Rogers...has a light touch and offers a scrupulously evenhanded assessment of her subject ... Avoiding straightforward chronology, Rogers layers Jill Biden’s story within thematic chapters on her predecessors.
Rogers is a gimlet-eyed White House reporter for the New York Times who writes with more verve than many on the beat, and she has studded her book with delicious aperçus and insider tea ... Even in the 21st century, the first lady role clings tenaciously to the past — its evolution a succession of baby steps mastered in high heels, accompanied by a gracious wave and a constant smile.
Ocasionally, American Woman can feel slight because of how thoroughly the lives of these women have been picked clean already.Rogers is as tough on the Bidens as you can be while holding down a job as a White House reporter, a position that relies on continued access. The result is a narrative stuffed with intimate anecdotes.
Rogers explores their portfolios, analyzes what worked and what didn’t, and considers their gaffes and strengths ... At its best when Rogers shares her own experience ... While readers will certainly understand the First Lady better, Jill Biden still felt elusive, which is precisely the book’s underlying argument.
A thoughtful and recommended exploration of the often-contradictory office of U.S. First Lady. General readers interested in learning more about Jill Biden will especially enjoy this title.
Sympathetic ... Rogers’s easily digestible analysis—polite, respectful, and light on dirt or gossip—is focused on outlining the first ladies’ own perceptions and reminiscences. Readers will be rewarded by this feminist personal history of celebrity and power.
