‘Spoken from the Heart’ by Laura Bush

You either hear good things or not so good things about Laura Bush.

For eight years, Laura Welch Bush was the first lady of the United States, and, along with husband President George Bush, was often in the world's spotlight. Throughout those years, she seemed like a private, reserved person, handling herself with quiet grace and dignity through some of the most turbulent times in our country’s history.

Now, with her book, “Spoken from the Heart,” readers can get to know more about this quiet but strong lady, from her life growing up in the oil country of Midland, Texas, to becoming the first lady of one of the world's most powerful countries.

Written in first person, Bush’s remembrances remind me of sitting down with a friend as she tells stories of her life — and what a fascinating, varied life Laura Bush has experienced.

Growing up an only child in West Texas, the daughter of a fun-loving, gambling man and a beautiful stay-at-home mom, the girl led the charmed, safe life of a child living in the ’50s. Her teenage years were filled with friends and activities, until a tragedy involving an automobile accident marred what seemed to be a perfect existence. Bush is very candid in writing of the incident that took the life of a high school friend, and it’s plain to see that the event was a major turning point in her life.

She writes of her days as an impressionable college student, as a beginning teacher, and later as a librarian and her desires to help children better themselves through reading.

And she writes of meeting a young man named George Bush, known as the “most eligible bachelor in Midland,” and how everyone was amazed that “old maid” Laura could capture such a man’s heart. Their marriage was to be a union of like minds and goals, and it is heartwarming to read of how, despite her shyness, Laura Bush supported her husband’s ambitions as the two worked as a team.

Her descriptions of her time as wife of the governor of Texas and then the eight years in the White House are fascinating, including the renovations that were ongoing at both the Governor’s Mansion and the White House, how the holiday themes are selected and celebrated, and how she and her family hosted the vast numbers of visitors who were a daily presence at both residences.

She also describes how the whole world changed for both her and her husband, her family, and the entire world on Sept. 11, 2001, and how the drama and tension of the events associated with that tragedy colored the rest of her husband’s time in office.

Bush passionately writes about causes that are near and dear to her heart, including literacy, the plight of the women in Afghanistan, the suffering of the people of Burma, and how she battled to raise awareness on all these issues.

“Spoken from the Heart” is an in-depth look at Laura Bush’s experiences being first lady, and it is perhaps one of the most complete narratives on the subject. It doesn’t matter if you are Republican or Democrat, the history and legacy this admirable woman leaves behind will forever be part of our country’s tapestry.