A Love Letter to Texas Women
"Sarah Bird is a true eccentric, but one with a straightforward gift for explaining the human heart. . . . A Lone Star girl-legend." —Boston Globe
What is it that distinguishes Texas women—the famous Yellow Rose and her descendants? Is it that combination of graciousness and grit that we revere in First Ladies Laura Bush and Lady Bird Johnson? The rapier-sharp wit that Ann Richards and Molly Ivins used to skewer the good ole boy establishment? The moral righteousness with which Barbara Jordan defended the US constitution? An unnatural fondness for Dr Pepper and queso?
In her inimitable style, Sarah Bird pays tribute to the Texas Woman in all her glory and all her contradictions. She humorously recalls her own early bewildered attempts to understand Lone Star gals, from the big-haired, perfectly made-up ladies at the Hyde Park Beauty Salon to her intellectual, quinoa-eating roommates at Seneca House Co-op for Graduate Women. After decades of observing Texas women, Bird knows the species as few others do. A Love Letter to Texas Women is a must-have guide for newcomers to the state and the ideal gift to tell any Yellow Rose how special she is.
Now here’s an old Second Wave feminist’s unbiased, fair and balanced review of Sarah Bird’s new book A Love Letter to Texas Women. It’s a hoot! A laugh-out-loud 80-page personal history with heart, grit and a galaxy of stars.
This teeny book by Austin writer Sarah Bird is a must for any proud Texas woman (and any Texas man proud to love a Texas woman.) In her trademark bitingly funny style, Bird talks about her journey from granola hippydom in New Mexico to the Aqua-Netted friendliness of Texas, and how she learned to love it. Great stories and quotes from greats such as the late Ann Richards and Lady Bird Johnson to everyday ladies getting their hair set in small towns.
Bird brings her characteristic brand of unflappable humor to reflect on strong women—from the confident, colorfully named ladies of the Hyde Park Beauty Salon (‘Eddie Faye, Peninah, Waynette, Permelia Lynn, Dicy’) to the grace and grit of first ladies and Distinguished Alumnae Lady Bird Johnson and Laura Bush.
