The Matriarch: Barbara Bush and the Making of an American Dynasty

by Susan Page

Overview

INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER


"[The] rare biography of a public figure that's not only beautifully written, but also shockingly revelatory." — The Atlantic

A vivid biography of former First Lady Barbara Bush, one of the most influential and under-appreciated 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 one hundred 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 book 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 book certain to cement Barbara Bush as one of the most unique and influential women in American history.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781538713631
Publisher:	Grand Central Publishing
Publication date:	04/07/2020
Pages:	432
Sales rank:	168,879
Product dimensions:	5.40(w) x 8.20(h) x 1.20(d)

About the Author

Susan Page is the award-winning Washington Bureau chief of USA Today, where she writes about politics and the White House. Susan has covered six White House administrations and ten presidential elections. She has interviewed the past nine presidents and reported from six continents and dozens of foreign countries. She has appeared as an analyst on ABC's This Week, CBS' Face the Nation, CNN's State of the Union, Fox News Sunday, NBC's Meet the Press, PBS' NewsHour, NPR's The Diane Rehm Show, and other TV and radio programs. She lives in Washington, D.C.

Table of Contents

Introduction 1

1 Six Brutal Months 11

2 "The Fighting Pierces" 28

3 The Football Star and the Campus Beauty 40

4 Stuck in the Middle 50

5 Love and War 63

6 "The Street Cop" 79

7 How Hard Could It Be? 93

8 Darkness 101

9 "What Are We Going to Do About Bar?" 109

10 The Frost That Never Thawed 122

11 Triumph 143

12 First at Last 168

13 Grandma's House 182

14 The Reckoning 196

15 Détente 212

16 The Reluctant Campaign 230

17 Evicted 249

18 First Son 267

19 A Second First Lady Named Bush 283

20 Dynasty 295

21 "We've Had Enough Bushes" 310

22 "Hit in the Solarplex" 318

Epilogue: Indispensable 339

Acknowledgments 347

Notes 353

Bibliography 391

Index 401

Editorial Reviews

04/01/2019

The recently deceased wife of President George H. W. Bush and mother of President George W. Bush exemplifies an old-school style of feminine strength and influence in this warmhearted biography. USA Today Washington bureau chief Page paints Bush (1925-2018), possibly the last First Lady to have had no career, as a sometimes controversial icon of postwar wifely devotion, gamely uprooting herself from her affluent New England home to a chancy new life in Texas and being a full-time (and occasionally depressed) mom to six children—her daughter’s death from leukemia is a moving centerpiece of the narrative—to accommodate her husband’s ambitions. But she was also a canny political animal, Page contends. She persuaded her vacillating husband to go negative with racially tinged campaign ads against Michael Dukakis in the 1988 presidential election, and asked her son pointed questions about the invasion of Iraq; in her own right, she forcefully advocated for literacy programs and opposed discrimination against AIDS patients. There’s little drama in Bush’s story apart from tension between her and Nancy Reagan, and the author’s assessment of her as indispensable to her husband’s political rise feels overstated. But Bush admirers will enjoy Page’s vivid depiction of her as an appealing, down-to-earth, sharp-tongued figure who held her own in a man’s world. (Apr.)

Publishers Weekly

"[A] highly readable portrait...Like the arc of her life itself, [Bush] created a bridge for first ladies that reached from traditional feminine pursuits to modern feminism. This definitive biography is a welcome contribution to our understanding of the complex role of presidential spouses."—The Washington Post

"The Matriarch will be read, and worth reading, for a long time to come."—Wall Street Journal

"Susan Page has given us an insightful and engaging portrait of a remarkable American. Wife to one President, mother to another, Barbara Bush was fascinating and complicated, and this absorbing biography brings the woman George H.W. Bush called 'the Silver Fox' to vivid life."—Jon Meacham, Pulitzer Prize-winning and #1 New York Times bestselling author of Destiny and Power: The American Odyssey of George Herbert Walker Bush

"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 #1 New York Times bestselling 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 bestselling author of Ladies of Liberty and political commentator for NPR and ABC News

"Except for Eleanor Roosevelt, first-rate biographies of First Ladies are rare. Susan Page's volume on Barbara Bush is an impressive exception. It is a beautifully written and informative study of not only Barbara Bush, but also the presidential administrations of her husband and son."—Robert Dallek, Pulitzer Prize finalist and New York Times bestselling author of An Unfinished Life: John F. Kennedy, 1917-1963

"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 bestselling author of Presidents of War

"Insightful, touching, personal...this exceptionally readable Bush biography [is] unlike any you will read."—USA Today

"The Matriarch is the rare biography of a public figure that's not only beautifully written, but also shockingly revelatory."—The Atlantic

"Scoopy and insightful."—The New York Times

"A rich and empathetic portrait of a complicated, bright woman." —Barbara VanDenbugh, USA Today

"Highly recommend!"—Gayle King, CBS This Morning

"A remarkable portrait of a woman who, even while shunning the spotlight, had a lasting impact on this country."—Jennifer Palmieri

"Touching and surprising."—Dana Perino

"...Richly researched, with so many new details."—Norah O'Donnell

"The book has lots and lots of new information. Buy the book. You will enjoy it."—Greta Van Susteren

"The book offers an unprecedented look at the life of one of America's most influential women."—KBTX TV

"Fascinating."—Wolf Blitzer

"An incredible look at one of the most powerful First Ladies in history. Go buy The Matriarch now."—Brad Meltzer, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The First Conspiracy

From the Publisher

★ 05/01/2019

Page, Washington correspondent for USA Today, tackles the life of former first lady Barbara Bush (1925–2018) in this new biography. While the work is not officially authorized, Page interviewed Bush many times before her death in 2018 and had access to her voluminous diaries that no other historian has seen. Page's coverage includes key moments, such as her marriage to George Bush, the death of her daughter Robin, her struggles with depression, the development of her own political consciousness, and her contentious relationship with Nancy Reagan. While the Bushes' marriage is often held up as an ideal one, Page concludes that the long-rumored affair that George Bush had with aide Jennifer Fitzgerald was likely true, even though both always denied it. The author spends considerable time analyzing Barbara Bush's personality, including her quick wit, bluntness, self-deprecation, loyalty to her husband, and strict methods for raising her children and grandchildren; all traits that captivated the public. VERDICT An engaging read full of rich behind-the-scenes details of a fascinating matriarch and public leader, including her struggles and triumphs.—Kate Stewart, Arizona Historical Soc., Tuscon

Library Journal