Lady Bird Johnson: Hiding in Plain Sight

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. <br /><br />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. <br />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.<br /><br />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.<br /><br />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. <br /><br />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. <br /><br />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.<br /><br />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.<br /><br />I received a free egalley from the publisher through NetGalley. My review is fair and unbiased.

I seriously think this book could have been retitled, "Lady Bird Johnson: Everything you think you knew about her is wrong" or "Lady Bird Johnson: Yes, she mattered." <br /><br />NOTE: In this review, LBJ stands for Lady Bird Johnson, not her husband. <br /><br />I have been a tough grader of non-fiction this year. I do not think I've read a non-fiction that I've given 5 stars, but this one came very close to doing so. If I had stopped after the first half it would have easily been 5 stars, but the last half seemed to drag for me.<br /><br />The key points:<br /><br />1) The portray of LBJ is very different than I've gotten from other books. This is an advocacy piece, the premise is that LBJ was more than a passive figure in Lyndon's career---instead, she was a co-equal partner. A person who contributed, influenced, and even shaped her husband's career.<br /><br />2) LBJ was a pioneer. While she is stereotyped as a traditional southern belle, she was actually quite progressive. With the exception of Eleanor Roosevelt, she was the most active first lady up until her time. When Kennedy died and Lyndon became president, LBJ became the proximate Vice President. She fulfilled the cerimonial roles and duties that the VP usually performed. Apparently, before Lyndon announced his running mate, there were jokes that the 1964 Democratic Presidential Ticket would be "LBJ and LBJ". This joke existed not because Lyndon's ego was so big, but rather because of the imporance LBJ served on Lyndon's presidency.<br /><br />3) When an LBJ insider was outted as gay, LBJ embraced him and helped that friend (and his wife) endure the harsh realities of the 1960s. LBJ pushed for acceptance and tolerance of the gay lifestyle going so far as to openly support her gay friends.<br /><br />4) She also pushed for women's rights. While Lyndon was starting various groups for aspiring politicians, LBJ was organizing luncheons and conferences for their wives. She invited key voices of the feminist movement and high ranking women executive to speak before the wives of senators and congressment. <br /><br />5) When her husband ran into resistance, she would smooze up to the people in question. Anecdotes that Caro uses to portray her subservience to Lyndon become symbols of her power. (E.g. Lyndon stating that the most important men in DC gravitate to her.)<br /><br />I really appreciate this book. Had I been asked to rank the First Ladies two weeks ago I would have put LBJ in the bottom quartile. Now that I've read it, I would put her in the top quartile. I don't know enough about the First Ladies to really rank them, but this book showed me that I did not know LBJ at all.

<a target="_blank" rel="noopener nofollow" href="https://thebestbiographies.com/2021/03/22/review-of-lady-bird-johnson-hiding-in-plain-sight-by-julia-sweig/">https://thebestbiographies.com/2021/0...</a><br /><br />Published this past week, Julia Sweig’s “Lady Bird Johnson: Hiding in Plain Sight” promises a revealing behind-the-scenes portrait and revaluation of one of America’s notable First Ladies. Sweig is a senior research fellow at the LBJ School of Public Affairs and has authored numerous books and policy papers on Cuba, Brazil, Latin America and U.S. foreign policy. Her eight-episode podcast about Lady Bird is available through ABC News.<br /><br />As First Lady, Lady Bird Johnson is best known for her urban renewal, conservation and beautification efforts…and for those of us with Texas roots, her Wildflower Center. But what has been revealed only recently is the degree to which LBJ relied on her for unbiased strategic advice and feedback during his political career…particularly his presidency.<br /><br />At the heart of this book are fresh insights gathered by Sweig from more than 120 hours of Lady Bird’s taped diary recordings which, until recently, was available only in written – and heavily edited – form. Sweig spent several years reviewing the tapes, reconstructing Lady Bird’s activities, and analyzing the observations she memorialized during her husband’s sixty-two-month presidency.<br /><br />But readers expecting a cradle-to-grave biography will be disappointed. This book leaves aside nearly all of Lady Bird’s life prior to 1934 (when she met Lyndon at the age of twenty-one) and includes very little of their lives prior 1960 (when he was JFK’s pick for vice president). And while the book promises a profound revaluation of Lady Bird’s life and legacy, the information revealed only occasionally seems provocative or extraordinary.<br /><br />Surprisingly, neither Lady Bird nor Sweig have much to say about the more colorful aspects of LBJ’s persona or presidency. While the author acknowledges his infidelities, they never receive much consideration…and their impact on the Johnson’s marriage is essentially unnoticed. Readers unaware of LBJ’s affairs or his infamous vulgarity will learn little of them here.<br /><br />Although this is not a traditional biography of Lady Bird, it is a penetrating exploration of her time as First Lady. And it provides significant, if somewhat inconsistent, context on that era. Sweig’s work to uncover and convey Lady Bird’s influence during these years is obvious – and the book would most appropriately be titled “Lady Bird Johnson: The White House Years.”<br /><br />Excellent individual moments include a gripping review of a controversy involving Eartha Kitt at a White House luncheon, wedding planning for the youngest Johnson daughter and a chapter describing the Johnson family’s life in the White House. Also of particular note is Lady Bird’s recollection of the day JFK was assassinated and the somber flight back to Washington D.C.<br /><br />The most memorable broader threads involve an interesting contrast between the JFK/Jackie relationship and the LBJ/Lady Bird relationship. Sweig also provides an interesting comparison of FDR and Eleanor’s “working” relationship and that of the Johnsons. Finally, there is a fascinating ongoing exploration of LBJ’s decision regarding whether to run for re-election in 1968.<br /><br />The narrative winds down as LBJ’s presidency ends but an Epilogue follows Lady Bird through the couple’s four-year retirement (until Lyndon’s death) and then reviews her thirty-four-year widowhood – an active period for her cultural and philanthropic pursuits. But at this point the narrative’s momentum has largely dissipated and the post-White House years are only briskly covered.<br /><br />Overall, Julia Sweig’s account of Lady Bird Johnson’s life – her time as First Lady, in particular – seems to promise somewhat more than it delivers. As a revelatory vehicle providing insight into Lady Bird’s White House years the book is often invaluable. As a way of rounding out the conventional image of LBJ it can be quite useful. But as a complete and penetrating account of the First Lady’s public and private lives it is regrettably incomplete.<br /><br />Overall rating: 3½ stars

Thoughts soon.

Wow, I can't believe the similarities between the 60's, and what we see happening in America right now. I loved this audiobook, and it was a pleasure to learn about Lady Bird Johnson. She was a force to be reckoned with. We can thank her for working to preserve the California Redwoods and many more conservation efforts. It's too bad Vietnam marred the Johnson years, and the mistake of entering that war is a stain on LBJ's tenure in the White House.<br /><br />There were a lot of details, which made the book slow going at times, but it was a great look at the 60's through the eyes of one our most influential first ladies. I highly recommend it.

I have learned so many things about Lady Bird and how she helped to shape a President, her husband LBJ, and how hard she worked in those trying times in our history to give everyone a safe place to have places where they could enjoy nature.<br />She worked so hard on her beautification projects to have them moved down by the Senate. She wanted the White House to be inviting and beautiful for visitors. It was Lady Bird, who started showing art, loaned by museums, in the White House.<br />And the list continues as she worked tirelessly behind the scene to get the best from herself and her staff. She worried about Lyndon's health and depression and struggled at times to protect him from outside pressures and from internal pressures.<br />I now look back on the difference between how Lady Bird was portrayed in the press and how she actually was working so hard for all of us.

This book is primarily about Lady Bird Johnson’s years in the White House based on a journal she kept and interviews with those who interacted with her. Her life prior and after the White House years is given a once over lightly treatment. The book itself is a bit on the dry side as the author does more of a recitation rather than trying to bring color to an interesting person. As expected, a great deal of the book deals with the challenges that her husband faced as President and her role in supporting him. Others may find this book interesting, but it left me with a so-so feeling.<br /><br />I received a free Kindle copy of this book courtesy of Net Galley and the publisher with the understanding that I would post a review on Net Galley, Goodreads, Amazon and my nonfiction book review blog. I also posted it to my Facebook page.

I summarized Lady Bird Johnson’s life as a feminine voice for highway beautification with wildflowers and a faithful handmaiden to LBJ. What a small box for this excellent writer, political strategist, and astute observer and participant in 20th century history. Author Julia Sweig uses Lady Bird’s extensive journals to fashion a rich and in-depth portrait of a woman who used her place of power and influence to make life better for Americans suffering poverty and urban blight during the turmoil of the 1960s. Like all humans, she was flawed, but she loved her country and cared deeply for its embattled soul. Highly recommended.

<strong>Highly Recommend </strong><br /><br />I wasn’t expecting such a great book. I thought would be a slight account of Lady Bird’s diary. This was an absorbing, fantastic read that I had trouble putting down. Detailed, involving, and touching I learned about a woman who was ten the butt of a joke in my mind. Johnson was hated as a president most of my life, and Lady Bird was a silly name. But both Lyndon Johnson and Lady Bird were something more. She was a great diarist and eloquent writer. A historian and journalist by training. I’m so impressed by this book. The author does credit to her subject. Wonderful.

I am glad I read this book, but it stirred up mixed emotions as I read it. I discovered there is a lot about the history of the Vietnam and Civil Rights era that I never learned in school. I’d never heard of the Poor People’s Campaign and Resurrection City, a 40+ day protest and occupation of the National Mall. I’d never heard of the Kerner Commission, which identified white supremacy as a main cause of the urban riots in 1968. It was disheartening to see how we are still grappling with many of the same issues today. <br /><br />Overall, an interesting and informational read. I’m not sure I accept the author’s conclusion that Lady Bird was “a woman ahead of her time,” but I have a much more detailed and nuanced understanding of her accomplishments. <br />