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6 oeuvres 281 utilisateurs 6 critiques

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Julia E. Sweig is the Nelson and David Rockefeller Senior Fellow for Latin America Studies and Director for Latin America Studies at the Council on Foreign Relations. She is the author of Inside the Cuban Revolution (winner of the AHA Herbert Feis award for the best book of the year by an afficher plus independent scholar) and Friendly Fire: Losing Friends and Making Enemies in the Anti-American Century. She lives with her family outside of Washington, DC. afficher moins

Comprend les noms: Julia Sweig, Julia E. Sweig

Œuvres de Julia Sweig

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Sexe
female
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USA

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I did learn a lot about Lady Bird that I had not previously known, but it was not the eponymic book I was expecting. I found I had to push myself to pick it up once again--it was more of an apology for LBJ's presidency. It came more to life when LB would write about her desire to bring beauty into the housing projects, to plant grass for young children to run barefoot through, and to clean up the Anacostia river for them to play in. Still, I am glad I read it.
 
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kaulsu | 3 autres critiques | Oct 22, 2021 |
Before reading this engaging biography, I knew very little about Lady Bird Johnson. I learned what a profound influence this remarkable woman had upon her husband and his presidency. I liked the idea that the material upon which this book was based included Lady Bird's own diary entries. This allowed me to know more about her in her own words. I would recommend this book to anyone who desires to know more about this lady, or just to read about an interesting time in United States history.

I received this book from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review. The opinions expressed here are entirely my own.… (plus d'informations)
 
Signalé
LadyoftheLodge | 3 autres critiques | Sep 22, 2021 |
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.
… (plus d'informations)
 
Signalé
nancyadair | 3 autres critiques | Jan 29, 2021 |
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.… (plus d'informations)
 
Signalé
kerryp | 3 autres critiques | Dec 7, 2020 |

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Œuvres
6
Membres
281
Popularité
#82,782
Évaluation
½ 3.5
Critiques
6
ISBN
24
Langues
1

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