From the #1 New York Times bestselling author of Five Presidents and The Kennedy Detail comes the definitive biography of Betty Ford, tracing the extraordinary journey of a First Lady who transformed personal struggle into national change and reshaped how America talks about women’s health, addiction, and equality.
Raised as a Midwestern girl far from the spotlight, Betty Ford was thrust onto the world stage when her husband, Gerald Ford, unexpectedly assumed the presidency. As First Lady, Betty defied convention, speaking openly about issues that had long been considered taboo—breast cancer, depression, abortion, and sexuality—while championing the Equal Rights Amendment and women’s rights at a time when few public figures dared to do so.
Behind the scenes, Betty faced her own private crisis. After a family intervention, she confronted her addiction to alcohol and prescription drugs and made the unprecedented decision to speak publicly about recovery. Her honesty sparked a national conversation and led to the founding of the Betty Ford Center in 1982, forever changing the treatment of addiction and the cultural understanding of recovery.
Drawing on intimate interviews with her children, Susan Ford Bales and Steven Ford, as well as friends, colleagues, and family members, this deeply researched biography also illuminates Betty’s enduring love story with Gerald Ford—a partnership built on mutual respect, loyalty, and devotion that lasted a lifetime. Vivid, compassionate, and deeply human, this book captures the life of a First Lady whose courage left an indelible mark on American history.

eBook - ePub
Betty Ford
First Lady, Women's Advocate, Survivor, Trailblazer
- 414 pages
- English
- ePUB (mobile friendly)
- Available on iOS & Android
eBook - ePub
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Table of contents
- Cover
- Dedication
- Foreword
- Prologue: “We’re Doing This Because We Love You”
- Part One: Betty Ford, Dancer
- Part Two: Betty Ford, Washington Woman
- Part Three: Betty Ford, First Lady
- Part Four: Betty Ford, After the White House
- Afterword
- Photographs
- Acknowledgments
- About the Author
- Notes
- Index
- Copyright
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Yes, you can access Betty Ford by Lisa McCubbin,Lisa McCubbin Hill in PDF and/or ePUB format, as well as other popular books in Social Sciences & Social Science Biographies. We have over 1.5 million books available in our catalogue for you to explore.