We learned about the American first ladies from the media and previous books that emphasised all of history's major milestones. But how much do you really know about these women?
Consider:
- Dolley Madison loved to chew tobacco.
- Mary Todd Lincoln conducted seances in the White House on a regular basis.
- Jacqueline Kennedy spent $121,000 on her wardrobe in a single year.
- Frances Cleveland married her legal guardian of ten years, Grover Cleveland, as soon as she turned twenty-one.
- Julia Grant (wife of Ulysses S. Grant) was severely cross-eyed – the result of being whacked by an oar as a child. She required the support of someone's arm when crossing a room.
- Mamie Eisenhower never missed an episode of 'As the World Turns.'
- Laura Bush organised the books in her bedroom using the Dewey decimal system.
And that's just the beginning. From Martha Washington and Eleanor Roosevelt to Laura Bush, 'Secret Lives Of The First Ladies' features lively, entertaining profiles of every woman in the White House.