Lady Bird Johnson: Hiding in Plain Sight
Lady Bird Johnson: Hiding in Plain Sight by Julia Sweig, published by Random House Publishing Group on March 22, 2022, is a comprehensive biography that explores the significant role of Lady Bird Johnson during her husband Lyndon Johnson’s presidency. This 560-page book delves into her contributions, highlighting her influence on key policy initiatives, including environmental efforts and desegregation in public spaces. Utilizing Lady Bird’s White House diaries, Sweig presents a nuanced portrait of a First Lady whose impact has often been overlooked.
Readers will find an in-depth examination of Lady Bird Johnson’s strategic involvement in political matters, as well as her personal initiatives that shaped American history in the 20th century. The book situates her within the broader context of American government and political science, offering insights into her unique position and the challenges she faced. Through this edition, Sweig aims to illuminate the complexities of Lady Bird’s character and her essential contributions to the Johnson administration, making it a significant addition to the discourse on political history and biography.
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NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • “A revelation . . . a book in the Caro mold, using Lady Bird, along with tapes and transcripts of her entire White House diary, to tell the history of America during the Johnson years.”—The New York Times
The inspiration for the documentary film The Lady Bird Diaries, premiering November 13 on Hulu
Perhaps the most underestimated First Lady of the twentieth century, Lady Bird Johnson was also one of the most powerful. In Lady Bird Johnson: Hiding in Plain Sight, Julia Sweig reveals how indispensable the First Lady was to Lyndon Johnson’s administration—which Lady Bird called “our” presidency. In addition to advising him through critical moments, she took on her own policy initiatives, including the most ambitious national environmental effort since Theodore Roosevelt and a virtually unknown initiative to desegregate access to public recreation and national parks in Washington, D.C.
Where no presidential biographer has understood Lady Bird’s full impact, Julia Sweig is the first to draw substantially on her White House diaries and to place her center stage. In doing so, Sweig reveals a woman ahead of her time—and an accomplished strategist and politician in her own right.
Winner of the Texas Book Award • Longlisted for the PEN/Jacqueline Bogard Weld Award
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