About the event

First Lady Barbara Bush was famous for handing out advice. From friends and family to heads of state and Supreme Court justices, and certainly to her staff, her advice ranged from what to wear, what to say or not say, and how to live your life.

She especially loved visiting with students of all ages, from kindergartners to college graduates. When she turned 80, she owned up to all her advice-giving and explained it this way: After all, in 80 years of living, I have survived 6 children, 17 grandchildren, 6 wars, a book by Kitty Kelly, two presidents, two governors, big Election Day wins and big Election Day losses, and 61 years of marriage to a husband who keeps jumping out of perfectly good airplanes. So, it’s just possible that along the way I’ve learned a thing or two.

At the end of the day, she taught all of us some valuable lessons. As First Lady, she made a point of cuddling a baby with AIDS and hugging a young man who was HIV positive and whose family had rejected him, showing us by example the importance of compassion and the myth of fear. As a mother, she made sure we all knew that your children must come first, and one of the most important things you can do is to read to them. As a friend and mentor, she showed that you had to be true to yourself, and even at the end of her life, she taught us how to die with grace. 

 Full of Barbara Bush’s trademark wit and thoughtfulness, Pearls of Wisdom is a poignant reflection on life, love, family, and the world by one of America’s most iconic — and beloved — public figures. 

Here you can purchase “Pearls of Wisdom”, a  book packed with anecdotes of wisdom from former First Lady Barbara Bush. A read that will warm your heart and give you a chuckle or two.

About the speaker

Jean Becker was the ghostwriter and narrator for Pearls of Wisdom Little Pieces of Advice by Barbara Bush. She served as deputy press secretary to first lady Barbara Bush from 1989 to 1992 and helped her with the editing and research for her books Barbara Bush, A Memoir and Reflections. After he left office, Becker worked as chief of staff to former President George H. W. Bush, supervising his office in both Houston and Kennebunkport, Maine, and overseeing the opening of the George Bush Presidential Library Center in 1997. 

She took a leave of absence in 1999 to edit and research All the Best, George Bush: My Life in Letters and Other Writings. A former journalist, she is also a member of the J. William Fulbright Foreign Scholarship Board and the C-Change Cancer Board, and an ad hoc member of the advisory boards of The George Bush Presidential Library and The George Bush School of Government and Public Service.