Women of the White House The illustrated story of the first ladies of the United States of America

Women of the White House offers insights into the history of first ladies from Martha Washington to Jill Biden. Each chapter covers a different First Lady, listed chronologically, and, as with most illustrated histories, each description is short in length, though this varies depending on the chapter. This reviewer's main critique is that at times these descriptions can read more like reference entries, especially the shorter descriptions. To Russo's credit, accurate historical evidence on some first ladies is far scarcer than for others, which may have played a role in this, in addition to the fact that this is not a full-length biographical work. Russo, a reporter for the Providence Journal, includes descriptive timelines for some of the women's lives, offering insights into their careers, contributions, and milestones, while for others she includes short anecdotes about political, social, or controversial situations. The author is consistent in her ability to demonstrate the different spheres of influence and power each woman inhabited when serving as first lady. Overall, this brilliantly organized and visually appealing text will be valuable to anyone interested in learning a basic history of American first ladies. Summing Up: Highly recommended. General readers and lower-division undergraduates. --Jeremy Taylor Pekarek, SUNY At Cortland