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Lady Bird Johnson
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A White House Diary Paperback – October 1, 2007

by Lady Bird Johnson (Author)
4.3 4.3 out of 5 stars 45 ratings
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Originally published in 1970, A White House Diary is Lady Bird Johnson's intimate, behind-the-scenes account of Lyndon Johnson's presidency from November 22, 1963, to January 20, 1969. Beginning with the tragic assassination of John F. Kennedy, Mrs. Johnson records the momentous events of her times, including the Great Society's War on Poverty, the national civil rights and social protest movements, her own activism on behalf of the environment, and the Vietnam War.

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  1. Print length
    856 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publisher
    University of Texas Press
  4. Publication date
    October 1, 2007
  5. Dimensions
    6.13 x 1.75 x 9 inches
  6. ISBN-10
    0292717490
  7. ISBN-13
    978-0292717497
  8. See all details
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The Amazon Book Review
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Editorial Reviews

Review

"[A White House Diary] is an intensely personal document that reveals a woman who describes herself as ‘terribly average—something like litmus paper’ but who, in fact, is not average at all. Lady Bird is remarkable for the range and depths of her loves—fierce loyalties as well as small delights—and for a physical and spiritual stamina which bore her through ordeals which would have drained lesser humans. . . . History and a great many people will remember her as a valuable woman, largely immune from the antagonisms her husband aroused, who gave the best of herself to her family and her country. Towards the end, Lady Bird writes about her diary that ‘Lyndon is curiously proud of it and I am touched by that. He talks more about it than I ever would.’ She does not need to. It speaks, most eloquently, for itself." (New York Times)

About the Author

Lady Bird Johnson is one of America's most popular and respected First Ladies. Known first and foremost as an environmentalist, she founded the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center in Austin, Texas, which serves people all over the country as a clearinghouse of information about the preservation and use of native plants.

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ University of Texas Press; First Thus edition (October 1, 2007)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 856 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0292717490
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0292717497
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 2.63 pounds
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6.13 x 1.75 x 9 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.3 4.3 out of 5 stars 45 ratings

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Lady Bird Johnson

Lady Bird Johnson

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Customer reviews

4.3 out of 5 stars
4.3 out of 5
45 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

JAM
5.0 out of 5 stars Until a true historian writes a book about Lady Bird, this is the best book on the other LBJ!
Reviewed in the United States on October 29, 2022
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I enjoy political history and books on 20th century Presidents like Teddy Roosevelt, FDR, Truman, JFK, LBJ and Eisenhower make for great subject matters for many writers to show us different perspectives of these historical giants of men. But what about the historical giants of women that also were their contemporaries and spouses? We do have some books on Eleanor Roosevelt, some better than others. And some great ones on Betty Ford have come out in the last few years. But sadly no one has shown Lady Bird Johnson and her expansive and impressive impact yet, and for that I remain hopeful one day a true historian will focus their efforts. Hiding in Plain Sight is so dry and without strong story telling writing, that trying to read that book sadly feels like a slog to get through each chapter..and often I simply put down that book in sadness. This book, by Lady Bird Johnson herself, is not a Caro-esque read either, but it is all straight from the horse’s mouth (and perspective) and I think a lot more “with the bark off” than LBJ’s book covering his presidential years (which according to interviews with Doris Kearns Goodwin was an active choice LBJ made in order to not look “presidential” in his memoir, which sadly meant we lost so much of the “Johnson treatment” skills which were no doubt a large part of his enormous successes with the Great Society legislation and the Civil Rights legislation).

All-in-all, this book is based on contemporaneous diaries Lady Bird kept, and as such this book does give a perspective on the tumultuous 1960s and the Great Society legislation as well as the tragedy of Vietnam from a viewpoint held by no one else in the world. And for that, I was grateful to read this book and learn many things I would not have known otherwise.
One person found this helpful
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Jimmie Chatham
5.0 out of 5 stars Lady BIrd's viewpoint adds depth and clarity to the history of our nation.
Reviewed in the United States on November 2, 2019
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Lady Bird recorded her journal daily. Their journey through her words is incredible. Historians and journalists have written about the LBJ administration. Lady Bird's viewpoint brings depth and clarity to an important era in our history. Her activism in women's rights ad civil rights has been grossly under reported.
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ELH
5.0 out of 5 stars Beautiful Book!
Reviewed in the United States on March 28, 2021
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This book is amazing. So superbly written.
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Blue Sage
4.0 out of 5 stars Lyndon's better half
Reviewed in the United States on November 3, 2009
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Having already read A White House Diary, I wanted my own copy to savor. Mrs Johnson must have had a terrific education in her little Texas town. Her writing is fluent and engaging, like a good letter from a friend. There's no way of knowing how much help, if any, she had writing this book, but there's no whiff of the ghost about it.
I had the good fortune to meet Mrs. Johnson in the late 1970s when she was serving as a University of Texas regent. She was charming, a real straight shooter, very much her own person and better looking than her photographs, though no beauty.
Mrs. Johnson seems to have had the gift of friendship, and the class to refrain getting back at her critics in print. Though treated badly by the Kennedys and their hangers-on, she spoke no evil about them, though she must have been mighty tempted.
Goes well with Lady Bird: A Biography of Mrs. Johnson by Jan Jarboe Russell, although the second book is sometimes more laudatory than necessary. A White House Diary avoids much of the excuse-making of later first lady books.
12 people found this helpful
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quilter71
5.0 out of 5 stars Purchased this book after a tour of the LBJ ranch ...
Reviewed in the United States on April 20, 2016
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Purchased this book after a tour of the LBJ ranch near Johnson City, Texas. Not finished with it yet, but am enjoying reading the inside view of big events during LBJ's time as president.
2 people found this helpful
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Al Harrington
5.0 out of 5 stars Books condition
Reviewed in the United States on August 5, 2020
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Very good price and was delivered quickly. Thanks
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Gini Breaton
1.0 out of 5 stars I loved this book as I found it to be a ...
Reviewed in the United States on July 4, 2015
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I loved this book as I found it to be a wife's story of daily life. She shares her family happenings as well as her many meetings with women's groups and all the visitors of the White House and the Texas ranch. She had to do a tremendous amount of entertaining. She does not dwell on the politics other than how the times affected her husband and her daughters. Her worries and concerns for her family are typical for a wife and mother. I admire how she maintained a calmness through a difficult time in our nation's history. She was quite a great personality.
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Mary Blumreich
5.0 out of 5 stars Lady Bird
Reviewed in the United States on August 23, 2013
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I am enjoying reading Lady Bird's private diary recordings. I have read several books on LBJ and it is interesting getting Mrs. Johnson's humble and intimate thoughts on a lot of history.
2 people found this helpful
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