Lady Bird Johnson: Hiding in Plain Sight
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- Create Date：2021-03-15 04:12:52
- Update Date：2025-09-06
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- Author：Julia Sweig
- ISBN：0812995902
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Summary
A magisterial portrait of Lady Bird Johnson， and a major reevaluation of the profound yet underappreciated impact the First Lady's political instincts had on LBJ's presidency。
In the spring of 1964， President Lyndon B。 Johnson had a decision to make。 Just months after moving into the White House under the worst of circumstances--following the assassination of President John F。 Kennedy--he had to decide whether to run to win the presidency in his own right。 He turned to his most reliable， trusted political strategist: his wife， Lady Bird Johnson。 The strategy memo she produced for him， emblematic of her own political acumen and largely overlooked by biographers， is just one revealing example of how their marriage was truly a decades-long political partnership。
Perhaps the most underestimated First Lady of the twentieth century， Lady Bird Johnson was also one of the most accomplished and often her husband's secret weapon。 Managing the White House in years of national upheaval， through the civil rights movement and the escalation of the Vietnam War， Lady Bird projected a sense of calm and， following the glamorous and modern Jackie Kennedy， an old-fashioned image of a First Lady。 In truth， she was anything but。 As the first First Lady to run the East Wing like a professional office， she took on her own policy initiatives， including the most ambitious national environmental effort since Teddy Roosevelt。 Occupying the White House during the beginning of the women's liberation movement， she hosted professional women from all walks of life in the White House， including urban planning and environmental pioneers like Jane Jacobs and Barbara Ward， encouraging women everywhere to pursue their own careers， even if her own style of leadership and official role was to lead by supporting others。
Where no presidential biographer has understood the full impact of Lady Bird Johnson's work in the White House， Julia Sweig is the first to draw substantially on Lady Bird's own voice in her White House diaries to place Claudia Alta "Lady Bird" Johnson center stage and to reveal a woman ahead of her time--and an accomplished politician in her own right。
In the spring of 1964， President Lyndon B。 Johnson had a decision to make。 Just months after moving into the White House under the worst of circumstances--following the assassination of President John F。 Kennedy--he had to decide whether to run to win the presidency in his own right。 He turned to his most reliable， trusted political strategist: his wife， Lady Bird Johnson。 The strategy memo she produced for him， emblematic of her own political acumen and largely overlooked by biographers， is just one revealing example of how their marriage was truly a decades-long political partnership。
Perhaps the most underestimated First Lady of the twentieth century， Lady Bird Johnson was also one of the most accomplished and often her husband's secret weapon。 Managing the White House in years of national upheaval， through the civil rights movement and the escalation of the Vietnam War， Lady Bird projected a sense of calm and， following the glamorous and modern Jackie Kennedy， an old-fashioned image of a First Lady。 In truth， she was anything but。 As the first First Lady to run the East Wing like a professional office， she took on her own policy initiatives， including the most ambitious national environmental effort since Teddy Roosevelt。 Occupying the White House during the beginning of the women's liberation movement， she hosted professional women from all walks of life in the White House， including urban planning and environmental pioneers like Jane Jacobs and Barbara Ward， encouraging women everywhere to pursue their own careers， even if her own style of leadership and official role was to lead by supporting others。
Where no presidential biographer has understood the full impact of Lady Bird Johnson's work in the White House， Julia Sweig is the first to draw substantially on Lady Bird's own voice in her White House diaries to place Claudia Alta "Lady Bird" Johnson center stage and to reveal a woman ahead of her time--and an accomplished politician in her own right。
Reviews
Lovely Loveday
，
Lady Bird Johnson: Hiding in Plain Sight by Julia Sweig is an intriguing historical memoir。 A book that shows a magisterial portrait of Lady Bird Johnson and her role in LBJ's presidency。Lady Bird Johnson: Hiding in Plain Sight is full of stories about the first lady that many do not know。 An insightful read that is sure to leave you wanting to know more。 Lady Bird Johnson: Hiding in Plain Sight by Julia Sweig is an intriguing historical memoir。 A book that shows a magisterial portrait of Lady Bird Johnson and her role in LBJ's presidency。Lady Bird Johnson: Hiding in Plain Sight is full of stories about the first lady that many do not know。 An insightful read that is sure to leave you wanting to know more。 。。。more
Becki
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For the right person， this book would be a treasure trove of insight。 I， unfortunately， was not that "right person"， despite my interest in politics， biographies， strong women， and the civil rights movement。 First， let me tell you what this book is。 It is a highly researched， intensive expansion of the First Lady's five years in the White House。 Drawn from 123 hours of personally recorded audio diaries， this book reveals Lady Bird's deep devotion to her husband （this book focuses primarily on th For the right person， this book would be a treasure trove of insight。 I， unfortunately， was not that "right person"， despite my interest in politics， biographies， strong women， and the civil rights movement。 First， let me tell you what this book is。 It is a highly researched， intensive expansion of the First Lady's five years in the White House。 Drawn from 123 hours of personally recorded audio diaries， this book reveals Lady Bird's deep devotion to her husband （this book focuses primarily on their political relationship）， her well-honed political instincts， and her tireless efforts for "beautification"/environmental work as first lady。 I am sincerely confident that there are readers who would whole-heartedly delight in reading literally hundreds of pages about Lady Bird's urban beautification projects。 If you are not one of those specific readers， be prepared for a *lot* of skimming。Disappointingly for me， this book had very little reference to Lady Bird's life before she married her husband at the age of 21， to her personal story as a wife， mother and friend， nor to her continued growth as a woman and feminist leader after her White House days。 The parts that I did enjoy included a short section on the relationship between Lady Bird and her predecessor Jacqueline Kennedy， insights into the civil rights movement and the Vietnam War， and a brief story about Bird's support of a high level staffer who was outed as gay。 Overall， though， this was just a miss for me。 It was very heavy on expository and very light on commentary and reflection。 Again- the right person could *love* this book， and I hope this review helps that person to make the connection。 I received an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review。 #NetGalley #LadyBirdJohnsonHidinginPlainSight 。。。more
Casey Wheeler
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This book is primarily about Lady Bird Johnson’s years in the White House based on a journal she kept and interviews with those who interacted with her。 Her life prior and after the White House years is given a once over lightly treatment。 The book itself is a bit on the dry side as the author does more of a recitation rather than trying to bring color to an interesting person。 As expected， a great deal of the book deals with the challenges that her husband faced as President and her role in sup This book is primarily about Lady Bird Johnson’s years in the White House based on a journal she kept and interviews with those who interacted with her。 Her life prior and after the White House years is given a once over lightly treatment。 The book itself is a bit on the dry side as the author does more of a recitation rather than trying to bring color to an interesting person。 As expected， a great deal of the book deals with the challenges that her husband faced as President and her role in supporting him。 Others may find this book interesting， but it left me with a so-so feeling。I received a free Kindle copy of this book courtesy of Net Galley and the publisher with the understanding that I would post a review on Net Galley， Goodreads， Amazon and my nonfiction book review blog。 I also posted it to my Facebook page。 。。。more
Kimberly Yavorski
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More than the story of one of America’s most influential First Ladies; this book also provides a behind-the-scenes view of the Johnson presidency and its role in both the Vietnam conflict and the Civil Rights movement。 Covering Johnson’s life from birth to death， it largely focuses on her public life which began shortly after she married the man who would become America’s 36th president。 Using Lady Bird’s personal diaries， public letters， interviews， oral histories， and contemporary accounts， th More than the story of one of America’s most influential First Ladies; this book also provides a behind-the-scenes view of the Johnson presidency and its role in both the Vietnam conflict and the Civil Rights movement。 Covering Johnson’s life from birth to death， it largely focuses on her public life which began shortly after she married the man who would become America’s 36th president。 Using Lady Bird’s personal diaries， public letters， interviews， oral histories， and contemporary accounts， the book provides important historical context， revealing events and forces that led to the turbulence of the ‘60s， and also addresses the changing political winds that shaped the two major political parties into the entities they are today。 。。。more
Nancy
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In 2013， The Rachel Carson Award was posthumously awarded to Lady Bird Johnson for her "outstanding contributions to the conservation and environmental movement。" If this surprises you， like it does me， it is because Bird's environmental agenda had been tweaked to the more acceptable "beautification" project。 In Lady Bird Johnson Hiding in Plain Sight， Julia Sweig explains how people like me remember the roadside wildflower plantings and attack on roadside bill boards and not the deeper issues B In 2013， The Rachel Carson Award was posthumously awarded to Lady Bird Johnson for her "outstanding contributions to the conservation and environmental movement。" If this surprises you， like it does me， it is because Bird's environmental agenda had been tweaked to the more acceptable "beautification" project。 In Lady Bird Johnson Hiding in Plain Sight， Julia Sweig explains how people like me remember the roadside wildflower plantings and attack on roadside bill boards and not the deeper issues Bird was promoting--issues of environmental justice and racial equality。 Every biography offers some new slant， some new insight。 And Julia Sweig did not disappoint me with a new understanding of Lady Bird， her relationship with LBJ， and their experience during a tumultuous time。Sweig does not mince words。 She calls white supremacy by it's name。 We see history， the landmark legislation， the white backlash， the Civil Rights movement， the riots， and the domestic terrorism from a 21st c。 perspective。Sweig presents Bird as a strong， determined， committed， intelligent woman who was necessary to her husband's well being and career。 Bird's work of transforming urban environments for physical and mental health， from eliminating pollution to the beautification of schoolyards， leaves us impressed by Bird's deep knowledge， dedication， and passion。 Bird was a workaholic like her husband。 She campaigned across the country， edited LBJ's speeches and acted as a sounding board。 As First Lady she brought together talent and money to develop her dream of healthy neighborhoods， and she mothered two daughters on the verge of adulthood。 It was interesting to learn about the private contract between Bird and LBJ concerning his running for another term of office， and how their daughters reacted to his decision。It is thrilling to read a book that does not diminish Lady Bird to an abused， underappreciated， complicit wife。 Sweig shows us a true partnership of equals--or perhaps I should better say， the balanced and insightful woman necessary to her man's success。I received a free egalley from the publisher through NetGalley。 My review is fair and unbiased。 。。。more
Janilyn Kocher
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Sweig wrote a thorough， introspective look at Lady Bird Johnson's five year tenure as First Lady during a turbulent era。 She gives her subject a fair assessment， but skim over LBJ's Infidelities with no real depth。 At times the chronology was a bit ponderous and I had to wonder if the exacting details were necessary。 Sweig discussed Jackie Kennedy quite a lot during the first part of book， to the point I had to wonder if it was a book about her or Lady Bird。 She also had a tendency to use 2020 p Sweig wrote a thorough， introspective look at Lady Bird Johnson's five year tenure as First Lady during a turbulent era。 She gives her subject a fair assessment， but skim over LBJ's Infidelities with no real depth。 At times the chronology was a bit ponderous and I had to wonder if the exacting details were necessary。 Sweig discussed Jackie Kennedy quite a lot during the first part of book， to the point I had to wonder if it was a book about her or Lady Bird。 She also had a tendency to use 2020 prose instead of 60s lexicon。 It's a thorough assessment of the political acumen of Johnson and the legacy she built。 I did wonder why the Johnsons' business records are permanent，y closed。 I also did not know Lady Bird and Jackie rekindled their friendship in the eighties。 。。。more
Runner10
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Julia Sweig gives an insightful look to the behind the scenes influence of Lady Bird Johnson。 I learned many interesting tidbits of her life。
Donna Boyd
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Thank you to #NetGalley， Julia Sweig， and Random House for providing me with a digital copy of this book prior to publication in exchange for my review。 Lady Bird Johnson Hiding in Plain Sight by Julia Sweig is a comprehensive biography of a First Lady who played a vital role in her husband's political success。 Lady Bird Johnson was as much a politician as her husband， President Lyndon Johnson， she just did her work behind the scenes， preferring to let LBJ take center stage。 She is probably best Thank you to #NetGalley， Julia Sweig， and Random House for providing me with a digital copy of this book prior to publication in exchange for my review。 Lady Bird Johnson Hiding in Plain Sight by Julia Sweig is a comprehensive biography of a First Lady who played a vital role in her husband's political success。 Lady Bird Johnson was as much a politician as her husband， President Lyndon Johnson， she just did her work behind the scenes， preferring to let LBJ take center stage。 She is probably best known for her work on the Highway Beautification Act， which became the first major legislative campaign started by a first lady。 She was also did important work with the Head Start program and the war on poverty。 What is not as widely known is her support of women's rights。 She was an early supporter of women's rights and when she was awarded the Congressional Gold Medal in 1988 her work with women's issues was mentioned as a reason for the award。 She also received the Presidential Medal of Freedom， the highest award a civilian can receive。 I learned a great deal from this book。 It was a well researched， well written book about a woman who was ahead of her time and was an integral political partner to her husband， President Johnson。 I enjoyed this book and highly recommend it。 。。。more
Kerry Pickens
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I was in elementary school when Lyndon Johnson became president， so I am more familiar with Lady Bird's work on environmental issues than I am with her behind the scenes support of her husband's political ambitions。 This book is very thoroughly researched but a bit dry as it doesn't really capture the eccentricities and sense of humor the Johnsons were known for。 There are colorful characters that aren't mentioned in the book like Johnson's Jewish supporter Bernard Rapaport or events like Lyndon I was in elementary school when Lyndon Johnson became president， so I am more familiar with Lady Bird's work on environmental issues than I am with her behind the scenes support of her husband's political ambitions。 This book is very thoroughly researched but a bit dry as it doesn't really capture the eccentricities and sense of humor the Johnsons were known for。 There are colorful characters that aren't mentioned in the book like Johnson's Jewish supporter Bernard Rapaport or events like Lyndon Johnson's activities as a young Texas congressman where he secretly participated in the illegal rescue of European Jews from Eastern Europe in 1938 and in 1940， before America’s entry into World War II。 Having lived in Austin， TX for many years， Lady Bird's legacy is apparent in the city including the KLBJ radio station which financed Johnson's political career， the LBJ Presidential Library， the Town Lake Hike and Bike Trail， and the Johnson Wildflower Center。 My favorite story about Lady Bird was her decision to buy a particular home in West Austin was based on a Arbutus tree growing on the property， a tree that is rarely found growing in the city。 。。。more
Rachel
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