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Founding Mothers
Founding Mothers: The Women Who Raised Our Nation | Cokie Roberts
Cokie Roberts's number one New York Times bestseller, We Are Our Mothers' Daughters, examined the nature of women's roles throughout history and led USA Today to praise her as a "custodian of time-honored values." Her second bestseller, From This Day Forward, written with her husband, Steve Roberts, described American marriages throughout history, including the romance of John and Abigail Adams. Now Roberts returns with Founding Mothers, an intimate and illuminating look at the fervently patriotic and passionate women whose tireless pursuits on behalf of their families -- and their country -- proved just as crucial to the forging of a new nation as the rebellion that established it. While much has been written about the men who signed the Declaration of Independence, battled the British, and framed the Constitution, the wives, mothers, sisters, and daughters they left behind have been little noticed by history. Roberts brings us the women who fought the Revolution as valiantly as the men, often defending their very doorsteps. While the men went off to war or to Congress, the women managed their businesses, raised their children, provided them with political advice, and made it possible for the men to do what they did. The behind-the-scenes influence of these women -- and their sometimes very public activities -- was intelligent and pervasive. Drawing upon personal correspondence, private journals, and even favored recipes, Roberts reveals the often surprising stories of these fascinating women, bringing to life the everyday trials and extraordinary triumphs of individuals like Abigail Adams, Mercy Otis Warren, Deborah Read Franklin, Eliza Pinckney, Catherine Littlefield Green, Esther DeBerdt Reed, and Martha Washington -- proving that without our exemplary women, the new country might never have survived. Social history at its best, Founding Mothers unveils the drive, determination, creative insight, and passion of the other patriots, the women who raised our nation. Roberts proves beyond a doubt that like every generation of American women that has followed, the founding mothers used the unique gifts of their gender -- courage, pluck, sadness, joy, energy, grace, sensitivity, and humor -- to do what women do best, put one foot in front of the other in remarkable circumstances and carry on.
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Bethanyroe
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I have spent a lot of time reading biographies of founding fathers and specific bios of some of the women of the revolution, so I greatly enjoyed this overview that tied many of their stories together.

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Ericalambbrown
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Every year I try to read a nonfiction, American History related book around the Independence Day holiday. This year‘s was a read some/listen some as I needed to get off my arse and get the veg garden and raised beds back on track after weeks of rain. This book was delightful and very well annotated and made me miss Cokie Roberts explaining government on NPR. Now to liberate the kale seed out their pods since I got that harvest done. 😂

Suet624 For some reason I missed the fact that Roberts wrote this. 3y
Ericalambbrown @Suet624 I didn‘t even realize she wrote books until I stumbled upon this one and Ladies of Liberty at the Friends of the Library sale last year. Listening to her read the book was fun. 3y
57 likes2 comments
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alisiakae
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Sad to hear this news about Cokie Roberts. I like her books, and loved listening to her guest commentary on NPR. She had an amazing and trailblazing career. 😢

CBee She was an amazing lady! I was so sad to hear this today 😞🙁 5y
Megabooks Sad. 😢 5y
Kimzey I was so sad to hear this.😢 5y
73 likes3 comments
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JoyBlue
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Panpan

I was delighted to hear/meet Cokie Roberts in DC in April. Her keynote was smart and funny. So, this signed first edition was an obvious choice of Mother's Day present for me from Number One Son (an excellent gift-giver in his own right, though this pick was facilitated by Dad). Sadly, I found this book incredibly dull.

For better or worse, Hubby has discovered Alabama Booksmith and has gone on a spree. See comments for more.

JoyBlue At the bottom of the pictured stack is the first book DH snagged from Alabama Booksmith. I get it—it was an awesome book. We had to have it! I then told him that he had to stop buying signed first editions (he was at it before he discovered this shop). When I caught a glimpse of our latest credit card bill, I almost went through the roof. Then I realized that it was almost Mother's Day. Trap shut! [1/2] 5y
JoyBlue Anyway, NOS picked Founding Mothers to give to me (and reimbursed his dad). Dear Husband presented me with Art Matters (also signed). And, I hear that there are other goodies from that shipment for future occasions. All in all, I think he's done a fine shopping job. 😂 💙 📘 [2/2] 5y
DivineDiana He certainly has! ❤️ 5y
JoyBlue @DivineDiana I'll tell him you said that. 😉 💝 5y
56 likes4 comments
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ValerieAndBooks
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@Booksandcooks thank you for doing the #5555giveaway! Since I read a lot of non-fiction, I have so many I like. Because today is Mother's Day, Founding Mothers, about the women who supported and advised their men as America worked for independence, came to mind. I still have yet to read Ladies of Liberty by the same author, about women (some are in both books) who helped early America become what it was.

Reviewsbylola I always have had a fascination with the First Ladies. I have seen these around but wondered if they might be too dry. I don't typically like rigid biographies, but books that read more like memoirs are great. The book I'm reading now doesn't intend to focus mostly on the First Ladies but it definitely does imo! 7y
Megabooks I've considered reading those! Definitely adding to my TBR! 7y
ValerieAndBooks @Reviewsbylola your book seems interesting, I look forward to to seeing what you think of it! Founding Mothers doesn't focus on just future First Ladies such as Abigail Adams and Martha Washington but also other women such as Elizabeth Hamilton and Deborah Franklin. The author quotes often from letters and papers, which you may or may not like, but gives the reader their authentic voices. (edited) 7y
ValerieAndBooks @Booksandcooks thanks for doing this, it sure added to my TBR 😉 7y
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Nonaroo
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Happy Mother's Day! I hope you are having a great day and are reading!! 💐**Edit** My parents are bookworms and it's my mom's love of books that turned me into a bookworm! Thanks Mom!! 💕

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Leelee08
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LeahBergen 😍 7y
102 likes1 comment
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Jesskathkarl
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Liked it, interesting, but did not really like the author's insertion of her voice--it seemed rather snarky and juvenile, not the voice of a historian offering a considered opinion based on the letters and other information from these amazing women of the nation's founding.

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BooksForYears
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#FeistyFeb Day 20 - Presidential Reads

Since President's Day is a day which focuses singularly on men, I choose to redirect my reading toward the women who surrounded those men.

MicheleinPhilly 🙌🏼 7y
mrp27 👏🏻👏🏻 7y
UwannaPublishme 👍🏻👌🏻🙌🏻💪🏻 7y
See All 8 Comments
FairyHighRoad I love this book! I wrote my thesis about women's roles in the American Revolution and this books was such a great starting off point. 7y
Hooked_on_books Nice! I like your style! 7y
kspenmoll This was a great book ❤ 7y
RobinW Like this idea! 7y
melbeautyandbooks I like the way you think! 7y
144 likes13 stack adds8 comments
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kspenmoll
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MaureenMc
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Early American history told through the lens of the women connected to the Founding Fathers. Roberts uses vignettes and anecdotes, rather than a single narrative arc. Well researched and definitely worth the read.

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MaureenMc
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The January Bibliobabes' pick (that's my book club's name 😸). I'm finding it super interesting so far. Of course, I was a history major, so YMMV. 😺

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