Product Description
Mayling Soong came to America at the age of 10. Her father, Charlie Soong, a practicing Christian who had spent time in America, was convinced that China's youth would need progressive, Western educations before returning to their homeland to take their places as leaders in the fields of government, education and engineering. The youngest of three daughters, Mayling followed her older siblings to the United States in search of a Western education, eventually entering Wellesley in 1913 at age 16. Here she made numerous friends including classmate Emma DeLong Mills. This lifelong friendship lasted through Mayling's 1927 marriage to General Chiang Kai-shek and his subsequent rise to power. After the undeclared Sino-Japanese war broke out Emma began a series of letters detailing the political climate in the isolationist United States, providing Mayling with invaluable insight into American attitudes regarding China and her Asian neighbors.

Beginning with the early days of their friendship in America, the volume describes the identity struggle both women faced following their 1917 graduation from Wellesley. Following Emma's visit to China (and somewhat unwilling return to New York), the friendship continued through their correspondence. Emma's role in the newly organized American Bureau of Medical Aid to China is discussed as are Madame Chiang Kai-shek's international fund-raising efforts on behalf of Chinese war relief. While military and political history is not the focus of the work, it is portrayed as it impacts the friendship, which is the subject of this book. ... Read more

Product Description
When Abigail Adams was born, women were expected to be just wives and mothers. But Abigail turned out to be so much more. Read all about the fascinating life of our nation's second First Lady -- a woman who helped shape the early history of the United States. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Abigail Adams
I bought this to use in my 6th grade reading classroom. It is excellent to use to teach reading skills such as main idea, author's purpose, or summarizing. I put it in a center and students have 10 minutes to use the book for an assignment. Since it is at a lower reading level, students have success in building skills to use in higher level texts.

This book is a good addition to the grade 1-6 classroom library. ... Read more

Product Description
A biography stressing the childhood of America's first First Lady. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Well written but....
Very good information about early years that is fun for kids to read, moderate information about middle years, minimal about time during the years George Washington was president.The years after the Revolutionary War are covered in 4 pages.

A Enjoyable Book
A easy read tale with the basic facts. A great book for kids with a fun side. Using it on a report as a source is great. ... Read more

Product Description
Introduces the life of Abigail Adams, the wife of President John Adams, who was much more independent than many women of her time, running a farm in her husband's absence and speaking and writing about women's rights. ... Read more

Product Description
Ladies First introduces young readers to 40 American women of achievement who were first in their field. A full-page portrait begins each informative three-page profile. The life stories of these women are as inspiring as they are diverse.


The book provides a vital starting point for report writers and researchers, and a rich source of information for fact lovers of all ages.


Who was the first woman to row across the Atlantic? Or to swim the English Channel? Or to graduate from medical school?


A rich source of educational and historic material for students, the book also highlights inspirational role models for girls.


Who was the first American woman to win the Nobel Peace Prize? And the first to win a Nobel Prize for Literature? Who was the first female African-American self-made millionaire? And the first African-American Poet Laureate?


Author Elizabeth Cody Kimmel presents a rich cross-section of profiles from a broad range of endeavors.


Which American woman became the first to win three gold medals at a single Olympics?Who was the first woman to reach the summit of Mount Everest? Who was New York's first female firefighter? And who was the first woman to command a U.S. Navy warship?


The answers to all these questions are in this engaging National Geographic title that belongs in every home, school, and library where young women are encouraged to strive toward greatness. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

A wonderfully entertaining (and simultaneously *gasp* educational) book!
I highly recommend this book. It's a really fun and inspirational read. This book is really worth purchasing because you'll find yourself coming back to it again and again. It covers women like Maragaret Bourke-White (the first woman to photograph active combat) and Stacy Allison (the first American woman to scale Mount Everest). 5 stars! ... Read more

Product Description
A compendium of biographies of those who have served as America's president, vice president and first lady. The biographies of the presidents are detailed and feature three-quarter length portraits. First ladies and vice presidents receive shorter biographies, each including a portrait. ... Read more

Product Description
Comprehensive coverage of all the presidents' first ladies from Martha Washington to Laura Bush.The last chapter, Defining the Role, explores the possibilities and problems of what if our next president is a woman and how would that change the role of the 'first man'? ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

the presidents' first ladies
this book is terrific, but even better is the author's update, AMERICA'S FIRST LADIES, which includes all the first ladies right up to michelle obama.the earlier book ends with laura bush.

The Presidents' First Ladies
This is an intriguing look at some of the most powerful figures in our history, women who have often been ignored or written off as mere "wives" of presidents.In fact, they were confidants, consultants, co-presidents, and in some cases, in complete de facto control of the ship of state.

Even the most obscure presidents often had potent partners, and the author's exhaustive research has brought them from the shadows of history into their rightful place of importance.They have been transformed from footnotes into living, breathing women who often had their own high ambitions.

I would highly recommend this book for anyone who has the slightest interest in American history.

Amazing look behind the scenes!
This is a really interesting book! I never thought much about the First Ladies before.The presidents usually get all of the attention but there is some really fascinating stuff in here.

Did you know that Grover Cleveland was the only president to get married in the White House?His wife, Frances, was also the youngest first lady.I especially liked the story about how she used to conjugate Greek verbs in her head when she was stuck in a boring reception.Funny!

Anyway, the book is great and it's up to date all the way through Laura Bush.I highly recommend it for any history buffs out there. ... Read more

Product Description
Informative and engaging to a wide range of readers, this is a staple reference work for high school, undergraduate, and public library collections. This new edition includes updated information on the President, First Lady, and Vice President; information on the Secret Service Agency's move from the Department of Treasury to the Department of Homeland Security; and updates on former officeholders, including information on Ronald Reagan's death, Jimmy Carter's Nobel Prize, and the post-presidential careers of Bill and Hillary Clinton. ... Read more

Product Description

"I don't quit. I keep going."
Hillary Rodham Clinton

Customer Reviews (58)

a biography or hit job?
Pure scathing wrath unleashed on this woman. The author was clearly one-sided, and most likely a Republican, or paid by someone to grind an ax.Not one redeeming quality, gesture, act, thought or statement was attributed to Hillary, as if she wasn't even human. That's not a biography, that's a hit job. The author even goes as far as suggesting Chelsea's existence is politically motivated.The book is such an unrelenting, merciless rant that it fails to achieve any level of credibility.

Superb
It seems as though if you are a fan of Hillary, you will not enjoy this book because it brings up every questionable and dishonorable incident of her life.While the incidents Anderson examines are no secret, he goes into a little more detail and puts things into a chronological order, both of which serve to refresh your memory or point out a new or more disgusting event.While the world of politics is not the most ethical, there are some that cross the line, and this book reminds readers that Hillary is on that list.

Not a Clinton Fan, but this...
This book is flimsily sourced. Lets get this fact out of the way. There can be nothing authoritative about a book that doesn't cite many of its sources. Therefore, it is hard to separate fact from fiction, as it simply raises many suspicions.

It is an enjoyable read, but you end up feeling guilty about its gossipy, bathroom-stall, style critiques. I wouldn't be adverse to reveling in gossip about the Clintons, as I hold them in no certain esteem, but I need sources. At least a few.

Pros: Fun.

Cons: Everything else.

I can not recommend this is good faith.

Be Careful with these Comparisons
Comparing Hilary to Evita is a dangerous analogy, and an even worse metaphor, for lots of reasons. True, both she and Hilary were obsessively ambitious women and would undoubtedly not hesitate to step over their grandmother's graves to reach the pinnacles of power, but the analogy must end there.

Even though Evita raised herself up from the depths of poverty and was a "call girl" enroute to the pinnacles of Argentine power, she nevertheless always appeared to have a patina of a conscience -- at least some of the time. Her "plan," unlike Bill and Hilary's "plan" was indeed to eventually do some good for the poor of Argentina once she acquired power, which eventually she did. So far, I have yet to hear the poor of New York singing the praises of Mrs. Clinton? Only rich liberal white women are out in the streets supporting her campaign.

After four books on Hilary, and about ten on the Clinton's together, I still believe Dick Morris' "Rewriting History" to be the one that gives the best and most honest portrait of Mrs. Clinton. As a personality who can possibly lead this country out of the morass of eight years of Bush incompetence, she is beginning to look like a darker and darker figure, as one less and less likely to be able to do so.

While this author has thrown every negative epithet in the book at her: unscrupulous, vindictive, ruthless, crass, and corrupt, the worse sin she has committed was left out, has yet to be mentioned: that she changes her political stripes like a chameleon to suit the changing circumstances. This, in my view, is the most unstable, scariest and most dangerous part of Hilary's scary political personality. She has gone from "Goldwater Girl," to supporting the Black Panthers, SDS, and other far-left radical groups, back again to embracing Richard Mellon-Schaife on television? This, by the way is not at all like Evita. Evita's strongest sentiments never wavered, and were always solidly grounded in her roots from the barrios of Argentina. Hilary makes noises about "helping the children." But when one reads the book by her mentor, Marian eldelman Wright (as far as we know, unrelated to the Reverend Wright) called "Children in Peril," one wondered what either of them is talking about?

Hilary's campaign tactics against Obama -- repeatedly playing the "race card," willing to self-destruct and see the democratic party crash and burn with her -- has only continued to confirmed and heighten fears of this dark side of her personality (not that I am any more impressed with Obama's pusillanimous triangulating maneuvers). Unconscionably, her liberal media friends made no howling outcry when she sat down with Richard Mellon-Scaife, to take advantage of the very rightwing media, which Schaife ran, and which Hilary claimed was the architect of the "vast ring-wing conspiracy" against her and Bill?

What gives here?

Evita did play Argentina's warring generals against each other and used the Catholic Church to help her husband gain power, and tried unsuccessfully to use it to help underwrite her own path to power, but I doubt if she would have been willing to crawl in bed on television with her "publicly declared worst enemies, as Hilary did?"

No matter how many books I read about Hilary, and try to rationalize continued support for her, I still see and smell dead fish: There is a rotten odor hovering over her head that I just can't seem to get out of my nostrils. By contrast, Evita never lost her poise, even in her casket, while dying of cancer. Hilary, on the other hand, seems to have everything but honesty, believability and least of all poise.

There is very little new here that is not already covered better in other sources. Morris' book is far superior. Three stars

LOVED THE BOOK!
The book was shipped very fast! and was sold cheaply
Thank You!
:-) ... Read more

Product Description
Here is the astonishing true story of Ruth Harkness, the Manhattan bohemian socialite who, against all but impossible odds, trekked to Tibet in 1936 to capture the most mysterious animal of the day: a bear that had for countless centuries lived in secret in the labyrinth of lonely cold mountains. In The Lady and the Panda, Vicki Constantine Croke gives us the remarkable account of Ruth Harkness and her extraordinary journey, and restores Harkness to her rightful place along with Sacajawea, Nellie Bly, and Amelia Earhart as one of the great woman adventurers of all time.

Ruth was the toast of 1930s New York, a dress designer newly married to a wealthy adventurer, Bill Harkness. Just weeks after their wedding, however, Bill decamped for China in hopes of becoming the first Westerner to capture a giant panda–an expedition on which many had embarked and failed miserably. Bill was also to fail in his quest, dying horribly alone in China and leaving his widow heartbroken and adrift. And so Ruth made the fateful decision to adopt her husband’s dream as her own and set off on the adventure of a lifetime.

It was not easy. Indeed, everything was against Ruth Harkness. In decadent Shanghai, the exclusive fraternity of white male explorers patronized her, scorned her, and joked about her softness, her lack of experience and money. But Ruth ignored them, organizing, outfitting, and leading a bare-bones campaign into the majestic but treacherous hinterlands where China borders Tibet. As her partner she chose Quentin Young, a twenty-two-year-old Chinese explorer as unconventional as she was, who would join her in a romance as torrid as it was taboo.

Traveling across some of the toughest terrain in the world–nearly impenetrable bamboo forests, slick and perilous mountain slopes, and boulder-strewn passages–the team raced against a traitorous rival, and was constantly threatened by hordes of bandits and hostile natives. The voyage took months to complete and cost Ruth everything she had. But when, almost miraculously, she returned from her journey with a baby panda named Su Lin in her arms, the story became an international sensation and made the front pages of newspapers around the world. No animal in history had gotten such attention. And Ruth Harkness became a hero.

Drawing extensively on American and Chinese sources, including diaries, scores of interviews, and previously unseen intimate letters from Ruth Harkness, Vicki Constantine Croke has fashioned a captivating and richly textured narrative about a woman ahead of her time. Part Myrna Loy, part Jane Goodall, by turns wisecracking and poetic, practical and spiritual, Ruth Harkness is a trailblazing figure. And her story makes for an unforgettable, deeply moving adventure.


From the Hardcover edition. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (29)

Fun and interesting book
Having been in love with pandas from the time the National Zoo had Ling Ling in the 70's, I was surprised I had never heard of Ruth Harkness.This wonderful book remedies that.The story is fascinating and I could not put the book down.

Other reviewers have gone into greater detail so I won't repeat them.Any fan of pandas and of great adventure stories will enjoy this book.

Portrait of a Unique Woman
The Lady and the Panda is the story of love and greed - love between the Lady, Ruth Harkness, and the panda and the greed of the rest of the world.Harkness was an unlikely adventuress whose goal, contrary to the norms of the times, was to bring back a live panda.Her reasons and actions were sometimes questionable, but the end result has been the saving of a magnificent animal and a wonderful environment, which is probably home to many more plants and animals that have in the mean time also been protected.

Vicki Croke has crafted an engaging read here.The prose is fluid and paints a vivid picture of Harkness, Western China in the 1930s, and greed for money and fame that surrounded the capture of the first live giant panda.She document's Harkness's struggles with depression, spirituality, alcoholism, and lust while still portraying a very unique and inspiring person.This book is well worth reading for those interested in either travel and wildlife preservation.

I loved this book!
I loved this book! Adventure, history, romance, and the story of a
woman who was 70 years ahead of our own conservation movement. I had
heard of Ruth Harkness from George Schaller's book "The Last Panda," and
from a World Wildlife Fund web page, but the details of this
action-packed story blew me away. No wonder this book got the reviews it
did. Superbly written and a page-turner to boot.

Wonderful Read
I found it hard to put this book down.Ruth Harkness, who was rich in bravado and adventure, stood out like no other woman in her time.When I finished, it did indeed feel like a great adventure had come to an end.

Terrible book about a panda KILLER
If you want to read a hack writer glorifying a selfish, unscrupulous "explorer" who bankrolls the indiscriminate slaughter of pandas by hirelings while she lolls about in silks in a palace smoking opium, this is the book for you. Ruth Harkness was a vile, unprincipled woman of privilege who lied, drank, and fornicated her way into history by returning the first captured panda to the United States--after cutting a deal involving the shooting of other pandas--then spent months trying to sell it to the highest bidder. As soon as she did, she returned to China to wreak more death and mistreatment upon the species.

Most of the reviewers here must have skipped over the scenes where these woeful victims are abused, mistreated, and left to die by Harkness when another, more promising animal comes along. Actually, this is not surprising, because no animal lover could finish this ghastly book, which is very poorly written into the bargain. I know I couldn't. ... Read more

Product Description
A biography of the seventh President of the United States who was called the "Man of the People" and who served as a soldier, congressman, senator, and judge. ... Read more

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Customer Reviews (14)

Hello, Dolley!
"A Perfect Union: Dolley Madison and the Creation of the American Nation by Catherine Allgor is an interesting book and I have to agree with a previous reviewer that it is a tough read.

I found the content dealing with Dolley's early life (Childhood to First Marriage) as well as her elder years (Post-Presidency) to be very captivating and focused specifically on Dolley. Where the book lost direction was during her Washington years, as the author spent just as much (if not more) of the book painting the scene of the time, such as talking in-depth about Thomas Jefferson's presidency and Washington politics at the time, than it did about focusing on Dolley.

This might have been necessary to put Dolley into context and her role in Washington as not only First Lady but as her playing hostess to the entire nation, but I found it a little detracting from what I was interested in reading about. I'm not a historian but it almost seems as if documents from the time recorded little first hand information about Dolley as women weren't really a topic of historical interest.

Overall I think the book is a fascinating look into Post-Revolutionary American from the perspective of (arguably) the most well known Woman in the land and how her position in society played into politics.

let the buyer beware
The price listed for the kindle edition doesn't include the possible (probable?) sales tax.I would still have bought the book but think it's unconsciounable not to let the buyer know the full cost ahead of time.

Dolley Madison book
Very interesting and detailed book!Would recommend to people interested in early history!Fast service!

loving history
I am relearnihg historyat 65. Fascinating. I have just started this book but so far it is what I had hoped for.

Great Look at an Early First Lady
I had read that Dolley Madison is probably one of the most interesting, lesser known first ladies in our nation's history.This book definitly prooves that.Although there are a few inaccurate facts surrounding the Yellow Fever experience by Dolley's family in Philadelphia, Allegor seems like a trustworthy source on the topic.Hopefully she will release later editions in order to correct those inaccurate facts.It is also a shame there is not more information about her life before James Madison, with her first husband.But then again, that is not the main theme of this book.Recommended for both the amature and scholarly historian (I have a little of both in me). ... Read more

Product Description
The childhood of the woman who became wife of a president and a great humanitarian. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

The book to read to find out all about Eleanor Roosevelt
This book is about Eleanor Roosevelt, from the time she was born to when she became the wife of Frankl D. Roosevelt,a U.S. president. Eleanor had a very tough life. her parents and her brother died when she was young, and she whent to live with her aunt,who was also ill. Many nights she could not go to sleep because she missed her family.When Eleanor was nine or ten she was sent to a private school where the girls did not pay any attention to her. Eleanor also had some good times in her life, like being married to the President of the U.S.A., having childeren, and being respected as an important person. She caredabout people and became the chairperson of the HumanRights Commission. The Human Rights Commission became one of the most important committees in the United Nations. I would recomend this book to people everywhere who like to read biographies. ... Read more

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Product Description
Coretta Scott King is well known for being the wife of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., and for her own civil rights and world peace activism. She also received many awards and honorary degrees. But before she did all of those impressive things, Coretta was a strong little girl who could outclimb anyone in her neighborhood, was very close to her dad, and had a beautiful singing voice! Read all about how Coretta Scott King learned that if you work hard enough, your dreams can come true. ... Read more

Product Description
Michelle Obama grew up on Chicago's South Side, and while the world outside her door was chaotic and ever-changing, her family provided a stable environment in which she could grow and flourish. This look at Michelle Obama's life and the turning points that shaped her shows how a girl from a working class background could rise to become one of the most influential women of her day.

But this is more than a straight chronological retelling. This book looks at Michelle Obama's life story within the context of the larger movements in African American history: slavery, freedom, the Reconstruction era, the Civil Rights movement, and finally, her own era.

History is what has shaped Michelle and challenged her. And ultimately, not only has she overcome any obstacles put before her, she has carved out her own place in history as well. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (4)

Inspiring Story
I appreciated reading about Michelle Obama's background and achievements. This book is written at the level of young adult, so that was disappointed not to find a meatier biography. However, I realize that much is not known of her background and not everyone (like me) enjoys references and footnotes. Michelle is superbly intelligent, compassionate, and a gem of a human being and it is good that her story is being made available. She is an inspiration to many and I am sure more books will be written about her in the future.

A Truly American Story
Written for anyone to understand and put into simple words, it shows that Michelle Obama has been through what we call our history. Not only was she struggle with being looked down upon for being African American, she was also looked down on for being a woman. Truly inspirational, even for people who oppose Barrack's Presidency.

An inspirational biography for any young reader
Michelle Obama's family moved from slavery to the White House in just a few generations, and Michelle Obama: An American Story recounts her family story for any young reader in grades 5-8. Her lively story blends family heritage with her road to the White House and provides an inspirational biography for any young reader.

AWESOME
This is an excellent book for anyone, although it was written with children in mind. I usually read fiction, but this was great. This was the first time I worked for a presidential candidate, and I wanted to learn all about his family. David Colbert has written other biographies, and I'm going to read them too. ... Read more