Mary Hoyt's new memoir is the story of her personal and professional journey and it is truly a profile in courage. She shows that when armed with determination, a woman who strives to be independent can achieve the career of her choice. Hoyt has my greatest admiration for her humorous insights as she leads us on an intimate fast-paced journey through the highs and lows of her career. A single parent of two young children, she was determined to carve out a future for herself and her sons. Without any formal introductions, she uprooted her family from the west coast to the Washington political scene and established herself as a political journalist. In the early days of the women's movement when political partners created their own roles as players in national campaigns, she served as press secretary to the wives of presidential nominees and then to First Lady Rosalyn Carter. She reminds us that each American First Lady copes in a different way with her unelected, unpaid, and often unrewarding job. East Wing is a real contribution to 20th century social and political history. Beautifully written, this book tells it like it was through themes of courage, hard work, risk, and fulfillment. A must read!

Mary Hoyt's "East Wing" was a thoroughly enjoyable read. For those who care about public policy, politics and history it is a wonderfully up close and personal look at a time of rather dramatic change. At the same time it is every bit as lively and intimate as the highly acclaimed "West Wing" television series.

"East Wing" takes an interesting approach in its look back at the significance of the changes taking place in the 70s. The author does this through the prism of her own life and an activist First Lady. Capturing the changing times and how they impacted her life and then played out on one of the leading stages in the world -- the White House -- was informative and entertaining.

A tip of the hat to the book's author Mary Hoyt for reminding us just how much we have all changed and the significance of those changes. It is a book I want my daughter to read.

The insider views, from the Press Secretary of the McGoverns, Muskies and Carters are illuminating as we can see the evolution of the women's roles in their husbands political lives. After I started the book, I bagged the rest of my TO DO List for the weekend. It's a great read--present tense, short crisp sentences, make your feel like you are there, and moving as fast as Mary Hoyt must have been at the time! The book is even more enjoyable and meaningful, because the author's personal life--full of challenges to say the least-- is interwoven into story. Hers is a rather inspiring story of one woman's "evolution."