First Lady, Women's Advocate, Survivor, Trailblazer
July 15, 2018
A first lady who overcame breast cancer and addictions became an inspiration for many Americans.Former TV news anchor and reporter McCubbin (co-author, with Clint Hill: Five Presidents: My Extraordinary Journey with Eisenhower, Kennedy, Johnson, Nixon, and Ford, 2016, etc.) felt the spirit of Betty Ford (1918-2011) encouraging her as she wrote. "There is little doubt in my mind," she writes, "that she orchestrated this entire process." Drawing largely on Ford's two memoirs and interviews with her children and others close to her, the author fashions an admiring portrait of a woman who faced physical and emotional challenges. A former dancer and model, Betty was a divorced 30-year-old when she married Michigan lawyer Gerald Ford and soon followed him to Washington, D.C., after he won a congressional seat. Being a Washington wife could be difficult: As Jerry's political responsibilities increased, he traveled constantly, leaving Betty with four active children and the feeling that "the more important her husband became, the less important she was." Low self-esteem, though, did not keep her from campaigning energetically for Jerry, entertaining, and participating in various clubs and organizations. At home, a full-time housekeeper compensated for a mother who "wasn't emotionally available" to her children. Despite persistent stage fright, Betty spoke publicly in support of women's equality, abortion, and even premarital sex, earning praise for her forthright revelation about her bout with breast cancer. In 1964, a pinched nerve caused overwhelming chronic pain, precipitating Betty's reliance on painkillers, which escalated so dramatically that by 1977, she swallowed handfuls of pills morning and night, along with more than a few drinks. Besides pain, she suffered from depression, which McCubbin does not deeply probe. Although she portrays the couple as deeply devoted, as Betty sank into alcoholism and drug dependency, Jerry refused to confront the problem. Like many families of addicts, different members took on "various codependent roles in order to cope: enabler, hero, scapegoat, lost child, mascot." Finally overcoming her addictions, Betty went on to co-found a well-regarded treatment center.A warmly sympathetic biography of a spirited woman.
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Starred review from July 16, 2018
In this meticulously researched and delightful biography, McCubbin (Mrs. Kennedy and Me) skillfully chronicles the life of former first lady Betty Ford, both in and out of the White House. Born Elizabeth Ann Bloomer in 1918, Betty—the youngest of three kids and the only girl—was raised largely in Grand Rapids, Mich. After performance school in Bennington, Vt., “Betty felt like she had been ‘born to dance,’ ” writes McCubbin, and in 1936 she moved to New York City where she studied with the Martha Graham Dance Company. She returned home and in 1942 married William G. Warren, who worked in her father’s insurance company, but divorced in 1947. The following year she met and married Gerald Ford Jr., who in 1974 became the 38th president of the U.S. In Washington, D.C., the Fords raised three sons and a daughter—and after an old dance injury flared up, Betty became addicted to painkillers and alcohol. Her decision to publicly share her story, McCubbin explains, led to the 1982 opening of the Betty Ford Center in Southern California, and her openness about her diagnosis with and recovery from breast cancer allowed a generation of women to speak about
a disease once viewed as shameful. McCubbin writes with great tact and sensitivity in this insightful and beautifully told look into the life of one of the most public and admired first ladies.
August 1, 2018
This timely biography of Betty Ford will introduce her to millennials and remind others of her importance in championing equal rights for women and speaking out on breast cancer, abortion, depression, and addiction at a time when women, especially a first lady, did not discuss these issues in public. From in-depth interviews with her children, friends, and colleagues, McCubbin (Mrs. Kennedy and Me, with Clint Hill, 2012) traces Ford's early life in Grand Rapids, Michigan, her career as a dancer, her disastrous first marriage, her divorce and subsequent marriage to Jerry Ford, and the injury that led to her addiction. The majority of the book focuses on her life as a congressman's wife and then as first lady and her struggle to forge her own identity. When she openly discussed her breast cancer and later her opioid addiction, she sparked a national dialogue that brought both diseases to national attention and helped save thousands of lives. This fast-moving book reveals a lively, independent, and indomitable woman who influenced both the women's movement and America's perception of addiction.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2018, American Library Association.)
Starred review from August 1, 2018
This inaugural biography of First Lady Betty Ford (1918-2011), who inspired a nation several times over, begins with Elizabeth Anne "Betty" Bloomer's early life in Grand Rapids, MI, as a dancer. After a failed marriage, Betty married Gerald Ford in 1948 in the midst of his first political campaign; he would go to serve in the House of Representatives for 25 years. The Fords lived in suburban Alexandria, VA, and raised four children. Gerald's unexpected terms as vice president (1973-74) and president (1974-77) turned the spotlight on Betty, and she became increasingly popular for her honesty and wit. Her openness about her breast cancer diagnosis led to heightened awareness of the disease and more mammograms. After Gerald lost the presidential election of 1976, the couple retired to Palm Springs, FL, where Betty's alcoholism and prescription drug abuse led to the family's intervention and her famous stint in rehab. Her lasting legacy, founding the Betty Ford Center, helped millions of people recover from addiction. VERDICT McCubbin's engaging style brings Betty Ford vividly to life, presenting a must-read for fans of presidential biography and history.--Kate Stewart, Arizona Historical Soc., Tuscon
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