BOOK REVIEW: Hidden Power

The Holidays have been a lazy time for me. I read mostly my favorite fun authors, Sharon Sala, Victoria Alexander, Janet Evanovich, etc.  The one serious book that I finished was HIDDEN POWER by Kati Marton. This is an excellent book dealing with Presidential marriages and how the wives helped to shape our recent history.

The good thing about HIDDEN POWER was that I could “read at it”.  It was possible to read about one of our Presidents, put the book aside, read something frivolous, then pick it up again and read about the next First Lady.

Starting with Woodrow and Edith Wilson and finishing with George W. and Laura Bush, Marton gives us not only a very personal glimpse at the relationships in the White House, but also how the role of women evolved during this time.

What I liked best about Marton’s book was that it never slipped into the realm of gossip. This award winning journalist took the information from personal journals, letters, and memos. To be honest, I am not the most astute of history students, modern or ancient; I like books with strong character development. HIDDEN POWER is rich in personal development.

Edith Wilson fascinated me. This was a woman who was actively against the Women’s Rights movement. When Woodrow became ill, she stepped in and almost literally ran the country. Her main objective was to protect her husband. The country may have suffered because of her lack of knowledge or understanding of the job.

I felt very sorry for Patricia Nixon; I could not understand why she married Richard. She had been a vivacious, popular teacher. As he became more paranoid, their relationship became more estranged which fed his paranoia and seemed to crush her spirit.

My admiration for Hilary Clinton grew. I could understand how an intelligent woman who had always worked, would need to be still active….no matter what her husband’s job was. Hilary comes across as someone of strong personal faith, who really wanted to make a difference, but neither she nor her husband had a clear understanding of Washington politics.

Each First Lady saw her primary job as being a wife. How each used that job to influence what happened to our country was fascinating. It seems that no matter how the public feels about equal rights for women, we still have strong feelings of how the First Lady should conduct herself.

When you read this book, I would be interested in hearing how you respond to these women who had their moment in the glare of the world’s spotlight.