Fascinating and informative titles provide readers with in-depth biographical sketches of America's greatest political figures, their rise to power, and their unique contributions to American history.
Facts On File has revised the First Ladies volume in its American Political Biographies set. Content has been updated through the November 2004 election.
The entries, arranged chronologically and including black-and-white portraits, chronologies, and lists of further reading, show how their backgrounds and personal strengths and abilities influenced the women's approach to their times "in office" and how the public's expectations changed through the years. The first five First Ladies, for example, came from a tradition of service and ceremony, while many of the women who followed them in the nineteenth century had no desire or training to be public figures or were too ill to play the role. Edith Wilson and Eleanor Roosevelt forever changed the image of the First Lady because of their political influence. The profiles are followed by several appendixes, among them a list of "First Lady Firsts" and a list of First Ladies by date of birth.
The readability of this volume makes it appealing as well as informative. Recommended for high-school, public, and undergraduate libraries. Sally Jane
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