Helpful Score: 4
It became clear to me early on while reading this memoir that it was going to be a beautiful read. From cover to cover, Laura Bushs personal and deeply touching story is beautifully written and a delight to read. I closed the book with a smile on my face and yet sadness that it was the end. Taking three weeks to read it (due partly to the fact that I was on business travel one of those weeks and by the time my head hit the pillow I could hardly read a single paragraph), I feel I spent enough time to soak up every word.
Laura Bush is to be admired, respected, and an example to follow. Not only has she always been (and remains to be) committed to her husband and family, she has a heart for people that stretches to the corners of the world. She used her platform as First Lady to serve others and bring attention and aid to some of the most devastating circumstances around the globe.
Spoken from the Heart discusses painful topics for the former First Lady, from the tragic accident that took a friends life and the grief-stricken years to follow, to the challenging decisions her husband was faced with every single day and her admiration for him to persevere in tough times. She does a marvelous job humanizing the former First Family. The Bush family respected each other and remained committed despite all the negative circumstance and attention surrounding them. They stayed true to themselves and served our country with honor and integrity.
Something that came to mind frequently while reading Spoken from the Heart was a quote from the Book of Esther. When Esther is called to be Queen, her uncle tells her she was called, for such a time as this. I truly believe President Bush was called for his time. He brought with him a beautiful family and a strong, caring, loving and gracious wife.
Laura Bush is a genuine soul who continues work for many of the initiatives she began in the White House. As a fellow lover of books and literacy, she has inspired me to consider where I can lend my hand and support. To share books with others, to encourage education and literacy, to meet authors and enrich our understandings, all of this is a gift to be shared.
What more can I say other than I respect, admire, and appreciate Laura Bush. I thank her for opening up to the world and writing a memoir, despite her preference for privacy. I thank her for her efforts and her faith in the human people to help one another. And I recommend this memoir to anyone who admires the Bush family, enjoys autobiographies and memoirs, or just wants to be inspired to make a difference in their world.
Laura Bush is to be admired, respected, and an example to follow. Not only has she always been (and remains to be) committed to her husband and family, she has a heart for people that stretches to the corners of the world. She used her platform as First Lady to serve others and bring attention and aid to some of the most devastating circumstances around the globe.
Spoken from the Heart discusses painful topics for the former First Lady, from the tragic accident that took a friends life and the grief-stricken years to follow, to the challenging decisions her husband was faced with every single day and her admiration for him to persevere in tough times. She does a marvelous job humanizing the former First Family. The Bush family respected each other and remained committed despite all the negative circumstance and attention surrounding them. They stayed true to themselves and served our country with honor and integrity.
Something that came to mind frequently while reading Spoken from the Heart was a quote from the Book of Esther. When Esther is called to be Queen, her uncle tells her she was called, for such a time as this. I truly believe President Bush was called for his time. He brought with him a beautiful family and a strong, caring, loving and gracious wife.
Laura Bush is a genuine soul who continues work for many of the initiatives she began in the White House. As a fellow lover of books and literacy, she has inspired me to consider where I can lend my hand and support. To share books with others, to encourage education and literacy, to meet authors and enrich our understandings, all of this is a gift to be shared.
What more can I say other than I respect, admire, and appreciate Laura Bush. I thank her for opening up to the world and writing a memoir, despite her preference for privacy. I thank her for her efforts and her faith in the human people to help one another. And I recommend this memoir to anyone who admires the Bush family, enjoys autobiographies and memoirs, or just wants to be inspired to make a difference in their world.
Helpful Score: 3
I enjoyed this book, it gave some interesting behind the scenes accounts of her life and the life of her husband. It was straight forward and written very well. It does not including "dirt" of the White House Years, so i that is wat you are looking for, look elsewhere!
Helpful Score: 1
Such a great read. How interesting to hear the real behind the scenes of life in the White House. Of course, I am even more interested because I live so close to 1600 Pennsylvania Ave, but to get the story from a woman who is known to be private was even more interesting.
I loved to hear about her interactions with Bush Sr and the few times they visited Washington, D.C. while he was in office. I couldn't believe that she had spent very little time with her in-laws until after they had been married for quite some time.
What a schedule those first ladies keep? I had no idea that they traveled as much as they do. I know they had schedules to keep, but I assumed most of their events were local, if not in the United States. Mrs. Bush was traveling all over the world and made friends with a lot of "first ladies." It was so cool to hear who she connected with and what helped her create relationships with all of these foreign dignitaries' wives.
Although I enjoyed this read, one of things I would have edited out were the little quips that felt as though they were included only to make George Bush look better. At the end of a long paragraph on some subject, she would state that she was glad Bush had religion to lean on in times of trouble. There were many more, I didn't think they added to the story and it even took away some of the credibility of the story.
The other thing that sent me spinning every so often was the in and out of timelines. The book had a sort of flow through time, but every so often there was a flashback or an insert of a future time. I felt as though those future moments could have been held for when they would naturally occur in the story.
Whether a Bush fan or not, I think this is a great read to find out what not only happens behind the White House walls. BUT what happenedwhen 9-11 and terrorism hit close to home. I relived that day in history when I was reading her account of what she was doing and how her life completely changed that morning.
I loved to hear about her interactions with Bush Sr and the few times they visited Washington, D.C. while he was in office. I couldn't believe that she had spent very little time with her in-laws until after they had been married for quite some time.
What a schedule those first ladies keep? I had no idea that they traveled as much as they do. I know they had schedules to keep, but I assumed most of their events were local, if not in the United States. Mrs. Bush was traveling all over the world and made friends with a lot of "first ladies." It was so cool to hear who she connected with and what helped her create relationships with all of these foreign dignitaries' wives.
Although I enjoyed this read, one of things I would have edited out were the little quips that felt as though they were included only to make George Bush look better. At the end of a long paragraph on some subject, she would state that she was glad Bush had religion to lean on in times of trouble. There were many more, I didn't think they added to the story and it even took away some of the credibility of the story.
The other thing that sent me spinning every so often was the in and out of timelines. The book had a sort of flow through time, but every so often there was a flashback or an insert of a future time. I felt as though those future moments could have been held for when they would naturally occur in the story.
Whether a Bush fan or not, I think this is a great read to find out what not only happens behind the White House walls. BUT what happenedwhen 9-11 and terrorism hit close to home. I relived that day in history when I was reading her account of what she was doing and how her life completely changed that morning.
She truly does 'speak from the heart' from beginning to end. It is filled with glimpses of events in her life and insights into so many aspects of her life as a daughter, wife, mother and First Lady of the United States. Scattered throughout the book are references to books she has read and their influences on her. By book's end, I had a new respect for her - and a long list of books I now want to explore.
Parts of this book seemed to drag; especially, giving background of countries or situations. Overall, it was a very interesting read.
i really enjoyed this. went into alot of depth about the first family. They told the book like all the events happened at the time. great book!
A little slow at times but over all it was a good read.
This was a really good book. I was surprised by some of the things that happened in this book and it held my interest that I could not put it down until I finished reading it from cover to cover. It is was well worth the read. There have only been a few first ladies that I admired and she was one of them.
I don't know why I requested this book but it must have been in a weak moment when I thought what Mrs. Bush would have to say might interest me. While there were moments of interest, overwhelmingly I was simply thoroughly humored by the simplistic text and manner in which Mrs. Bush conveyed her thoughts. It was ridiculously silly.
