On This Page
Description
This newly updated collection of biographies showcases all the secrets, scandals, and trivia from America’s first ladies.Whether she’s a leading lady, loyal spouse, or lightning rod for scandal, the First Lady of the United States has always been in the spotlight—and in 2017 that was truer than ever. This revised and expanded edition from Quirk’s best-selling Secret Lives series features outrageous and uncensored profiles of the women of the White House, from Martha Washington to show more Melania Trump, it comes complete with hundreds of little-known, politically incorrect, and downright wacko facts. Did you know that . . .
• Dolley Madison loved to chew tobacco
• Mary Todd Lincoln conducted séances on a regular basis
• Eleanor Roosevelt and Ellen Wilson both carried guns
• Jacqueline Kennedy spent $121,000 on her wardrobe in a single year
... show less
Tags
Recommendations
Member Reviews
I received this book for free from the publisher (Quirk Books) in exchange for an honest review.
I loved this book! I love history, especially when it comes to topics that are not talked about much. So naturally, this book was right up on my alley.
This edition of the book features profiles of all the First Ladies, including the most recent one, Melania Trump. It gives a short biography about each First Lady and her time in the White House, as well as some fun facts and stories. There are also some fun illustrations (which I loved).
My biggest takeaway from this was that so many of the First Ladies had tragic lives. Many of them were upset and cried when their husbands became president. A lot of them had to endure a bunch of bad stuff show more (absent husbands, children dying, health problems, long travels, etc.) to help their husbands get to the White House. I had no idea that this was the reality for a majority of them. Their lives were not as glamorous as some may have thought.
Hardly anyone ever talks about the First Ladies (especially the earlier ones) so it was really insightful to learn more about them. They deserve more recognition than they get.
Overall, if you want a fun little history lesson on the First Ladies, then look no further, this book is for you! show less
I loved this book! I love history, especially when it comes to topics that are not talked about much. So naturally, this book was right up on my alley.
This edition of the book features profiles of all the First Ladies, including the most recent one, Melania Trump. It gives a short biography about each First Lady and her time in the White House, as well as some fun facts and stories. There are also some fun illustrations (which I loved).
My biggest takeaway from this was that so many of the First Ladies had tragic lives. Many of them were upset and cried when their husbands became president. A lot of them had to endure a bunch of bad stuff show more (absent husbands, children dying, health problems, long travels, etc.) to help their husbands get to the White House. I had no idea that this was the reality for a majority of them. Their lives were not as glamorous as some may have thought.
Hardly anyone ever talks about the First Ladies (especially the earlier ones) so it was really insightful to learn more about them. They deserve more recognition than they get.
Overall, if you want a fun little history lesson on the First Ladies, then look no further, this book is for you! show less
The title leads me to believe this is a tawdry account of the first ladies secrets meant to paint them in a scandalous light. Maybe that was a ploy to get readers? The book is based in historical fact and there weren't overtly scandalous experiences. I did enjoy reading about some would-be or would-have-been first ladies.
This book is a highly readable, very informative collection of facts and stories about our First Ladies. Chapters are just the right length, and full of the kinds of things readers themselves might ask these historical figures. Learn about Mamie Eisenhower's terrible health, Julia Dent Grant's crossed eyes, Ida McKinley's fainting fits and Eidth Bolling Galt Wilson's harrowing stint filling in for Woodrow after his stroke. Fun, educational, and it has great pictures! Impress your friends with your first-lady knowledge, and learn something along the way.
A quick overview of the lives of the First Ladies.
Ratings
Members
- Recently Added By
Lists
Books Read in 2010
631 works; 10 members
Author Information
14 Works 1,366 Members
Cormac O'Brien is the author of Secret Lives of the U.S. Presidents and Secret Lives of the Civil War. He lives with his wife in New Jersey.
Some Editions
Series
Common Knowledge
- Original publication date
- 2005
- People/Characters
- George Washington; Martha Custis Washington; Abigail Adams; John Adams; Martha Jefferson Randolph; Thomas Jefferson (show all 71); Dolley Madison; James Madison; Elizabeth Monroe; James Monroe; Louisa Catherine Johnson Adams; John Quincy Adams; Andrew Jackson; Rachel Jackson; Hannah Van Buren; Martin Van Buren; Anna Tuthill Symmes Harrison; William Henry Harrison; John Tyler; Julia Gardiner Tyler; Letitia Christian Tyler; James Knox Polk; Sarah Childress Polk; Margaret Mackall Smith Taylor; Zachary Taylor; Abigail Powers Fillmore; Millard Fillmore; Franklin Pierce; Jane Pierce; Harriet Lane; James Buchanan; Abraham Lincoln; Mary Todd Lincoln; Andrew Johnson; Eliza Johnson; Julia Dent Grant; Ulysses S. Grant; Lucy Webb Hayes; Rutherford B. Hayes; Lucretia Rudolph Garfield; Chester A. Arthur; Ellen Lewis Herndon Arthur; Frances Clara Cleveland; Grover Cleveland; Benjamin Harrison; Caroline Lavinia Harrison; Ida Saxton McKinley; Edith Kermit Carow Roosevelt; Theodore Roosevelt; Nellie Taft; William Howard Taft; Edith Wilson; Woodrow Wilson; Florence Harding; Warren G. Harding; Calvin Coolidge; Grace Coolidge; Herbert Hoover; Lou Hoover; Eleanor Roosevelt; Franklin Delano Roosevelt; Bess Truman; Harry S. Truman; Dwight D. Eisenhower; Mamie Doud Eisenhower; John F. Kennedy; Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis; Lady Bird Johnson; Lyndon Baines Johnson; Pat Nixon; Richard M. Nixon
- Important places
- Washington, D.C., USA
Classifications
Statistics
- Members
- 277
- Popularity
- 116,012
- Reviews
- 4
- Rating
- (3.77)
- Languages
- English, Hungarian
- Media
- Paper, Audiobook, Ebook
- ISBNs
- 6
- UPCs
- 1
- ASINs
- 5
