Aww, what a sweet story of these two women growing up together and staying connected through everything.
This is another book I got from the used bookstore in Canton, NC- Blue Moon Books. I have been in a moment of easy reading and I would say this was the perfect transition book, dealing with real people and their real experiences, but not a heavy thinking and processing book.
The Bush twins are not anyone I really know about or have had an interest in their lives. I was drawn to the cover and figured this would be a fun read to learn about them as individuals, twins, daughters and granddaughters of Presidents, and their adult endeavors. I was right; it was fun to read about their lives from their own perspectives and to see how intertwined not only they are, but the whole (extended) family, in one another’s lives.
Sometimes it gets weird for the reader when a book has two authors, but I will say it flowed better because the girls shared about the same experiences and ultimately, their lives are connected in a way most co-authors’ aren’t.
If anyone remembers my least favorite thing about memoirs it is the awkward chunk of photographs slapped arbitrarily in the middle of the book. And this book also delivers this annoyance. I enjoy photos, but I get frustrated by the placement. I like to see the pictures as I read along so I have to try to find the right pictures without spoiling anything for myself.
The writing style is very honest and relatable. The sisters do a great job of sharing important moments and their differing experiences in the same situations. Since I did not know much about the Bush family there were plenty of fun moments I experienced for the first time through this book. Let’s recap a few favorites.
Barbara as a child trying to order pizza for a party while her grandfather was President so the company hung up on her after she told them her name is Barbara Bush. And that would prove a pivotal lesson of giving a different name when needed! Did you know the twins are both named after their grandmothers? The idea of a bunch of Secret Service on a college campus (or two!) dressed in jeans with backpacks full of weapons trying not to be obvious as they follow the First Daughter around. Barbara spent a semester abroad in Italy in high school. The reality of Jenna’s husband picking her up at the White House for their first date. Just like that movie about dating the President’s daughter. (It’s the big white house- you can’t miss it.) Barbara started and runs a whole global charity. That’s phenomenal. Michelle Obama inviting Jenna to check out her old room the first time Jenna came back to the White House as a reporter during the Obama years. So many fun moments!
I would certainly recommend this book for anyone interested in memoirs, celebrity stories, political figures and familes.
Sonya was here 