Category: Friday Favorites

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Women In History Books: Madam President The Secret Presidency of Edith Wilson

As America made history with the first female VP did you know that secretly we already had a female president? Well sorta.
I have always found the story behind Edith Wilson interesting. When President Wilson suffered a stroke he was bedridden and his loving wife did what she needed to do. She stepped up and became President, at least in duty only. Edith Wilson performed Woodrow Wilson’s daily tasks unless they were of high importance to which she brought the information to the President.
She kept the secret from the people of the United States and even most of his cabinet. She didn’t do this for her own glory or to prove a woman COULD do it but because the country needed a leader and her husband had been chosen to lead the people. And she would not allow the people to be let down.

Amazon Link

Edith Wilson was the second wife of President Woodrow Wilson and served as First Lady of the United States from 1915 to 1921. She married the widower Wilson in December 1915, during his first term as president. Edith Wilson played an influential role in President Wilson’s administration following the severe stroke he suffered in October 1919. For the remainder of her husband’s presidency, she managed the office of the president, a role she later described as a “stewardship,” and determined which communications and matters of state were important enough to bring to the attention of the bedridden president.

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Women In History Books: Storyteller by Dolly Parton

Say the name Dolly Parton and everyone knows who she is. You don’t have to be a fan of country music to know the name or her music. Older generations grew up listening to 9to5, Jolene and more. The younger generation may know her from movies and Whitney Houston’s version of “I will always love you”. But this woman is more than music. She is an enterprise unto herself.
She grew up poor, learned to play guitar, became a side gig to Porter Wagoner and then broke into movies. But Dolly Parton is generous and smart. There is no “dumb blonde” when it comes to Dolly.
Let’s start with Dollywood. Everyone know the theme park but what some do not know is she built the theme park in her hometown area to help the Tennessee people who were struggling to find work. If not for Dolly Pigeon Forge would not be a thriving vacation spot and the people of Eastern Tennessee wouldn’t have the opportunities that they do. And as a fan the park is one that should not be missed.
Dolly is generous and when the fires hit the Gatlinburg area a few years ago she donated generously to help but also asked her friends in the music industry to help out which they did.
She donated a million dollars to the Covid-19 vaccine company trying to help the country.
And let’s not forget the Imagination Library. This non-profit was started by Dolly to give books to kids from her hometown that couldn’t get to books but has grown to support the whole country. You can go to her website and if there is a distribution person in your area a child will get free books from birth to the age of 5 every month. And it is free.
Dolly Parton is one of richest women and yet probably one of the most down home southern ladies. My sister and I got to see her interview and do some singing and story telling a few years ago and it was incredible.
Dolly does it all and she does it with her blonde wig perfectly done and high heels ready to kick a little dust up. And this book tells you about her songs and what brought her to the words and the music that we all love. And she is certainly a woman who should be celebrated this Women’s History Month.

Dolly Parton, Songteller: My Life in Lyrics is a landmark celebration of the remarkable life and career of a country music and pop culture legend.
As told by Dolly Parton in her own inimitable words, explore the songs that have defined her journey. Illustrated throughout with previously unpublished images from Dolly Parton’s personal and business archives.
Mining over 60 years of songwriting, Dolly Parton highlights 175 of her songs and brings readers behind the lyrics.
• Packed with never-before-seen photographs and classic memorabilia
• Explores personal stories, candid insights, and myriad memories behind the songs
Dolly Parton, Songteller: My Life in Lyrics reveals the stories and memories that have made Dolly a beloved icon across generations, genders, and social and international boundaries.
Containing rare photos and memorabilia from Parton’s archives, this book is a show-stopping must-have for every Dolly Parton fan.
• Learn the history behind classic Parton songs like “Jolene,” “9 to 5,” “I Will Always Love You,” and more.
• The perfect gift for Dolly Parton fans (everyone loves Dolly!) as well as lovers of music history and country

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Women In History Books: Hidden Figures by Margot Lee Shetterly

I will be honest and say I saw the movie before reading the book and loved it. So when my family went to NASA in Florida and the book was for sale I grabbed it. And I can not begin to tell you how much more information and how much better the book was than the movie (isn’t that usually the case?).
I had not heard of the history of the these incredible women until one day on a tv show called “Timeless” (episode Space Race which aired Nov 28, 2016). I actually went and Googled it after the episode and I think maybe a lot of people did because only a short time later the movie Hidden Figures came out. I ran to the theater to see it and was not disappointed.
But back to the book. Not only are these women but they are African-American women who during the fight for equality proved any woman can be smarter than any man. Dorothy Vaughan, Mary Jackson, Katherine Johnson, and Christine Darden are the women who got our astronauts into space and home at a time when they couldn’t even use the same bathroom as white women could.
This book is worth the read and the reader will not be disappointed that they incredible women made history and they are celebrated for it. ~ Kimberly

The #1 New York Times Bestseller. Set amid the civil rights movement, the never-before-told true story of NASA’s African-American female mathematicians who played a crucial role in America’s space program. Before Neil Armstrong walked on the moon, a group of professionals worked as ‘Human Computers’, calculating the flight paths that would enable these historic achievements. Among these were a coterie of bright, talented African-American women. Segregated from their white counterparts, these ‘coloured computers’ used pencil and paper to write the equations that would launch rockets and astronauts, into space. Moving from World War II through NASA’s golden age, touching on the civil rights era, the Space Race, the Cold War and the women’s rights movement, ‘Hidden Figures’ interweaves a rich history of mankind’s greatest adventure with the intimate stories of five courageous women whose work forever changed the world.