Mamie Doud Eisenhower: The General's First Lady (Modern First Ladies) Review

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Mamie Doud Eisenhower: The General's First Lady (Modern First Ladies) ReviewI just finished this new biography and I was very impressed! Mamie Eisenhower often gets written off as just a housewife (most biographies are her are pretty worthless in my opinion), but this book really highlights her contributions and her perfect fit for the American people of the 1950s. It also discusses her early life as a military wife and how that prepared her for her role of First Lady.
I especially liked how the author brought out the ways that Mamie is typically stereotyped and then talked about how she cultivated some of that image and what she was really doing in the background. Mamie was a huge influence on Ike, but she was a big believer in stepping back and staying in her own sphere, although she certainly had opinions and could often be very strong-willed! Mamie in the 50s was a huge change for the White House as entertainment had been very subdued under the Roosevelts and the Trumans (and it makes sense for subdued entertainments during depression and war). She went back to a full schedule of entertainment and strove to serve the people - to the extent that she responded to all letters to her personally (at least signing them herself although she wrote or dictated many personally as well).
This book relies on almost all primary sources - the huge amount of letters that Mamie Eisenhower wrote over the years is the mainstay. The letters give this book a really personal feel of Mamie - you can really hear and see her in the pages. You can also really feel the devotion the Eisenhowers felt for each other throughout their marriage. I feel like I got to know Mamie as I read this book.
I highly recommend the book - as a historian, as a teacher, as a researcher and as someone who just enjoys a well-written biography!Mamie Doud Eisenhower: The General's First Lady (Modern First Ladies) OverviewIt was fitting for a soldier's wife to make curtains out of military-surplus parachutes. That they would hang in the White House made little difference. Mamie Doud Eisenhower was a president's wife who seemed to most Americans like the friend next door. She gave us "Mamie pink" and "Mamie bangs" but has stood in the shadows of first ladies who followed. Yet she accomplished more than even her own contemporaries noticed, and her popularity not only enhanced her husband's presidency but also put a distinctive stamp on the role of first lady.This first scholarly biography of Mamie Eisenhower draws on original sources in the Eisenhower Library to paint a realistic and captivating portrait. Marilyn Irvin Holt places her in the context of her time, showing that she was a perfect first lady for the fifties--a stylish grandmother who doted on her family and considered her job to be creating a home life that eased her husband's work tensions. But Holt shows that besides being steadfastly devoted to Ike, Mamie Eisenhower employed her own "hidden hand" to boost his image.Holt recaptures the winning personality that made Mrs. Eisenhower an important part of both her husband's success and her cultural milieu, and relates how her experience as an army wife--with overseas postings, acquaintance with heads of state, and experience as an accomplished hostess--better prepared her for the White House. Holt reveals that there was much more to Mamie Eisenhower than the housewife she described herself as, showing us instead a resourceful first lady who ran the executive mansion like an army sergeant, relished charity work, and promoted cultural events. As an agent for change, Mamie Eisenhower not only entertained foreign dignitariesbut also invited African Americans to the White House when tensions over civil rights were mounting. Holt shares other behind-the-scenes stories of the first lady flying in the face of social and political expectations during the McCarthy era, and also debunks prevailing notions of animosity with Pat Nixon.Although Ike's reputation has rebounded in recent years, Mamie's has remained in the shadows. Holt convincingly shows that there was far more to this neglected first lady than she has received credit for.This book is part of the Modern First Ladies series.

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