Transcripts For CSPAN2 Sisters First 20170723

Afterwards programs on our website, booktv. Org. We have Barbara Pearce book a new book forthcoming calls sisters first why that title . [laughter] why that title . Well because the above all we are sisters cursed and it was a play on obviously being first daughters but we have been so lucky in our life to have it which meant that we have a partner in everything that we were doing so whether it was kind of the ordinary experience growing up in texas everything was more fun. Because there was someone with us to mac it more magical and then, of course, as being first daughter we have somebody else that was also going to the same experiences with our parents that understood what life was like and so so i guess above everything we feel like were sisters first and then were daughters and, you know, question all play roles in if life. But we started off entering world together as sisters. Makes me want to cry. Your sister used the word ordinary. Was your life ordinary . It was. So funny people will come up to both of us, all of the time and say that, you know, youre so normal. On tv, and its sort of a strange thing to hear. Because you know, weve want to think of ourselves as a conceptional but we are normal. We grew up our grandparents and we write a little bit about all of what made us who we are. But our grandparents on my moms side who dont have sports maims after them who havent been on cspan interviewed by people like you who names are only because we reare pete them. My grandpa was a home builder and one of those two both of us who im named after my moms mom and harold welch were just as much part of our lives as george and barbara bush and you know it this cornerstone in texas just part of our lives as washington, d. C. So i think question of this sort of juxtaposition and life that i dont think people realized and i also think we have been through things on the outside that people have witnessed. But then theres also personal joys and struggles that were going to share in this book that i think will surprise people. From your upcoming book for years right up until the day when we walk into a room or restaurant, or almost any public space together we invariably hear e oh look its the bush twins sometimes followed by an eye roll and then the place will fall unconformably quiet oh those bush twins. When did you understand that you had lost public narrative . Its a good question with, i mean, i really think when we were 18, with so one my dad became president and running for president we were entering college and until then, he had a point living in texas. We went to a big Public High School austin high that is like every other, you know, almost made for tv Public High School theres like cheerleaders and jocks, marching band and that whole vibe. And then when we were 18 and our dad started running for president all of a sudden i think we became more aware that other o people had narratives of us that may or may not be truth but a truth in a stereotype in a narrative. But after he was president and that was a time when there wasnt actually welcomely for us a lot of social media. Hall u lieu ya. We couldnt own our narrative because we didnt want to. If and many ways we wanted to be college kids we wanted to experience the world and wanted to fobs focus on not more than how did people perceive us really. I think also you know what is interesting is that anybody can relate when youre work colleagues somehow you get characterized one way or the other so weve had ans interesting time writing this book because so many times people say it youre the loud one. But really if people knew us barbara is far more independent and really outgoing and she mute commutes as a job shes has the most amazing confidence and it shines those that know her see it but then you kind of wonder i think everybody can wonder this like do you fall under other stereotypes appeal or do you kind of play into that more because thats what people think of you, and its been really fun for us to explore that and seen people we love dearly grandfather, mother, and father stereotype in certain ways and some of those stereotypes are, of course, true and some its easier to simplify people and easier to call them one word opposed to this really to who they really are. I think we see this with cable news and no observance to cspan2 we with love you. But we see it with the way that we kind of simplify public figures and really people are complicated. And were complicated and weve been characterized as one way and i think its time to share our story and tell who we really are. One of the stories seen steering white house is for your father you went to u. T. You went to yale and you did it on purpose so you wouldnt be together. Was that true . Personally i thought i couldnt get into yale. [laughter] so lets be honest. As i kind of got into yale maybe gets a narrative there. Were very different. And i think thank goodness and as a mother now im such in awe of this. We wrnght too paired barbara missed one or two problems on her s. A. T. And i missed more than that. And we were always celebrated for who we were. I loved to write, i loved to perform, and my parent applauded that and never made me feel like i was lesser because thank god i would need some serious therapy. You are nuts. But i do think us going into different schools i wanted to leave texas i was curious to go to other place, and meet people and i didnt know a Single Person at yale so it was fun for me that challenge of walking in and thinking what had am i made of and can i meet people. But the beauty we with got double the friends because i could become friends with all of the her or friends from university of texas and she was close with my friends from yale so also a real kind of blessing in it too. True or false, mom i was kidnapped yep you wrote about it. Yeah. So there were all of these stereois too that we were secret service ditchers in college years. That my friend is not true. But as a first grader at the elementary i did fake any own kidnapping. [laughter] who was twinkle . Im twinkle my secret service code name. Since you were young are. Since i dont know what our code thats a good question. I dont know if we had code names when my grandpa was president we only had had secret service for a short period. And we should investigate that. But twinkle was my name when my dad became president. Barbara was turquoise it was based off of our eyes i had a twinkle that has to do with mischief and barbara has beautiful turquoise eyes, and yeah. As a first grader i had a wild imagination. She did. It made life fun. But implicated. My story is all you see in movies. Bald man upbeat and candy the puppy would have one step too far. What was lara bushs reaction . My mom is unbelievably calm. I was busted heres the thing she can shut us down with one look never even needs to raise her voice. She is so calm and but she was not happy. Lets be honest. She also i cant help but think found is hilarious, maybe not well have like that after you have to tell the secret servicemen ewe, in fact, not been kidnapped. I fake my own kidnapping you say stories are inaccurate but there was a long term story about you tollbooth, with yale, cars. That did, in fact, happen but unintentional. You have to write about that. Not that good of a story. By the way, this is how how the world was back then. I dont know this story. I was with friends fromyale were going to a prowrestling federation event in new york. I dont know why. Here by the way got a book. So we can relive the story. And i was in a car that had the toll pass so we went through secret service and did not we have to write about this. One week of writing you have to include this. So we lost them. But then someone wrote about it and a little bit more than National Inquire. But i remember the story. Been Reading National inquire. Youve been Reading National inquire [laughter] so that did happen but it was an a accidental. Im tired of being the onlied bad twin. Believe me theres plenty of stories in the book. Margaritas often will that be in the book . Sure will. But you know with whats really funny is that when we whereby our precious for example, my dads dad and hes unbelievable stories of him and things he said to me that have moved me to tears and makes me want to cry right now. Thats easy to write. Because it meant so much to me. Writing about margary not that it wasnt easy to write, i mean, its not like i feel guilt about it or defensive about it. It happened. Its just that it wasnt this crazy memory that meant so much later although i will say that our parents always said when they told us they were going to run or he was going to run for president it was teenagers would do. We cried and then he said we want no i want you to have a normal like this isnt going to change. And that was sort of naive on all of our parts but to have a normal, you know, college experience. Thats what i want for you. You can have it. So you know when we with got in trouble everybody i think, thinks that theres based on tv and sort of store why toips that there was a thin room that tried to spin sp it or you know my parents were furious, and im sure they were disappointed i know they were disaupon thed but more than that, they were also i think sad they promised a normalcy that wasnt delivered upon. Looking back on it im so happy that i had parents that allowed us to make that mistake. Imagine if we remember perfect life would be horribly boring. And i dont know if i would be i dont know if we could do it. Too much pressure to be o the political daughters that never made a mistake that never were able to stick their tongue out, for example. Let their hair down. But also as a mom i just cant now with two little girls im so thankful my parents aloud us to o explore our own path and make mistake and be these humans and about you know also to learn about empathy and caring and the big world and how much if we care i can bring light to it 50 eu789 not sure if i can be a good mom and told to be this one particular thing that wasnt ourselves, i could be a mother of my own girls. Not understanding, you know, that its okay to mess up. Speaking of mothers you write that lara bush was the family closet hippy. She was. She was she loves music, she loves reggae, loves it so growing up we have it playing. And we have a number of experiences with our mom going to hear great music starting in first grade called simon was on tour for graceland so my mom took us with her but in first grade we were this tall so set on concert seats, and, i mean, i will never forget it. And then a number of other memories i was thinking about when i was nine you could get a care one care package and people would ask parents and ask them to send a video a big idea to have a cd player at time and getting new kids on the block in the mail and my mom isnt me bob dylan live at con which i love. It made her love it. She wanted us to have good music and wouldnt say this and acts like she wasnt controlling but i think deep inside that little wanted us to have good music taste. Which we do. She loves merson so much that i was as a child convinced she was going to leave my dad for morrison. Not that they ever crossed paths once. But that was my theme song. Browneyed girl what are you doing today . I am working per for the today show and it is fun and very ironic because we hid from the media. I literally ran from dave and i dont use the word my dad is one man campaign to end the word literally when meela fouryearold said eric told me not to do literally he said that. I was like what did you just say. That will be furious because you know how literally has become a word with like like, throw it in but this is true. I literally ran, springted in the opposite direction from David Gregory on the steps of the white house when i went for a run around the mall. You know, we spent all of these years trying to hide from the media. And now i work for them which is so ironic but also really awesome buzz it shows that life is unexpected. And it can take these crazy turns and that youre so ridged on what yowpght your life to be then you never can experience kind of the beauty of grow and changing and i think it also shows you that you cant judge people and people that have become savannah is one of my very best friends shes here too with a Childrens Book princesses that wear pants comes the in the fall my next door neighbor, an one of my best friends and i think i thought of her as somebody that different than who she is and that i think, you know, it goes to live with what were trying to talk about ourselves. That people are actually more complicated than we usually think. This is not the first book youve coauthored. Thats true. Ive also written two Children Books two Childrens Books with my mom. Who is a very vivacious editor shes a little more complicated to work with a diva. Thank you. [laughter] dont tell her i said that. I will you wont either. Why hype on the media . Why did i . I dont know that ive hid from the media. Maybe because i said i did. See, you mean when we were younger. Well, i think, i mean, im a very private person. Even writing this book was a leap for e me. So proud of her things i learned about her and we wrote in silo and i read her part and i was blown away. Thank you. I think we again were many college and we remember young so idea of additional attention on us was uncomfortable and i think, i mean, it is ironic jen is on tv mow but when we were younger we are life many college and post college was about im going to school our friends figuring out what we want to do and difference we wanted to make in the world and starting our career and so much of that is personal and to me what was then very private so i would say i probably i guess would still hide from the media because were doing this and shes coming dont shell be on tour together. Yes. Book comes out in october. October 24th. Barbara bush what are you doing these days . I run an Organization Called Global Health corps. Which focuses on amazing Young Leaders who are currently involving and solve the world most trusting Health Care Issues throughout rest of their lifeves and our lives so way to wake up every day knows theres almost 1,000 amazing young people l passionate about serving others to make sure they can live a healthy and dignified life. Global health core. Global health core doing awesome work. Final question is there a sorority or fraternity among white house kids, i mean, have you ever talk to the johnson girls or women i should say or the nixon women . Yeah. We have. We definitely have, and you know, definitely with chelsea and malia and sasha we felt unbelievely protective of them and almost people i think thought it was odd how protective we were. But it isnt. You know we saw ourselves in them. We saw our little selves in them when our grandpa became president and when they left the white house same age we were when our dad became president being a teenager with your dad as a president isnt always that easy but it is also incredibly rewarding and we have had weve had kind of been pin pals with them and weve heard back from them. Weve pen open letters to them but weve heard become in a private way and iewm just so proud to be part of this group and especially women, but theres men too. But most recent women were parts of a group of really awesome women who have each others backs thats the whole point of this book and were part of a group thats like us. Sisters first. Sisters first can mean youre part of the clan. Were not going to leave men outs but sisters first can mean more than just blood sister. Given your experience what do you think is going to bear in trumps mind as he gets ready to move i hope whats going through barrons mind hes in Elementary School its that is school and trends and playing sports doing whatever hobbies that interested in because he deserves to be a kid. And hes a kid. And we should treat him like that give him the respect that all of us didnt always have. But by mostly did. And i think children of the president should be offlimits period. And you can say what you want about his father who chose to run. But he didnt make that decision. He was Elementary School. So when people attack children, a president who dont, you know, arent political who dont have a say, it makes us mad. Sisters and brothers first. [laughter] heres the cover of the book it is called sisters first, stories from our wild and wonderful life. Do you know what that comes from in stories from our wild and wonderful life mary oliver poem. First day at the end it says tell me what it is you plan to do with your one wild and precious life. I didnt read about that in National Inquire so i dont know poetry. National inquire well sometimes they do in the cross words just kidding. I dont read National Inquire. Thank you. The book is out in october. Thanks for being here. Thanks so much. That was fun we had a blast. Booktv it on twitter and facebook and we want to hear from you, tweet us twitter. Com booktv. Or post a comment on our facebook page. Facebook. Com booktv. Good morning, welcome to the Heritage Foundation and our douglas and sarah auditorium thank