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Ladies of Liberty: The Women Who Shaped Our Nation | 
 enlarge | Author: Cokie Roberts
Publisher: William Morrow
Category: Book
List Price: $26.95
Buy New: $10.25
You Save: $16.70 (62%)
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Rating:  26 reviews
Sales Rank: 431
Media: Hardcover
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 512
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1.2
Dimensions (in): 9.1 x 5.7 x 1.7
ISBN: 006078234X
Dewey Decimal Number: 973.40922
EAN: 9780060782344
Publication Date: April 8, 2008
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Shipping: International shipping available
Condition: BRAND NEW, IN-HOUSE READY TO SHIP!!! NOT A BARGAIN, REMAINDER OR BOOKCLUB BOOK!!! WE ARE A 5 STAR SELLER.
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Product Description
In Founding Mothers, Cokie Roberts paid homage to the heroic women whose patriotism and sacrifice helped create a new nation. Now the number one New York Times bestselling author and renowned political commentator—praised in USA Today as a "custodian of time-honored values"—continues the story of early America's influential women with Ladies of Liberty. In her "delightfully intimate and confiding" style (Publishers Weekly), Roberts presents a colorful blend of biographical portraits and behind-the-scenes vignettes chronicling women's public roles and private responsibilities. Recounted with the insight and humor of an expert storyteller and drawing on personal correspondence, private journals, and other primary sources—many of them previously unpublished—Roberts brings to life the extraordinary accomplishments of women who laid the groundwork for a better society. Almost every quotation here is written by a woman, to a woman, or about a woman. From first ladies to freethinkers, educators to explorers, this exceptional group includes Abigail Adams, Margaret Bayard Smith, Martha Jefferson, Dolley Madison, Elizabeth Monroe, Louisa Catherine Adams, Eliza Hamilton, Theodosia Burr, Rebecca Gratz, Louisa Livingston, Rosalie Calvert, Sacajawea, and others. In a much-needed addition to the shelves of Founding Father literature, Roberts sheds new light on the generation of heroines, reformers, and visionaries who helped shape our nation, giving these ladies of liberty the recognition they so greatly deserve.
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| Customer Reviews: Read 21 more reviews...
 My wife was right! (again). April 9, 2008
83 out of 93 found this review helpful
I'm not a big reader of nonfiction, and when I saw the cover of this book it made me yawn. My wife really wanted me to read it though so I was forced to give it a try. I was familiar with Cokie Roberts as a Political commentator but not an author, so first let me say Cokie has an engaging writing style that brought the stories of these women of history to life. Cokie is a gifted story teller and these true stories about the Ladies of Liberty had me turning the pages faster then I imagined. The stories of Martha Jefferson, Dolly Madison, Abby Adams, Eliza Hamilton, and even Sacajawea fascinating and I was enlightened to learn of there accomplishments through many difficulties. We have all heard the stories of the founding fathers, but here is the story of the founding mothers. Along with Across the High Lonesome my favorite book so far of 2008! (and both books were recommend by my wife!).
A wonderful addition to this growing body of history April 23, 2008
12 out of 13 found this review helpful
Ladies of Liberty: The Women Who Shaped Our Nation by Cokie Roberts is a terrific addition to this growing body of information. Our founding fathers contributions to the early history of our nation are well understood and widely acknowledged by everyone. That the women that supported their efforts have long been ignored or under valued by scholars is also being acknowledged. Cokie Roberts' Ladies of Liberty is just the latest of a series of books recently released that attempt to shine a light on these often overlooked patriots. Also worth reading is My Dearest Friend: Letters of Abigail and John Adams and A Perfect Union: Dolley Madison and the Creation of the American Nation. It is often surprising just how much pluck these ladies had. I'm so impressed with Abigail Adams and Dolley Madison that I'm ashamed that it has taken 59 years for me to discover just how important they were (are) to this country's history. Thanks to authors like Cokie Roberts that veil of ignorance can be lifted. This awakening to these contributions isn't "revisionist history" either, but a long overdue acknowledgement of what really happened.
Well researched, with varying and interesting coverage of each of the included women, Ladies of Liberty is sure to be an interesting read. It is quite obvious from reading the book that Cokie Roberts enjoyed writing this book. I highly recommend it.
Untold stories April 20, 2008
24 out of 36 found this review helpful
This is not infotainment. This is a page-turner merely because the subject matter just gets overlooked in the conventional accounts of history.
And I'm being honest when I state that I had formerly assumed that American women's history did not significantly occur till Seneca Falls. Roberts's second well-researched volume continues documenting that history was occurring well before that landmark New York conference.
I think that our school history classes and even the structure of our very sociery would today be much different if everybody fully knew and was appreciating the role which women had in shaping this nation. White women predominate in the volume, but also included is Sacajawea. She is the indian often mythologized for helping Lewis and Clark explore what ultimately became the western United States.
And what else stands out for me is that these women aired their policy opinions in an era when they allegedly supposed to be sequestered away at home. These women then obviously had other ideas for themselves--and the nation! Such is a powerful lesson about cultural expectations and the-oft more nuanced reality.
As the daughter of former 'Congresswoman' Lindy Boggs, Roberts certainly has had her own familial experiences navigating this terrain. I do not doubt it nurtured her interest in unearthing the stories which would otherwise never get told. Reflections on the historical evolution of women's status also move this book beyond a mere collection of biographical profiles.
I'd recommend this book for anybody interested in American history and those curious about women's experiences and perspectives.
The Founding Fathers' "Significant Others" April 12, 2008
42 out of 49 found this review helpful
I enjoyed Cokie Roberts' earlier book, Founding Mothers: The Women Who Raised Our Nation, and on the basis of that, I gave LADIES OF LIBERTY a spin.
While I know a little bit about US history, Roberts' new book contains material that is a revelation. The letters of former First Ladies and other women who were on the scene at the founding of our nation provides the primary source material. Their takes from yesteryear on topics as diverse as infant mortality, foreign policy, and hats (!) gives a new and much-needed perspective on life and culture in early America.
While women are obviously and profoundly influential on historical events in America, Roberts had to closely study their correspondences to learn how. (In other words, "traditional" histories aren't necessarily helpful in this regard.) While perusing the letters of an age gone by, the author shows her eye for the telling (and juicy) anecdote, and she does an excellent and witty job of putting these words from yesteryear into context for the contemporary reader.
As what I've written so far reads like well-meaning blather, the best way to share my thoughts is this way:
Highly recommended!
History Review May 2, 2008
3 out of 3 found this review helpful
This book fleshed out so much history that we knew or didn't know in the time frame from President Washington to President John Quincy Adams.There were political situations that were as relevant as today's newspapers. I feel it would be a fine reader for high school or early college where so many topics are brushed aside.
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