitter aftermath inspired Harry's determination to lend a hand to the vanquished as well as the victorious after World War II. Ida Eisenhower's pacifism didn't prevent her from supporting Dwight's decision to pursue a military career, but it shaped him into that welcome rarity, "a military leader who hated war." Lillian Carter's defiance of Southern mores to espouse civil rights and her precedent-shattering stint in the Peace Corps (at age 68) affected Jimmy's emphasis on human rights as well as his post-presidential commitment to serve the less fortunate. Virginia Kelley gets slapped for imparting to Bill Clinton the sense that "rules were for other people," but she's also credited with instilling his famous ability to feel other people's pain. In First Mothers, Bonnie Angelo, a longtime correspondent for Time magazine, delineates 11 different lives with a journalist's gift for cogency and an ability to see underlying similarities. Many of the facts here are familiar, but her interpretations are fresh. --Wendy Smith --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Presidents are born, not made, right? On the contrary, claims Angelo, a veteran Time correspondent, who makes it clear that it's the cut of the apron and the strength of its strings that turn a son into a president. The 11 first mothers included in this illuminating and irresistibly readable bookAevery presidential mother from Sarah Delano Roosevelt onAall instilled in their sons supreme confidence and (with the exception of Sara Roosevelt) an awareness of social issues. Drawing on letters, interviews (including those with Presidents Ford, Carter and Bush) and historical evidence, Angelo paints vivid portraits of these "indomitable American women" whose gumption and drive to see their sons succeed were (with the exception of Virginia Clinton Kelley) very much steeped in what Tocqueville described as a 19th-century spirit of independence. In fact, while all these women were "highly individualistic," Angelo points out how much they had in common: all of them married late, and most of their marriages were marked by terrible trials and tragedies. Angelo explains that she started with the story of FDR's mother because his presidency marked "the beginning of contemporary America and the modern presidency, the prize that now can be won only by men of supreme self-assurance who are willing to withstand the grinding process and microscopic examination." While telling their individual histories, Angelo also draws fascinating parallels that indicate how the grounded philosophy and fighting spirit of the mother became that of the son (e.g., Lillian Gordy Carter learned from her father to treat blacks with careAan attitude that was decried by their neighbors but had an enormous impact on Jimmy Carter's presidential focus on equality). 16 pages of b&w photos not seen by PW. Agent, Lane Zachary. (Oct.)
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

According to journalist Angelo (Time magazine), mothers have served as the "wellspring of confidence, toughness, and resilience" necessary to the success of the last 11 presidentsAfrom FDR to Bill ClintonAand this collection of thumbnail biographies has a relentlessly upbeat tone. Fun-loving and much-married Virginia Clinton Kelley takes the biggest hit: the author holds her responsible for Clinton's "personal character," which, she remarks, "is flawed." Richard Nixon's character, on the other hand, is not described as "flawed" but as "complex." His mother gets off scot-free, although Hannah Nixon never kissed or hugged her children (just as well, according to her son, who described the custom as "nauseating"), nor did she ever tell any of them that she loved them. But, Angelo concludes, the profound bond between mother and son "requir[ed] no reassurance through word or touch." A different analyst might have explored this relationship more trenchantly. This book will attract a lay audience, not a scholarly one.ACynthia Harrison, George Washington Univ., Washington, DC
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

For readers who've wondered how a particular U.S. president could have possibly come to be the kind of person he is, good or ill, this fascinating book provides some answers. Angelo, a former Time White House correspondent, looks at 11 women, each of whom "put her stamp on American history" by raising a boy who would be a president. Angelo starts with Sara Delano Roosevelt, who objected to the marriage of her son, Franklin, and Eleanor, his fifth cousin once removed. Sara went on to meddle in the marriage, creating domestic stress and strain as a backdrop to momentous historical events. Angelo records Martha Truman's modest confession that she "never wished for Harry to be president some day, as all American mothers are supposed to do." Angelo details Rose Kennedy's strong hand at managing her brood while dealing with a philandering husband; the activism of Lillian Carter; the cheerful optimism of Nelle Reagan; the traditionalism and competitiveness of Dorothy Walker Bush; and the flamboyant Virginia Clinton, who described her life as being like a country song. This is an enthralling look at the women who've raised the men who've run the country. Vanessa Bush
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

"First Mothers offers fresh and unique insight that is simply and gracefully written. A mother's hand shapes and inspires presidents -- and those who would be -- more than any other force, and by so doing carries this grand republic along." -- Hugh Sidey, Time Magazine

"Bonnie Angelo has written a superb book depicting and defining the profound influence of mothers on so many presidents. Angelo found the key to presidential personalities and ambitions -- their mothers. Her book is beautifully written and long needed." -- Helen Thomas, UPI White House Bureau Chief

"Through new research, Bonnie Angelo has assembled a fresh and enlightening perspective on that most primary of all human relationships -- motherhood. First Mothers gives us the human beings, in their attributes and deficiencies with an understanding narrative voice." -- Carl Sferrazza Anthony, Historian and author of First Ladies and First Families --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Bonnie Angelo, a veteran reporter and writer for Time, has captured the daily lives, thoughts, and feelings of the remarkable women who played such a large role in developing the characters of the modern American presidents. From formidably aristocratic Sara Delano Roosevelt to diehard Democrat Martha Truman, champion athlete Dorothy Bush, and hard-living Virginia Clinton Kelley, Angelo blends these women's stories with the texture of their lives and with colorful details of their times. First Mothers is an in-depth look at the special mother-son relationships that nurtured and helped propel the last twelve American presidents to the pinnacle of power.

Bonnie Angelo is the author of the acclaimed First Mothers. A longtime correspondent for Time, she reported on the White House kaleidoscope in both the East Wing and the West Wing. As a Washington reporter and bureau chief in London and New York, she has covered newsmakers and major events in all fifty states and around the world. She lives in Bethesda, Maryland, and New York.