For eight years, Laura Welch Bush was the First Lady of the United States, and along with her husband President George Bush, she was often in the spotlight of the world. She seemed like such a private, reserved person, handling herself with quiet grace and dignity through some of the most turbulent times in our country’s history.
In her book, “Spoken From The Heart,” readers can get to know more about this quiet but strong lady firsthand as Laura Bush tells about her life growing up in the oil country of Midland, Texas to becoming the First Lady of one of the most powerful countries on Earth.
Written in first person, Mrs. Bush’s remembrances remind me of sitting down with a friend as they tell their stories of their life, and what a fascinating, varied life Laura Bush has experienced.
From her childhood growing up an only child in West Texas, the daughter of a fun-loving, gambling man and a beautiful stay-at-home mom, Laura led the charmed, safe life of a child growing up in the 50’s. Her teenaged years were filled with friends and activities, until a tragedy involving an automobile accident marred what seemed to be a perfect existence. Mrs. Bush is very candid in writing of the incident that took the life of a high school friend, and it’s plain to see that the event was a major turning point in her life.
She writes of her days as an impressionable college student, as a beginning teacher, and later as a librarian and her desires to help children better themselves through reading.
And she writes of meeting a young man named George Bush, known as the “most eligible bachelor in Midland,” and how everyone was amazed that the “old maid” Laura was purported to be could capture such a man’s heart. Their marriage was to be a union of like minds and goals, and it is heartwarming to read of how, despite her shyness,
Laura supported her husband’s ambitions and how well the two worked as a team.
Her descriptions of her time as wife of the Governor of Texas, and then the eight years in the White House are fascinating, including the renovations that were continuously ongoing at both the Governor’s Mansion and at the White House, how the holiday themes are selected and celebrated, and how she and her family hosted the vast numbers of visitors that were an ongoing daily presence at both residences.
She also describes how the whole world changed, for both her and her husband, her family, and the entire world on September 11, 2001, and how the drama and tension of the events associated with that devastating tragedy colored the rest of her husband’s time in office.
She passionately writes about causes that are near and dear to her heart, including literacy, the plight of the women in Afghanistan, the suffering of the people of Burma, and how she battled to raise awareness as best she could on all these issues and events.
“Spoken From The Heart” is an in-depth look at Laura Bush’s experiences being First Lady of the United States, and it is perhaps one of the most complete narratives on the subject.
It doesn’t matter if you are Republican or Democrat, the history and legacy that Mrs. Bush left behind will forever be a part of our country’s tapestry and she should be admired and respected for her service to our country.
