First Women: The Grace and Power of America's Modern First Ladies Paperback - 2017

One of the most underestimated--and demanding--positions in the world, the first lady of the United States must be many things: an inspiring leader with a forward-thinking agenda of her own; a savvy politician, skilled at navigating the treacherous rapids of Washington; a wife and mother operating under constant scrutiny; and an able CEO responsible for the smooth operation of the White House residence. Now, as she did in her smash #1 bestseller The Residence, former White House correspondent Kate Andersen Brower draws on a wide array of untapped, candid sources--from residence staff and social secretaries to friends and political advisers to the former first ladies themselves--to tell the stories of the ten remarkable women who have defined the role since 1960.

Brower offers new insights into this privileged group of women. The stories she shares range from the heartwarming to the shocking and tragic, exploring everything from their friendships with other first ladies to their public and private relationships with their husbands. She also presents a new portrait of one of the most-watched first ladies of all time, Hillary Clinton.

Candid and illuminating, this first group biography of the modern first ladies provides a compelling glimpse at life upstairs and downstairs at the world's most powerful address.