Volume 15, Number 10 · December 3, 1970
Birdbath
By Jean Stafford
A White House Diary
by Lady Bird Johnson
Holt, Rinehart & Winston, 864 pp., $10.95
A Woman of Quality: Eleanor Roosevelt
by Stella K. Hershan
Crown, 256 pp., $5.95
Lady Bird Johnson's primary reason for keeping a diary for more than five years was that, as she says in her prefatory note, she wanted her descendants to share through her eyes her 'unique position, as wife of the president of the United States.' But the exercise was disciplinary as well, like a daily walk of four miles no matter what the weather, or half an hour of the Old Testament the last thing at night. And, besides, she says, 'I like writing—fearful labor though I sometimes find it—I like words.' She spoke into a tape recorder, chronicling official dinners, family get-togethers, trips abroad, the weddings and accouchements of her daughters, barbecues with multitudes, an occasional solitary evening of television, the doubts and decisions and physical distempers of her husband, the greatest man on earth.
Review, 1701 words
To read the full text of this piece, please choose one of the following options:
|
If you are already a subscriber to the Review's electronic edition, please sign in: |
To subscribe to the electronic edition, please press the button below. |
To purchase access to this article for $3, please press the button below. |