Books focusing on Mental Health care now from 2010 Rosalynn Carter ending the Mental Health crisis. [applause] im on book tour this week i get the same questions every time so i thought i would tell you what they were. The first is how did you get involved in Mental Health . Why did you write the books i will tell you how i got involved. I was campaigning for jimmy when he ran the first time and lost the first time we got in late the candidate dropped out in this was 1966 and we didnt have long to campaign so i drove from one town to the next very disorganized campaign. But this was 66 and they are beginning to move people out of the Central State Hospital and into the community but there was no Mental Health service yet. I had so many people say what way your husband do if elected governor . Standing at a gay at 430 in the morning for the shift change a whole bunch of people coming in and going out and passing out brochures. A lady was small and elderly you could tell how tired she was i hope you can get some sleep she said i hope so but we have a mentally ill daughter and we struggle to pay for her care my husband stays with her at night i stay with her during the day. So then i was riding around town it was a very disorganized campaign. [laughter] so i stayed in the back of the room he didnt know i was there he was shaking hands standing and receiving lines is part of my life he had my hand i got in front of him he said what are you doing here . I said like to know what you are going to do when you are governor for people with Mental Illness . He said we will have the best program in the country and he will be in charge of it. [laughter] he didnt because i didnt know anything about it the four years later not even a month before he established the Governors Commission to improve service and i worked on it for four years. But in 123 communities but they were not comprehensive son were offices where they could go but i was part of it. When i left georgia that working on Mental Health issues and everywhere i went people had Mental Health if it went good i wanted to show it off there was very few and if it was bad they wanted me to help when he was president so it was the real responsibility because they were still putting them in institutions and nobody wanted to talk about it or talk about Mental Illness. Somebody heard me that night and i always say all the advocates descended on me it was a long time before we could get people to come we never really did get a big build up of advocacy but advocates were always there just because my husband was governor. Its a very long time since i got involved and now i have a really good program in atlanta. Its a two and half hour drive south we spent one week a month that we schedule one year ahead i dont get home is much as i would like but thats how i got involved we worked hard and got it passed in october 1980. [applause] with a whole legislation was abandoned was on the biggest appointments of my life. So why did you write the book and you heard how i got started on the situation and now i work all this time with help from Mental Illness to say it goes in cycles with great funding to research and then it drifted a while in the first president bush with the decades and added to the research from research and new treatment and medication we now know that people can recover. We spend 120 billion per year that does not count Supportive Housing or employment or anything else. Just Mental Health care and millions are still suffering i am so distressed i am angry about it. To know that people can recover want people to know what i know to get over the stigma for those with Mental Illnesses. So we focus on four major things recovery because it distresses me so much because people cant recover from Mental Illnesses. And our system we have to shift away from controlling Mental Illness. I have so many people and he was a teenager think a junior in college and he went to the doctor and the doctor said you can never do that. Stigma is so distressing to me. It holds back funding for programs where people dont feel like Mental Illness can be helped so the politicians and policymakers and people like me who really try have a hard time convincing officials and i hope it is going to change since we got the bill. It has Mental Health and Substance Abuse disorders in the basic health package. It has a great priority for training mentalhealth professionals. In 2003, 2002, president bush had another mentalhealth commission that reported in 2002 and when i looked at the recommendations they were the same ones that i did in 1978. Its distressing when you look back and see what it is. The report of that commission was there is no way to fix that we need to start over so now with the program developing because consumers have done the research so there was a woman named Judy Chamberlain who in 1978 wrote a book called on our own and then she started meeting with she had had a bad experience so she started getting together groups who had been living with Mental Illness and talking about how they could help each other and it grew into a movement. One of my friends on the mentalhealth force is one of the early people on an. He started the First Program in the State Government in alabama. My other friend who is from georgia and has lived with bipolar and is in recovery started the first Consumer Program in the government in georgia and also then started working as a Consumer Network they started meeting and bringing in people that he knew were living with Mental Illness and talking to them. Mentally ill people need respect. They need housing. They need a job, so they can give you could Consumer Network helps them with those things. And people recover, some without even taking medication anymore. Some take medication and therapy that they recover and live good lives in the community raising their families, working, young people going to school. Even with major illnesses, people can recover, and can you hear me in the back . In georgia the one who started the Consumer Network in the government, the Consumer Program was able to get medicaid for the consumer peers and in georgia we have a 50500 mentalhealth specialists and they go from communities. A lot of people now come to see them come up as they go to communities and if they see somebody homeless suffering or with Mental Illness, i think its in 40 states, but im not sure. Theres one in maryland i know because i had a book signing this morning and someone from the Consumer Network had me sign a book to my Consumer Network friends, so i know its in maryland now. I dont know other places, but it is growing and the reason im optimistic is because thats what we know about medications from research into treatments and so forth and to be able to help people recover i think the movement is too strong now. I dont think they can set us back. I thought if insurance covers Mental Illness it would be all right to have it. It would legitimize them and that would mean an awful lot. The other thing is prevention. They are now learning so much about prevention and building resilient. We have learned that it is developmental and i think 50 of home until illnesses to make a Mental Illness is diagnosed by 75 by age 24 and we also learn for any parents here with babies come and we need Parenting Classes because when children are growing, they need deep attention. People need to watch to see how they nurture and the parent develops. They need to watch the age at appropriate milestones like whether they crawl or walk at the time and even when they are starting to Nursery School to see how they react with their peers. We need to get the word out because now we know that if you detect the illness early and intervene, the interventions that mitigate sometimes it can prevent it from developing into a major Mental Illness. Always mitigate the. So those are the things in my book. Im pleased you came out and that you are interested. You can help because you can go to your policymakers and let them know how important this is. They always need volunteers. People that are interested and care can really contribute. I am pleased to be here. I think im going to be signing books for you now. [applause] every saturday evening this summer, booktv is taking the opportunity to open up the archives and a pinch watch with a wellknown author. Tonight our focus is a little bit different. We are looking at books written by former first ladies. Up next is former first lady barbara bush. She served as first lady from 1989 to 1993 and was the author of five books including two memoirs. She was very well known for her Childrens Book about her dog. Her memoirs were published in 1994 and in 2003. Heres the late barbara bush discussing the second one, reflections, at the texas book festival in austin. I loved writing my memoirs and the urge to write was still there. My good friend Mary Higgins Clark told her she suggested that i write a novel and she said it would be very, very easy. She recommended i do what she did, pick applaud him and know the ending and then work back. She told me that when her characters talk to her, she wont let them say something. She knows shes on the right track. Its as if they color i would do that or i wouldnt say that. It certainly sounded easy, so i set forth to write a mystery novel. I made up what i thought was a rather interesting plot centered around two female roommates, a Flight Attendant and secret Service Agent who never stayed in town long enough to meet any attractive eligible men they decided to get in touch with an escort bureau, you know, a dating service. All the men ended up dead. Like mary, i knew the killer and i worked my way back. I had one huge problem. My characters never said one word to me. [laughter] i spent hours waiting. Nothing. Besides that, my conversations were deadly stiff, awkward and really boring. So i decided to leave the imagination for the real writers and stick to what i knew. After all, life hasnt stopped after the white house. The last ten years have been filled with travel and new experiences, making new friends, working on causes that they care strongly about coming into the usual ups and downs of a large, close family. And some very exciting moments. I bet you didnt know that alcohol biker magazine declared the first lady of the century. [laughter] of course accompanied by a picture of my head superimposed on a curvaceous body draped over a harleydavidson bike. [laughter] biker bab babe of this country i think was one headline. It is quite an honor and certainly worthy of another book in yes, there were two son and one who became governor and one who went on to become president. So, there were some things i could write about. As for research, i didnt have to do any. Im trying to remember what happened when and who said what to whom. I didnt have to worry about that, either. Iive been a devoted diary keer for years so all i had to do was take my diary already on my computer, turne turn it into sod of readable prose, take out an opinion or two maybe, not all that some. Some things are left best unpublished. I toiled away usually in the early mornings sitting with my laptop in bed while george read the newspapers. While on a road, he cursed. [laughter] somehow it all worked. Already people are asking me if there will get again be another sequel. At age 78, i rather suspect not. But who knows, just as life didnt stop after the white house, it doesnt stop either as to approach 80 years of age and beyond. Especially if you are married to george bush. After all, this is the man that spares hes parachuting one more time on his 80th birthday. He jumped on his 75th birthday and loved it and raised 10 million for the great cancer and research hospital. Now, on the 13th of june, this is the day after to celebrate his 80th, he will make his last jump and friends around the country are raising 30 million to be shared by the points of Light Foundation and the george bush president ial library foundation. This will not only be his last jump, but this he swears will be the last time we ever ask anyone for money. [laughter] i think so far he has lined up our Texas University grandchild whos going to jump with him. Anyway, i have one little story that happened this past september. During a trip to russia we were invited to spend a day with president putin said the russian equivalent of camp david. When we arrived, he was wearing a suit and tie while putin met us in more informal clothing at the airport. Now we were very, very flattered that he came to the airport to meet us and why we were driving back some 20 minutes away, he suggested he would drop us off and then they would talk to meet us, they were going to have a press conference right after that. So he rushed i they rushed in ad into very casual clothes. Would you believe sweatpants and a polo shirt is all they had. As we walked up the hill and they were walking down it soon became obvious president putin also changed his clothes. [laughter] into a suit and tie. Anyway, i found myself writing in my diary that night that this should go in the next book. I do know writing this book reminded me of a couple of things ive always known. One is you shouldnt take your self osoftware life too serious. I would like to read a short passage from the book to prove my point. Not my only regret but one regret is i didnt keep all the pictures that id gotten from the barbara bush lookalikes. I get at least four letters a month and have for years from ladys been told they look exactly like me. I am so common looking at when i spoke to the Junior League in toledo ohio in october, they had to lookalikes. They could be 5 feet tall to 6 feet tall. They could way 122 to 20. They can be 55 to 95 years of age. They all have one thing in common, white hair. I finally had learned to say i wish i did loo didnt look as ps you and in most cases the true. As you can imagine it also brings all sorts of funny surprises. One year shortly after giving the commencement address at texas a and m. University, i received a letter from a lady thats what i might be amused by something that happened after my talk. She had taken her granddaughter with her to the graduation and when she returned the little girl to her mother, the child ran into the house yelling youll never guess what i did. I heard the mother of the president of the united states. I heard George Washingtons mother. [laughter] i might have been more amused if i didnt sort of look like george washington. [laughter] another letter that truly thrilled me and abused my family came from a little girl who said Something Like great news. Ive named my effort after you. [laughter] this child send me updates on barbara bush ahead for. Barbara competed in the houston livestock show one year and came in a. They was sorry for my little friend but slightly relieved as im not sure i could have stood the headlines barbara bush wins defense talk show. [laughter] which brings me to the next thing that i was reminded of while writing this book. You cannot survive life without a sense of humor otherwise he will never recover from the ups and downs and disappointments. One of the reasons i married george bush was he made me lau laugh. This was written after the death of our beloved dog, the one that wrote the bestselling book about life in the white house and donate all the proceeds to literacy. The book made over a Million Dollars for my foundation. George used to say you work all your life and finally obtained the highest job in our country and maybe the world coming into your do dogs makes more money tn you do. [laughter] we were very sad when she died but thankfully some of the reactions to her death made us smile. I wrote in my book the outpouring of letters, flowers and telephone calls was unbelievable. People wrote things like i love her and i will always remember her over im having a mass for her. Anat our First Congregational Church they prayed for her on the sunday after her death and one lady wrote she knew the pain we were suffering. You see, my husband died last year. [laughter] that made george very nervous. [laughter] the Barbara Bush Foundation for literacy got a 500 contribution in memory of her. People wrote letters, sent pictures of their dogs or cats either living or dead. She wouldnt have liked that the latter one. My good friend after whom she was named head an interview and georges chief of staff was interviewed by people magazine. Both ladies said that the interviewers said they knew she had written a book and had given her proceeds to charity, but they wanted to know the personal side of her. What she had done lately. She was a dog. Thank god for a sense of humor. However, the most important thing i was reminded of is that i am the luckiest woman in the world. I have a husband i adore, children that bring us great joy, friends that mean a tremendous amount to us, and we live in the great state of texas which is part of the freest nation in history and the history of the world. [applause] doesnt get much better than that. Now that ive attended this wonderful festival, life truly is perfect which brings me to one of my favorite topics, literacy which yes even after all these years is still near and dear to my heart. I still believe that if more people could read, write and comprehend, we could solve so many of our problems. I think we have made great progress, but theres stil therl much work to be done. Just this summer i read something that made me very, very sad. In a recent survey, only 50 of adults said they had read books since they finished school and only half of those thoughts more than two bucks a year. They certainly wouldnt fit in with this crowd. Thats very scary i think and its also very sad. I cant imagine books without life life without books and reading. When asked what condition of man deserves the most pity they play when some man on a rainy day through doesnt know how to read. Im sure there is an event anywhere working harder to fix this problem than the texas book festival founded in 1995 by then texas lady first lady laura bush. Her mother is here incidentally and i am so glad to see her. [applause] i must say jenna is a good example. Mothers, fathers, caretakers by grandparents. She read to laura every single day and thats why one of the many reasons we have this great gentle strong first lady. As many of you know the proceeds go to Public Libraries across texas. In just seven years you have raised more than 1,000,043 whatever it is, thousands, millions why didnt they write that out for me. They know that im no good at that. [laughter] i am told a typical grant is 2,500 for books and reading programs. In many cases the doubles the budget for the purchases for these libraries and that is a prophetic gift. The great news now is lara bosch moved to washington and when she moved she took this great idea with her and in september with the help they held their Third National book festival on the mall which has attracted thousands of people each year. Just this year i know it happened, and i wish that i had read about it, 75,000 people came out to celebrate the book thanks to our texas laura bush said it i that is a great wondel thing. [applause] incidentally, this is a free and open to the public. Laura and i joine join forces on another literacy project here in texas when the Barbara Bush Foundation for family literacy established the first ladys Family Initiative for texas of which laura is still the chair. Since its beginning a years ago weve given away nearly 2 million to 80 texas family literacy programs. I cant help but think thanks to these and other efforts, your efforts and the efforts of all of the wonderful literacy volunteers across the state that someday people everywhere in texas will be able to count books as their treasured friends and companions. And i want to congratulate you all for what you are doing. I am thrilled i finally go got o did although i have to write another book to get it. Thank you very much, god bless you and god bless texas. Thats it. [applause] there is time left for questions. But remember im so low here if i dont like the questions. [laughter] you are thinking of someone. If so, yell. If you have a question, stand up and yell. [inaudible] are you kidding. The question is am i going to jump with him. No, im going to be there to catch him. [applause] i dont have a question but i did read the first book and loved it [inaudible] thank you. [applause] [inaudible] do i still giv get my son advic. George bush claims he doesnt do i feel free to. I do feel free to because neither one of them take it. [laughter] i have to tell you that all of our children are very nice and its making me nervous because they are calling into seeing how we feel and that kind of thing. One day they called and said mom, i just talked to george and he said you took a long walk. I thought he was good as a good girl, mom. I think they are more protective of us now. I dont give much advice. [laughter]. Can you tell us about your grandchildren . [laughter] you really have to read my book. [laughter] i tried not to give names in the book. But one time george and i were sitting on the deck of our house in kennebunkport we have this little boat called the main coaster that the children are allowed to use and he just loves that when he sees the girls and boys go rushing out one of the grandsons who had a houseguest was racing around the point we were having lunch and george said it was dan and june he was a sportswriter he said the biggest tree in my life to see those children use the main coaster. Its a wonderful. Then the boat way way out stops and george says i may have to go rescue them because hes dying to go out in his boat. So he gets on his binoculars and little grandson got up and went to the back of the tiny boat and urinated over the side. [laughter] and the boat took off again. He never knew but we caught them on binoculars. [laughter] the last book you read . I am mathematics i saw those when michelle came to boston by the time i got to the book i think it was a beautiful. I didnt. I thought the arm looked weird. [laughter] but i enjoyed the book. Im looking for a good book. I read to relax. Ia worry about my children all the time particularly our mutual children because i worry about the world. I dont think any president ever had a worse time to be president. Lincoln had brother fighting against brother but something about the unknown enemy which is we go through now which is very hard i tried to read novels so i dont think about the problem. I love jane austen im listening to a book on tape of her life and times. There are quite a few that every book they write i read i love Elizabeth George and David Baldacci i love James Patterson not the scary one thats the one that was like a letter. There is just a lot some i have to read the minute they come out i am a danger in a bookstore. [inaudible] [laughter] yes. I love your white hair. Yes i played golf and george bush left me a College Station and as luck would have it. My favorite childrens but . It depends on the age that if you go to read to children they have read at 400 times you have to find a book that is new. I love make way for ducklings it is 60 years old with a very good message and tells you the policemen are there to make life easier they are compassionate and caring and i like that. Children should be taught to respect people who are in Public Service firemen, policemen, senators, c. I believe serving is a noble occupation. I like make way for ducklings its old maybe they havent read it. [laughter] let me tell you about harry potter. I. C. E. To go to school speaking to fifthgraders and say how many like to and after harry potter came into our life i would ask how many have you read about . Every hand and every boy i have read it five times or father and mother say about the store 2 00 a. M. When we could buy it. I tried to read harry potter. I read the first one. I did not like alice in wonderland so i am not that kind of reader. But i am grateful to jk rowling because she has opened reading two boys. But i didnt like it myself. [inaudible] yes thats very easy his father is now into the book about winston and roosevelt and those are good books it is interesting to george w. A lot of great books have come out about statesmen lately not just adams and george reeds those. [inaudible] [applause] you said youre not gonna live in texas are you yes we chose texas that our home. And we loved midland when we loved live there very much. [inaudible] i am almost 79. It depends on what age when you have four boys and a husband running for office just not as good of a memory is a should be. Truthfully books about athletes and Sports Illustrated then god willing we finally got a girl. [laughter] what is your Favorite Book that you wrote . I only have four choices. Of course my Favorite Book is reflections. [laughter] thank you for asking. Nellys book was great because it told people about the white house. I do have a speechwriter because every day i go out something unbelievable happens to me. Truthfully i managed to trip over the funniest things. She says we make a great team. She rights and i. E. Race. What went on when your son was elected president . I could hardly tell this crowd on either side you are suffering. Im sure other people have written about this but it was a very moving night and we were at a dinner and that was wrong because they had not closed the polls and that set the tide and it moved me a lot. Jenna was there and laura. George and jeb and staff in and out and the two men looked precinct by precinct and it was clear florida would be jabs or georges and it turned out to be. I know if you notice this but in the democratic primary in 2002 precincts had troubles with chadds again. The one that ran with democrats the same with jeb and george since i am tart and outspoken and frank i feel perfectly free to say no question in my mind that george one florida. [applause] and i dont think i put it in my book but in my heart and there was one goal to beat jeb but she one by 13 percent. [applause] im not supposed to be political i just want you to know what i think its. [inaudible] i can put something on internet and act like its the truth. There was an article recently about newsweek they bought the rights to do that from my book publisher. I spent the day with a nice girl. And the fourth page of my book has my mothers name is mildred pierce my moms name was Pauline Mildred pierce is the movie. That is sloppy. And im worried about the internet that are not true. So now im feeling shabby about that. That mildred pierce . Didnt she use close hangers on her children . [laughter] now im going to go home and see my husband. Thank you very much. [applause] thank you mrs. Bush go enjoy. Spending the evening with former first ladys up next is Hillary Clinton first lady from 1993 through 2001 and the author of the books several bestsellers secretary of state and as a president ial candidate here she is when she was first lady in 1996 on the book notes program talking about her bestselling program it takes a village. What did your mother teach you about raising children . As i write in the book was not traditional she was born to a 15 yearold mother and 17 yearold father and sent to live with her grandparents that was very harsh but because of teachers and relatives and she went to work in another womans house taking care of her children. She was loving and attentive and caring. What about your dad . He had a different upbringing. Immigrant family coming as young children. Very intent upon working hard. His mother was very strongwilled and i learned my grandmother who died when i was young insisted always on using her maiden name hannah jones rodham. I was surprised to learn that. She stood up for herself to make her views known. My father had a great upbringing. Penn state and played football. Having a family and committed to taking care of them thats what he thought he should do and do it well. I was born in chicago. How long did you live there . Be moved we moved and i was for the name of arkansas to be with us after my father had his first stroke in 1987 they live there 37 years. Cspan what do they do for a living . My mother was a homemaker my father had a Small Business printed and sold draperies. And had labor that he had and then a continuing employee but then my mother would help out. Cspan two brothers . Younger. He was four years and tony was seven years. They would say with the intolerable big sister we got along pretty well. Cspan did your parents treat them differently . I think my father was harder on them. He had two brothers he was an athlete and a guy who did not talk a lot. And so he was much harder on my brother. They were both so encouraging of me i could do whatever i want if there is any distinction and i ran with the boys he was much more demanding for my brothers. Cspan how did you raise chelsea different . I struggled to raise her in the same way in different circumstances. We had a very middleclass normal upbringing. We were lucky to live in a great suburb with Great Schools and could come and go. But it makes me sad to be as independent as i could be but certainly as governor and president makes it quite different so i have to struggle all the time my definition of normal i fall back on my upbringing. Cspan you say chelsea wanted to ride a bicycle and you broke down in tears . She was nine they were riding around the grounds of the Governors Mansion and they wanted to ride their bikes to the library about ten blocks away because every day in the summertime i would ride my bike to the library or to the pool and nobody worried about me. And i had to tell them now i didnt feel comfortable not because the her dad was the governor but they were too little girls in downtown little rock and not as safe as it should be and that made me very sad it was a moment as a mother that gave me a great deal of regret. Chelsea is brought up a lot did you have to make a decision . It was hard to do and it does rely on my personal experience as well as an advocate so i made the decision i did have to include her but i was very careful how i talked about her and i cleared it with her i didnt want her to think it was an uncomfortable moment to talk about her i had great conversations and one was jackie kennedy. I read press coverage of children in the white house. And how would we refer to her and talk about her in public. And im very grateful it was so positive to give her as much space and privacy. Cspan why do you think they did . A lot of people around her age saw children in the press i believe they know what they go through and television and wellknown and that gives you a taste of how children can be drawn into your own career and its much more dramatic where we live but they had a certain empathy. Cspan you say how when the president was governor warned her of the awful things that would be said about him. [laughter] and she got upset. Has she been lately . She gets a little frustrated and concerned as would be natural but i realized even though her dad was in politics she was oblivious. But now she was reading and in school that would be different. We that we should try to prepare her and children deserve to have as much information. So at dinner we told her daddy would be running for reelection as governor and people say mean things and we dont want her to be surprised and she was very upset at first. But we have continued to work with her and ask if she has questions. Its never easy and always painful that only my daughter but my mother and we do our best to reassure them. Cspan you like to have one meal together a day . Every day were in town and we sit around to talk about whats going on if we could get a few days off but we try so hard to do that and all through her life. Cspan what about watching television . If you look at the difference i or bill was raised back in the fifties people have great nostalgia for today the single biggest difference is the role of television in our lives. Is not only the content which disturbs me but also the amount of hours that it takes them away from doing and i say in the book if you have a two or three yearold with a Remote Control device to work and play the way that we did then to possib i that 80is that. Why is it harmful . We have sufficient evidence was studies not as much publicity as i would like to summarize the effects of television and we know it has desensitize children to violence. Clearly if you come from an unstructured family with a lot of problems to start with you are more affected than a more stable environment that all children are affected and not just boys. We know the consumer culture and the manipulation of children done even in their own Television Show on shows commercially and watching public broadcasting and educational versus commercial broadcasting those education are better prepared for academic challenges. Cspan how do you check up on her tv . We were careful when she watched. And we try to keep her active doing other things and then we checkin but now we talk with her. How did she evaluate them . Talk about how important it is. We all watch television. We watch it together but we tried to talk about what it is. It is drama. You dont solve problems in 27 minutes. And from what we hope they will see in real life. Cspan why do you think people in the business cell this . I talk about how when you drive by in accident we watch. We know we shouldnt people tell us move on then have a thorough fair of accidents something we are compelled to look at but also programmers. Be honest and admit we have affected how children think of themselves that should not be debatable and then programmers can make more decisions they are having a meeting with a major programmers what can be done on a volunteer basis so we are beginning to move in the right direction. Cspan if a stranger told your kids stories about the characters and events using the words and pictures you would throw them out. I believe that. We let television get away with so much more than real people to get away with. Think about the language and explicit sexuality and violence. We would not put up with it in person wed walk away or throw them out. Cspan this picture . The backyard of the white house. They kids are from a school nearby. We had big bird and sesame street characters because there is a study at the university of kansas looking at the effect of public broadcasting versus commercial and we had a great time. Cspan when did you first say i want to write a book . I thought about it for a long time. I took it seriously when the publisher came to see me they publish my motherinlaws book and becky was the editor. They showed up and said have you thought about it i said i thought about it. How did you go about it . I thought it would be easier than it turned out to be. The original plan to have it transcribed and then have some Research Done and editing the transcriptions. I found out that did not work for me but then to think hard about what i want to say. It took many drafts. I had to do it in longhand because my computer skills were not up to the task. It took about one year. Cspan 18 chapters. At the beginning of each you have a quote from Lady Bird Johnson to booker t. Washington. Some are still alive. How did you choose them . I started with a collection of quotes but i found i had to expand that i did looking exactly for the right quote. Cspan your favorite . There are a lot. Laverne not kelly quote the book came out in january for the blizzard of 96. Cspan what about the size of the book . I get a sense as i read it you would go between children and politics. Its my view of children and political decisions do affect them because all of us have a responsibility for children. I mean organizing ourselves in neighborhoods communities, churches , schools, the book size was suggested by the publisher and i like it its handy to carry it around. I learned a lot about publishin publishing. The number of pages meant if i added one more page it would have to add 16 more pages the way its put together. The size is perfect. Cspan what didnt you put in . I had so much more examples and more stories that i had to cut out my editor was wonderful to help me get it down to manageable size. Cspan why no index . It wasnt meant as a textbook but more as a meditation of my work of the last 25 years the children then that meant it would be held up even longer. And i was with the deadline that i kept we didnt have time for. Cspan criticism of not giving credit to the person if there was and you said they are so numerous i will not even attempt to acknowledge an individual for fear to leave someone out. What you think of that criticism to someone deserve credit . That was my problem. I had so much help friend to read every word, those that critiqued it and literally i started to make a list i had 60 names and nowhere near done i just said i can do this. I was afraid i would be somebody out it was the indirect help summit people that talk to me on the telephone i have yet to meet are those that influenced me. I thought it was the fairest way to think everybody. Cspan what about the criticism of the one person supposedly paid by Simon Schuster to spend time with you and did not get credit . I thanked her for what she did for me. She worked for me with a number of months but not the entire project i was grateful for her assistance. Cspan you said i was standing in the street as quiet as could be a great big ugly man came up and tied his horse to me. I thought of that in the white house my husband and i were attacked daily of people trying to score political points but as i was sitting in the street as quiet as could be a big ugly man and tied his horse to me. Where did you get that quick. That was in one of chelseas nursery rhyme books. She had a wonderful book of nonsense rhymes that was prominent on the cover we had to have read 100,000 times and to explain the child later to myself things happen that you cannot predict my husband was inaugurated president we had personal grief and thats the way life is it is unpredictable. Cspan what about your fathers death quick. It was dramatic and significant on me. I think certainly we were exhausted from the 92 campaign and went right into president ial preparation for the transition at the inaugural. And my father was struck by another stroke and we were in the hospital for another two weeks before he died. It was so much when i look back now that entire time. Ninetytwo during the campaign which was intense and 93 there was a lot that happened. The wonder of the inauguration than my fathers death was very difficult. Cspan what did you do about the impact . Chelsea came with me the first week. We took her out of school. My brothers were there and my mother was there. That was important to be with the family and her grandfather who never regained consciousness adequately to recognize us. But we were there together and that was important. Cspan my father distrusted big business and big government. That sounds like a populist running for president today. It is a very common strain in American Life. Thats how my father felt how he talked about both government and business there needs to be constraint on both which is what i believe. You cannot let government have too much control or authority or left unchecked. There is a constant struggle between those two forces. Cspan did your mother and father think alike politically . I believe so. My father was republican very strongly and my mother always more democratic leaning. My father was very concerned that he was from the south that he also changed his views as he got older and began to moderate. Cspan when did you first get interested . My father was interested at the dinner table we talk about politics. We followed the news and read the newspaper. We had family discussions. The first thing i did actively on a National Level in 1964 my father was a staunch republican supporting goldwater so i participated at that level. I take that back first the president ial election 1960 between nixon and kennedy. My father a staunch nixon supporter my mother never said she voted for kennedy but i have a sneaking suspicion she may have. During the early sixties we were constantly talking about politics. And then to go to college and become involved in politics. Young republican and then i began to study more i had to spend time thinking of my own political beliefs. Cspan because you were involved. Is there a moment you set i dont belong here . It was more of an evolution. It probably started back in high school. I had an excellent government teacher. I was a goldwater girl that my government teacher made me were present president johnson and my friend who was a staunch democrat speak on behalf of barry goldwater. So i had to study these positions and learn from a different point of view not just that my father had said. And that opened me up to looking at things from a different point of view. I always had a mixture of politics. People try to pigeonhole me to say she is a fill in the blank but its more complicated. My fathers emphasis on individual responsibility , what i viewed as conservative beliefs i was raised with i think have been abandoned by those that call themselves republican are how i view politics. Cspan you met Martin Luther king . I was 14 or 15. I remember a youth minister had been talking about civil rights and the challenges it presented to a christian. He took a group of us to chicago where we heard doctor kings speech and then we waited until everybody else was gone and we had a chance to shake his hand. I was very impressed with the dignity that he had and how he was taking his religion in the political process which i thought was very interesting. Cspan other political figure you met. I met barry goldwater. The First National figure. He was such an energetic person. I was at a stop he made and i was a goldwater girl and got to shake his hand i enjoyed meeting him. Cspan you have a model how you treat other people if you say i will never be like that or i will in that position quick. I have john from a lot of different people. I been lucky the last 20 years to meet people in public life here and around the world. I admire people who try to do the same in public and private it be respectful to listen and dont discount others because of their point of view thats the model i try to follow. Cspan in the book you are on the walmart board but also on the Childrens Defense Fund board. What is a different atmosphere walking into those situations . Those two were much more alike than other situations. Cspan what years . Childrens defense fund 20 years. I went to work right out of law school in fact i worked there over the summers and then moving to arkansas i stayed on the board until the white house. There is an atmosphere of debate and concern. Cspan how big . 18 people but an atmosphere of giveandtake people wanted to be involved. They cared about the issues. Mary is a strong leader wanting to know what other people think. The first time i walked into the walmart Board Meeting and said i want to hear from all of the outside directors whats going on and we went around to ask each one of us he also was a strong charismatic leader but was always asking questions and how to do things better. In a funny way i see similarities. They both have built extraordinary institutions that are unique making lasting contributions to our country. So at the official glance with a conservative entrepreneur sam walton have in common . And i saw these two people with a tremendous example of what you can do if you set your mind to it. Cspan you say things about corporations and ceos that the ceo of a Large Corporation made 35 times at the factory worker 1993 they make almost 150 times the factory workers wage. Does that bother you . A lot. Leaders in our country, not just political leaders because Business Leaders have much more of an effect than the government does. They have to be more willing to identify with people who were working and respectful of the struggles for those who are trying to make a living. I dont think its right in the last 20 years Corporate Executives have profited personally so much when the average worker in america factory work has seen their wages and benefits stagnate. Thats not good for the economy. Put aside i think its good. Henry ford paid his workers the unheard of wage five dollars an hour because its my business. If you dont pay people and reflect their contributions to the profitability you cannot buy your goods and services. Weve reached a point Business Leaders need to understand what was good for henry ford is good for them. You have to share the fruits of our collectivity, to compete in the Global Economy through everybody throughout the organization. Cspan how long we want the board . Five or six years. Cspan this is from the unfettered free market was the most radically Disruptive Force in American Life in the last generation. I believe that. Thats why put in the book. Look at the argument we had in our political life the last several years we pitted a government against everything else. I dont believe the government has had as big an impact as commercial television or the decisions made in the marketplace how we pay and compensate people about downsizing. And i just believe there has to be a healthy tension among all institutions in society and the market is the driving force behind our prosperity and freedoms but it cannot be permitted to run rep shot over peoples lives. Cspan with the board did you have to deal with this . Sam walton believed in profitsharing. Thats why appreciated his business philosophy because the workers at walmart could share in the profits. And the executives when i was on the board were very careful to keep the perks down and their offices, the way they lived and treated fellow associates at every level i thought that was a good example. Cspan he voices arguing for more government. My skepticism towards government and the personal responsibility and net than the radical dismantling of government. I could go on but how far should the government go in raising kids quick. It shouldnt. It cant theres no way government can raise kids they can help to support parents are raising kids. It could also be the safety net for the poor and Vulnerable Children who whatever culmination are not adequately cared for by their own parents. For example minimum wage should be ways you cannot support a family. Also to ensure that older people and younger people in particular get the health care they need so we should not think about dismantling medicare and medicaid but to make it more efficient and effective. What government does has a big impact and also determines what kind of atmosphere my children will live in literally. The air clean . The water . We made tremendous progress through environmental regulation we can swim and fish before the rivers were so polluted they were on fire. The government is the only one that can reign in these businesses that put profits ahead of Peoples Health that is where government has a role. Cspan with your experience no longer first lady to make the choice of what you wanted to do in society that you would like to try . I like to do fulltime to be a voice for children to bring people together and build a consensus. When you scrape away the far end of the political debate mostar clustered around the middle trying to think about how to control television. I believe there is an opportunity now for people to get beyond partisan arguments and ideology. For a long time ive been arguing is not a republican or democratic issue but divorce what can we do as adults to make the impact as limited as possible with the wellbeing of children . Thats a discussion i would like to bring about. Cspan how do you change divorce laws . A breaking mechanism a little harder and longer and requiring mandatory counseling and education so if they cant get back together so they understand more clearly why using children as ponds is as upon is terrible and how they can help raise their children after divorce. Cspan talk about the french and the german as having things better than what we do. I am a fan of a lot of the social policies defined in europe. I know they are rethinking how to for their policies but they are not talking about cutting back on their support the families to the extent as doing other things to free up dollars in the economy. Because they see raising children as a social obligation not just parental. So these policies especially Young Mothers taking care of babies and in germany publicprivate is worth looking at. In england people come into the home to make sure parents know what they are doing from Princess Diana to a single teenage mother just a recognition the entire society has a stake parents do as good of a job as they can. Cspan did you travel much . No. I traveled a little bit before bill was president but not much. This has been a real eyeopening experience. And in cultures as far away as indonesia and chile. Americans believe we dont have much to learn from other cultures but i would like to see that changed and look at the results. We have such a high level of divorce and violence inside and outside the home some things we could clearly do better and learn. Cspan the 21st century is a century of biology . The 20th century open space and the molecule in physics we know a lot more about biology im concerned we apply the lessons we learn to children to have a whole chapter of the molecular biology. Like to see an end to the nature and nurture debate it is both we come equipped with their own genetic background and how that plays depends on what happens after we come into the world. If we take the lessons we have from biology and apply them in education we could do a lot better job and how we treat children from the very beginning of their lives. Cspan you ever get tired of doing this . Talking about it . No but i get frustrated because there is a disconnect of science and research what they know of raising children and what we do in our homes and public debates and business policy. Cspan do get tired when someone says mrs. Clinton we have another three interviews to do today on this book . No. But i do lose my voice as i struggled even in this intervie interview. Cspan in the book you name a lot of people and companies with the Emotional Intelligence book do you ever worry that you endorse something . I have tried very hard to make sure nothing would come back to bite me. I tried to learn as much as i could i read his book and galleys it was a brilliant book making a great contribution. I was concerned it would make the bestseller because i wanted people to read it. Im sure there are ways to criticize anything but i tried to use examples that stood up to scrutiny. Cspan what gets the most response in public when you speak . Several. A lot of people on the front lines teachers and pediatricians and social workers are pleased im talking about issues they talk about