Book Signing and Discussion with Rosalynn Carter, this Friday, May 7 | 5/3/2010
On Friday, May 7, the National Portrait Gallery is hosting a book-signing with author and former First Lady Rosalynn Carter.
Carter brought a new way of thinking about the first lady’s role to the White House: she left the décor as it was; she wore an inaugural gown that she already worn; and she expanded the traditional role of her staff to also fulfill her own campaign promise to guide legislation on behalf of the mentally ill—a cause that she continues to advocate. Modeling herself after Eleanor Roosevelt, as first lady she recognized and brought to the nation’s attention that the presidential spouse’s role is a key factor in fulfilling presidential duties.
On Friday, May 7, she will discuss and then autograph her latest book Within Our Reach: Ending the Mental Health Crisis in the Robert and Arlene Kogod Courtyard from noon to 1:30 p.m.
Within Our Reach is an insightful, unsparing assessment of the state of mental health care that uses stories from Carter’s thirty-five years of advocacy to discuss the larger issues at hand. In it, Carter crafts an intimate and powerful account of a subject previously shrouded in stigma and shadow, surveying the dimensions of an issue that has affected everyone. Those who would like to attend may preorder copies of Within Our Reach by calling the museum store at (202) 633-5451 from 11:30 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. daily. Books maybe picked up after April 27. Positions in the signing line will be determined by the number on cash-register receipts. For more information, see the NPG events calendar.
