Memoirs Political Women

An outspoken centrist, Senator Snowe stunned Washington in 2012 when she announced she would not seek a fourth term and offered a sharp rebuke to the Senate, citing the dispiriting gridlock and polarization. After serving in the legislative branch at the state and federal levels for 40 years, including 18 years in the U.S. Senate, she explained that Washington wasn’t solving the big problems anymore. In this timely call to action, she explores the roots of her belief in principled policy-making and bipartisan compromise.

Veteran political journalist Anne Michaud knows the hidden agendas women employ to gain and cling to power. Working as a reporter for The Wall Street Journal and awarded “Columnist of the Year” by the New York News Publishers Association, Anne has researched the women behind some of the most notorious men in the public eye. She discovered a surprising pattern as old as the dynastic maneuverings of England’s medieval queens.

"Sweets, I'm okay. I'm okay. Don't worry. It's not my building," said Kristen Breitweiser's husband on the phone from his office in the second tower. The call ended abruptly, and Kristen stared at the television in horror as the second plane hit, and her life, and her country, changed forever.

In the most eagerly awaited political memoir of the season, Mary Cheney presents a behind-the-scenes look at the high-intensity world of presidential politics and talks for the first time about her life, her family, her political views, and her role in the campaigns of 2000 and 2004.

In this remarkable book, Sandra Day O’Connor explores the law, her life as a Supreme Court Justice, and how the Court has evolved and continues to function, grow, and change as an American institution. Tracing some of the origins of American law through history, people, ideas, and landmark cases, O’Connor sheds new light on the basics, exploring through personal observation the evolution of the Court and American democratic traditions.

Discussion about abortion and associated rights are often limited to either "anti-abortion" or "pro-choice," the latter of which focuses on the importance of having the right to choose, rather than on what that right means for real people. In this timely essay, Pauline Harmange provides an intimate, detailed account of her abortion. Reminiscent of Annie Ernaux's Happening, Abortion is nuanced, complex, honest, and precise. Harmange gives voice to the emotions, reflections, and contradictions that someone could experience when they choose to terminate a pregnancy.

Antonia Felix's many interviews reveal a quiet, centered woman, who from her early childhood in Texas to the White House has risen to the challenges put in front of her. Travel with Laura Bush through her happy childhood to the tragedy that strengthened her, through her courtship and marriage to a dashing young Navy Pilot and the raising of her twin daughters, to the White House and the aftermath of the recent attacks. Probing and revelatory, Laura is a fitting tribute to our First Lady.

In the era of Watergate and rising feminist awareness, reporter Pam Zekman was queen of the muckrakers. Her biggest investigation: buy a bar, document the inevitable city department shakedowns and bribes, and publicly document Chicago’s institutionalized corruption. Her epic story changed Chicago and also raised serious questions about the future of journalism.

Eleanor Roosevelt, Fighter for Justice shows young listeners how the former First Lady evolved from a poor little rich girl to a protector and advocate for those without a voice. Although now seen as a cultural icon, she was a woman deeply insecure about her looks and her role in the world. But by recognizing her fears and constantly striving to overcome her prejudices, she used her proximity to presidents and her own power to aid in the fight for Civil Rights and other important causes. This biography gives listeners a fresh perspective on her extraordinary life.

Almost anything scares young Eleanor: mice, the dark, and a host of imaginary dangers. But she learns to hide her feelings - her father disapproves of fear, and she longs only to please him. She knows she will always disappoint her beautiful, socialite mother, because Eleanor is painfully shy and plain.

As a young debutante in Manhattan, she spends her days teaching needy children and touring crowded tenements.

Sarah Palin, a hockey mom and small-town mayor, thought her dream of making a difference in Alaskan politics was over when she clashed with the state chairman of her Republican Party and went head-to-head with the powerful Republican governor. In 2006 she became a long-shot candidate for governor, demanding a higher ethical standard in state government. Her populist reform message suddenly became front-page news. Alaskans began listening to her, and they liked what they heard.