History Book Festival Presents Author Julia Sweig: Ladybird Johnson

In collaboration with the History Book Festival, join us for a talk with Julia Sweig, author of "Lady Bird Johnson: Hiding in Plain Sight," the Non-Fiction Keynote event for the 2021 virtual History Book Festival. Sweig will be in conversation with author and Washington bureau chief of USA Today Susan Page. Lady Bird Johnson’s complex role — as a political partner to her husband, President Lyndon Johnson, as a vital yet underappreciated presence in the White House, and as a critical advisor and strategist — is recast in this new biography. The story is told in Lady Bird’s own words through the largely unknown and overlooked audio diaries that she kept during her five-plus years in the White House: 123 hours of tape totaling 1,750,000 words. The tapes show her to be a formidable storyteller and historian and a conscious creator of legacy. Lady Bird’s almost real-time, highly personal narration of key moments of American history showcases her narrative prowess and unique perspective as she brings to life both the tragedies that defined the ’60s — the assassinations of John F. Kennedy, Robert Kennedy, and Martin Luther King Jr., as well as the Vietnam War — and the struggles and triumphs of the civil rights movement. Author Julia Sweig’s exhaustive research unearths several revelations, including the part Lady Bird played in her husband’s decision not to run for reelection in 1968, as well as her crucial role in environmental policy-making as evidenced through her “beautification” project — a euphemism that actually brought civil rights, the environment, and social justice together — most crucially in American cities like Washington, D.C. Julia Sweig is an award-winning author of books on Cuba, Latin America, and American foreign policy. Her writing has appeared in numerous media outlets, including the New York Times, the Atlantic, the Washington Post, the Financial Times, and the Los Angeles Times. Online program from the History Book Festival and the Lewes Public Library. NOTE: this meeting is being conducted through Zoom. You MUST REGISTER to receive instructions for joining the meeting. Venue: Lewes Public Library.