Grace & steel : Dorothy, Barbara, Laura, and the women of the Bush dynasty / J. Randy Taraborrelli.

Enhanced descriptions from Syndetics:

From New York Times bestselling celebrity biographer J. Randy Taraborrelli comes Grace & Steel , the epic, hidden history of the exceptional women behind the greatest political dynasty of all time--the Bush family.

Bestselling author J. Randy Taraborrelli reveals the unsung heroines of the inimitable Bush family dynasty: not only First Ladies Barbara and Laura, but other colorful women whose stories have been left out of history for far too long, including Barbara's mother-in-law, the formidable Dorothy Bush; the enigmatic Columba and the controversial Sharon; and Laura's twins, Jenna and Barbara.

No matter the challenges related to power and politics, the women of the Bush dynasty always fought for equality in their marriages as they raised their children to be true to American values. In doing so, they inspired everyday Americans to do the same. Or, as Barbara Bush put it, "The future of this nation does not depend on what happens in the White House, but what happens in your house."

Details from the book include:

--The tragedy Barbara faced in burying her three-year-old daughter, Robin, and her struggle with depression over the decades that followed.

--The tragic night a teenage Laura Bush accidentally killed a good friend--a story she did not discuss publicly for decades.

--The revelation of the affair that almost doomed George HW's hopes for the presidency.

--The truth behind the fraught relationship between Nancy Reagan and Barbara Bush that culminated in an angry phone call during which Barbara told her she would never speak to her again--and she didn't.

Table of contents provided by Syndetics

• Prologue (p. 1)
• Part 1 Dorothy Walker and Prescott Bush-George H. W. Bush's Parents (p. 7)
• Part 2 Pauline Robinson and Marvin Pierce-Barbara Bush's Parents (p. 53)
• Part 3 Barbara and George H.W. (p. 77)
• Part 4 Political Ambition (p. 97)
• Part 5 Robin (p. 117)
• Part 6 The Senator's Wife (p. 133)
• Part 7 Jenna Hawkins and Harold Welch-Laura Bush's Parents (p. 151)
• Part 8 Laura's Crucible (p. 179)
• Part 9 Long Days and Short Years (p. 197)
• Part 10 Columba and Jeb (p. 215)
• Part 11 Challenges (p. 227)
• Part 12 Laura and George W. (p. 243)
• Part 13 VP (p. 265)
• Part 14 Family Geography (p. 285)
• Part 15 The Presidency (p. 321)
• Part 16 The Sons Also Rise (p. 373)
• Part 17 Triumph and Tragedy (p. 419)
• Part 18 Passages (p. 465)
• Epilogue (p. 501)
• The Story Behind Grace & Steel (p. 503)
• Acknowledgments (p. 507)
• Source Notes (p. 509)
• Personal Acknowledgments (p. 525)
• Index (p. 527)

Reviews provided by Syndetics

Publishers Weekly Review

Biographer Taraborrelli (The Kennedy Heirs) delivers a detailed and largely flattering group portrait of the Bush family matriarchs. Dorothy Wear Walker Bush (1901--1922), the wife of senator Prescott Bush and mother of George H.W. Bush, became famous in her own right as a syndicated newspaper columnist. According to Taraborelli, George H.W. Bush's political success can be credited in large part to the unwavering support of his wife, Barbara Bush (née Pierce; 1925--2018), who suffered from lifelong depression, the loss of a child to leukemia at age three, and insecurities about her appearance, yet became one of the most beloved first ladies thanks to her literacy initiatives and "grandmotherly quality." Though Barbara wasn't the easiest mother-in-law to warm up to, according to Taraborelli, she helped her daughter-in-law, Laura Bush (née Welch), wife of George W. Bush, to find her footing as first lady and become an active advisor in her husband's presidency. Taraborrelli's breathless prose ("Barbara was nothing if not a real patriot; some might even call her an American icon") occasionally mars his deep research and fluid pacing. Still, this is a unique and colorful look at one of America's most powerful political families. (Mar.)

Kirkus Book Review

A glossy dissection of the women members of a family that has loomed large over decades of U.S politics. Taraborrelli, the author of glitzy celebrity bios of the Kennedys, the Hiltons, Marilyn Monroe, and Beyoncé, has his work cut out for him in finding intrigue in the Bush story--this isn't Camelot territory--but he digs deep and locates plenty of interesting details. Early on, the author explores the psychic consequences of Barbara Bush's growing up under the oversight of a clinically depressed, critical mother. He shows a particular fondness for the older George's wealthy, spirited mother, Dorothy, or Dotty, "the most misunderstood of the Bush women" and "a feminist before the word was coined." The author is ambivalent about the "more conventional" Barbara: He admires her ability to recover from a depression, triggered in part by the loss of a child, that lasted for decades but annoyed by her apparent willingness to tolerate her husband's alleged decadeslong affair with another woman. Taraborrelli has a soft spot for Laura Bush, whose life was shaped by a tough childhood in rural Texas and a tragic incident during her teen years, when the car she was driving caused the death of a classmate. While the focus of the book is on these three women, the author also branches out to other women more tangentially connected to power and, inevitably, the political lives of the men they married. As in previous books, Taraborrelli doesn't shy from clichés--e.g., "verdant lawn" and "strong as an ox" appear on a single page. Writing in dozens of brief, punchy chapters and making good use of ample research, including many interviews with those who worked in the households of the various branches of the family, the author assembles a colorful mosaic of lives that didn't always fit comfortably together. Taraborrelli gives the Bushes the royal treatment. Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.