A Woman First: First Woman

A Woman First: First Woman

by Selina Meyer
A Woman First: First Woman

A Woman First: First Woman

by Selina Meyer

Hardcover

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Overview

In this brave, beautiful, revealing, and deeply personal memoir, Selina Meyer, one of our most beloved former presidents, tells her own extraordinary story.

Born and raised deep in the American heartland of God-fearing suburban Maryland, young Selina Eaton learned to love her country and her fellow man from her parents, Catherine, a sportswoman, dog lover, and philanthropist, and Gordon, or “Daddy” as she always called him, a businessman and entrepreneur. From an early age, Selina, an active, curious, happy-go-lucky child, showed an uncanny ability to relate to others and to solve their real-world problems with real-world solutions. In this she was inspired by her idol: feminist, humanitarian, stateswoman, and first lady, Eleanor Roosevelt.

Born and raised in Manhattan toward the close of the nineteenth century, young Eleanor Roosevelt lost her socially prominent parents, Anna, a famous beauty and horsewoman, and Elliott, a charming and alcoholic horseman, while still a child. She married her fifth cousin, Franklin Roosevelt, in 1905 and nursed him through a life-threatening bout of polio. When he was elected president in 1932, Eleanor broke with centuries of tradition that circumscribed an extremely limited and non-controversial role for the first lady and became an outspoken advocate for the less fortunate. After her husband’s death she devoted herself to worthy causes for the remainder of her life and is still regarded as one of the most beloved, respected, and admired women in the world.

Roosevelt maintained a lively relationship with many prominent figures of her time, including Adlai Stevenson, John F. Kennedy, Albert Schweitzer, and probably Pablo Casals. She inspired countless women to break out of the established roles for women in society, among them the pioneering aviatrix Amelia Earhart, with whom she flew several times.

Born in Atchison, Kansas, a decade after Eleanor Roosevelt, Amelia was raised in a family of lawyers and judges who encouraged her adventurous spirit and that of her siblings and cousins. A tomboy from an early age, Amelia endured a peripatetic childhood as her father, Samuel, also an alcoholic like Eleanor’s dad, sought steady employment accompanied by her mother, Amy. An early attempt at a nursing career was curtailed when Amelia herself became ill during the Spanish flu pandemic of 1918. After discovering her love for flying, Amelia attempted steadily more daring feats, including a transatlantic flight one year after Lindbergh’s and a solo transatlantic flight in 1932.

Dubbed the “Queen of the Air,” Amelia Earhart captivated the nation both with her bravery, skill, and daring when flying her planes and when challenging society’s hidebound attitudes as to what constituted a proper place for women. America mourned when she disappeared mysteriously somewhere in the Pacific during an attempted around-the-world flight in 1937. Speculation continues to this day as to Amelia’s ultimate fate, even as hope has faded that she may yet be found alive.

With wit, wisdom, eloquence, and fearless honesty, Selina Meyer reveals for the first time what really goes on in the halls of power, including the ultimate hall, the White House. It’s all here: the triumphs, the tragedies, the personalities, and the momentous events that have shaped our times, brought together in a page-turning tale told as only Selina Meyer could tell it. Selina Meyer’s compassion, her sense of humor, her grace, and her uncommon willingness to bare her heart make this story revelatory, beautifully rendered, and unlike any other president’s memoir ever written. First Woman: A Woman First would be a fitting title for a book about Selina Meyer, Eleanor Roosevelt, or Amelia Earhart, but in this case, it is about Selina Meyer.


Product Details

ISBN-13: 9781419733536
Publisher: Abrams Press
Publication date: 03/19/2019
Pages: 192
Sales rank: 1,117,850
Product dimensions: 6.10(w) x 9.10(h) x 0.90(d)

About the Author

In 2012, Selina Meyer made history when she was elected the first female vice president of the US as the running mate of President Stuart Hughes. When Hughes resigned in 2016, Meyer again electrified the world when she took charge in the Oval Office. Working round-the-clock with her signature drive and intelligence, Meyer managed to overcome decades of government indifference and inertia to create signature initiatives on a broad variety of fronts.

Table of Contents

Author's Note ix

Prologue xi

Foreword: A Brief History of the Meyer and Eaton Families in North America xv

Chapter 1 Mornings on Horseback, Evenings at the Library-My Early Years 3

Chapter 2 Confessions of a Popular Nerd Athlete- School Days … and Nights! 11

Chapter 3 The Greatest Night of My Life-The 1984 Baltimore Junior League Debutante Cotillion 20

Chapter 4 Of Age I Come 27

Chapter 5 Adventures in the Private Sector 48

Chapter 6 Climbing Capitol Hill-A Woman in the House … and the Senate 56

Chapter 7 A Heartbeat Away-The Vice Presidency 85

Chapter 8 Second in Command 98

Chapter 9 The Meyer Era Is Inaugurated-A Blind Date with History 105

Chapter 10 Crisis to Crisis-The Testing of a President 113

Chapter 11 No "I" in "Team"-The Wind Beneath My "Wings 125

Chapter 12 On the Run Again-Campaigning in the "Real" America 126

Chapter 13 Making Even More History-The Tie Heard 'Round the World 138

Epilogue: A Woman in Full: Full Woman 147

Appendix I Legal Notice 153

Appendix II Tibet 155

Acknowledgments 159

Index 162

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