Ask the Author: Susan Page
Answered Questions (10)
Susan Page
Jamie, Thank you for reading my book. I'm delighted that you enjoyed it. In those sad, final years, Barbara Walters couldn't bear the idea of others seeing her in mental and physical decline, I think. Her image as a vigorous, fascinating and successful person was so important to her. But based on my reporting with her friends and colleagues, I think she would have savored one of those big splashy memorial services, like the one Peter Jennings had, and she attended. I was told that her daughter, who is very private, was reluctant about that, so it didn't take place. I wish there had been one, and I wish I could have been there. Best, Susan
Susan Page
Susan — This is untrue and distressing. Every passage in my book that replicates passages from “Audition” appears in quotation marks and credited to that book. Barbara Walter’s memoir was an important source for me — but so were the 130 interviews I did with her friends, co-workers, rivals and others. Could you please ask your patron to provide an example? Thank you. Susan Page
Susan Page
Richard, hi. My biography of Barbara Walters is being published by Simon & Schuster in April. I'm almost done with it now. What a remarkable woman she was! Thanks for asking about it.
Susan Page
Josh, Hi. I've loved "Lady Bird Johnson: Hiding in Plain Sight," by Julia Sweig. It's a smart, readable look at a First Lady who has been consistently overlooked and underestimated. (Reminds me of Barbara Bush!) Julia has also done a fascinating podcast about the book that includes original audio clips from the era. And about my next book, a biography of Barbara Walters -- it's due out in 2023. I'm deep into research now. Thanks/Susan
Susan Page
Not too soon! But I've decided to do my third book about Barbara Walters, a groundbreaking broadcaster and someone who hasn't been the subject of a definitive bio. Yet! Please wish me luck.
Susan Page
Elise, hi! Thanks for your question and thanks for reading MADAM SPEAKER. I do want to write a third book -- another biography, and of a consequential and complicated woman. I hope to be settled on that very soon, but always interested in suggestions. (And congrats on your own books, BTW.)
Susan Page
Thanks for the suggestions! There's definitely an interest in reassessing First Ladies who have been underestimated or misunderstood. New books are just out by Julia Sweig about Lady Bird Johnson and by Karen Tumulty about Nancy Reagan. And Lois Romano is working on a bio of Mary Todd Lincoln, which I'm eager to read. Thanks again.
Susan Page
I thought Nancy Pelosi was someone who had a significant impact on American political history in modern times but was more caricatured than understood. Well-known but not known well. And of the many pols I've covered, she struck me as perhaps the most comfortable of all with the gaining, holding and wielding of power. I wasn't trying to make the case that she was the heroine of her fans or the villain of her foes. I was trying the make the case that she was important. The result: "Madam Speaker: Nancy Pelosi and the Lessons of Power."
Susan Page
After writing bios of Barbara Bush ("The Matriarch") and Nancy Pelosi ("Madam Speaker"), I'd like to write a third book and am open to suggestions about who or what. Formidable women of whatever political stripe apparently hold some appeal. : ) Ideas?
Susan Page
I've just started an incredible novel, and one with a family connection: "The Passenger," by Ulrich Boschwitz, written by a 23-year-old in 1938 about a Jewish man who was trying to escape Nazi Germany. The author would die four years later when his ship, heading to England, was torpedoed by a German submarine. The book was recently rediscovered, and just published in English. He was my husband's first cousin, once removed.
About Goodreads Q&A
Ask and answer questions about books!
You can pose questions to the Goodreads community with Reader Q&A, or ask your favorite author a question with Ask the Author.
See Featured Authors Answering Questions
Learn more