Spoken from the Heart by Laura Bush

In her autobiographical memoir, Spoken from the Heart, Laura Bush shows herself to be a very smart, well-adjusted and normal person.  These qualities are what certainly must have led her to being such a gracious and confident public persona on the international stage.  

The first chapters of the book are, truly, spoken from the heart. With a lot of feeling and insight about herself and her parents, she writes about growing up in dusty Midland, Texas, an only child who longed for brothers and sisters.  As a baby boomer growing up on the “other side of the 60s,” the cultural milieu of her early life is really part of history.  It was good reading.  After college, she lived on her own while teaching in Houston and pursuing a degree in library science.  When she and George Bush were introduced by mutual friends, it seems to have been a relationship meant to be.  Throughout the book and without being maudlin or overly personal, she refers to the solid respect and devotion she and the president have for one another. 

After the first 150 pages of this (400-plus page) book, Mrs. Bush’s writing often reads a lot like the standard apologetics books so predictable with public servants.  It is here that the reading does become tedious at times. By age 49 she was the First Lady of Texas and six years later she was First Lady of the United States.  More than half the book is devoted to her life as a public person.  The terrorist attacks of 9/11 and the Afghan and Iraq Wars dominated the Bush presidency.  On these issues as well as Katrina, other areas of foreign policy and domestic issues, Mrs. Bush invariably and glibly supports and praises the decisions the President made.  

Still, she sprinkles in color and opinion along the way as she continues to discuss life with her daughters, her in-laws (“Bar” and “Gampy”), campaigning and entertaining.   She writes with genuine interest and concern about her work in Afghanistan, Burma, Africa and here at home with book campaigns and teenage gangs.  I believe that George and Laura Bush do nothing without first deciding if it is the virtuous thing to do.  Despite a noblesse oblige that may underpin their actions, they are sincere, honest and consistent in their beliefs.  They are not afraid to get their hands dirty and will do whatever it takes to get a job done.  

One exception to the consistency and sincerity of Mrs. Bush’s beliefs concerns abortion. She addresses the topic in this book but fudges it in my opinion.  She remains unclear on exactly what she does believe and blames the press for labeling her pro-abortion.  It is difficult to understand why Laura Bush appears to adopt the typical feminist stance on abortion when her thinking in other areas is so clear.  In the early years of their marriage, she and then-citizen George Bush were about to adopt a child, having difficulty conceiving on their own.  How do you justify abortion while simultaneously understanding first-hand the fragility and tenuousness of life.  

Despite her fuzziness on what I guess was the difficult topic of abortion, Mrs. Bush doesn’t typically shy away from the unpleasant.  She made repeated references to the smug, relentless sniping of the mainstream media during her husband’s presidency and discussed how she handled it.  She devoted quite a few pages to the tension and uncertainty provoked by Al Gore and the Democrats in the 2000 election.  (Reading between the lines, I’d say the Bush camp saw the Democrats’ behavior as petty and self-serving.)  Amidst the discussion, however, she stays cool and doesn’t ever give anybody the real tongue-lashing they deserve.   Even when writing about how the elitist press condescendingly treated her as a know-nothing from Texas, she remains above-board.   

The pace that she and W maintained during his presidency can be described in a word, whirlwind.  Perhaps this is true of any presidency and of every First Lady, but I kind of doubt it.  Laura Bush threw herself into a great number of projects and followed a travel and entertainment schedule that might have scared off a lesser individual (or a more self-absorbed or self-promoting first lady, a few come to mind).  She visited 75 countries, hosted more than 1,500 dinners and events, restored 5 and refurbished 25 rooms in the White House, attended summits and symposiums and panels.  And all this is not to mention her extensive work with Burmese refugees, AIDS patients in Africa (a country she traversed 5 times) and extensive work in Afghanistan (three visits) with women and children.  

Having visited the George W. Bush Presidential Library at SMU and following as I do the programs at the Bush Center, my allegiance to and interest in the Bush family waxes and wanes.   They are clearly dedicated to making a difference in the world and continue with projects they started during the Bush presidency.  Yet, their antipathy towards Donald Trump and his presidency bespoke a decided lack of vision I thought.  In addition, their moderated approach is ineffective in these turbulent times.  Nonetheless, this informative book has put my interest back in the waxing category.  Read it!