Review: The Matriarch: Barbara Bush and the Making of an American Dynasty by Susan Page

Title: The Matriarch: Barbara Bush and the Making of an American Dynasty
Author: Susan Page
Publisher: Twelve
Publication Date: April 2, 2019
Edition: Kindle (432 pages)
Genres:

• Nonfiction
• Biography
• Memoir

My Rating: 4 of 5 stars

The Matriarch is a detailed biography of Barbara Bush, wife of President George H. W. Bush. From her girlhood to her life in the White House and beyond, Susan Page presents Barbara Bush in a way that captures, to the extent a book can, the personality and character of Barbara Bush and many of her life experiences and personal struggles.

Many remarks about Barbara Bush characterize her as "one of the most influential and under-appreciated women in American political history." There were many fascist of her personality and character I was unaware of, prior to reading this book, especially her views on same-sex relationships and abortion. Though she supported her husband and worked to help him achieve his political aspirations, she was an independent thinker and had her own ideas, which did not always parrot the politics of conservatism or the views of her husband. What I am left with, after reading this book, is a better understanding of the many difficulties she had to overcome in life, and her continued effort, always, to do what she believed was right. I think Susan Page captures much of the essence of her subject in this book, and I recommend it to anyone wanting to learn more about Barbara Bush.