09/24/2025

Jill Abraham Hummer Publishes New Book on Laura Bush

FLARE Member Jill Abraham Hummer has published a book entitled "Laura Bush: Texas Roots, Global Impact" with the University Press of Kansas. A complete, nuanced study of Laura Bush’s work as first lady, which blended the traditional feminine expectations of the role with the political agenda and global advocacy of the modern office. Jill Abraham Hummer, a leading expert on first ladies, adds to the highly acclaimed Modern First Ladies series. This is her second book published by the University Press of Kansas.

“The University Press of Kansas’s series of biographies on US First Ladies of the modern era are an invaluable resource for examining how these women impacted the US presidency while serving in this unique and constantly evolving role in American politics. Jill Hummer’s well-researched book on Laura Bush reveals her personal evolution over the course of her public life from reticent political spouse to active and popular First Lady who drew on her professional and personal interests and balanced the traditional and modern expectations of the role. Laura Bush was First Lady during one of the most tumultuous and consequential periods in American history. Hummer’s book helps readers understand the authenticity Bush brought to her role, and more fully appreciate the breadth of her impact and why she is remembered for serving our country with dignity and grace at home and abroad.”—Anita McBride, coauthor of Remember the First Ladies: The Legacies of America’s History-Making Women

“This study provides a fresh and exciting assessment of Laura Bush’s years as first lady. Engaging, balanced, insightful and well-researched, it effectively underlines her significance domestically and internationally, highlighting especially Bush’s evolution in the post. Presenting a fully dimensional and dynamic perspective on a first lady and former librarian whose passion for education, civil rights, and women’s rights stretched from Austin to Afghanistan, Hummer’s study will remain a go-to source for years to come.”—Katherine A. S. Sibley, author of Southern First Ladies: Culture and Place in White House History

Learn more about the book - Receive 30% off and free shipping* with code: LAURABUSH