saddle them with love picked ignominious but the ones they had were all here in new york and the didn't think about doing that, come to visit the users and they literally sat with them for hours on in and watch them use a product or to realize they did know how to post photos very well. they do know how to write listings in a way that made thm a peeling. so they just sat with them and help them merchandise their listings in a better way, dress them up a bit. in doing that they saw the numbers after few weeks double. double from a very low base but that's what tur turned the numbs around. from there it was still a very long journey but that's what sort of, that's when they kind of turning point hit. >> host: jenna bush hager and barbara pierce bush have a new book forthcoming which is called "sisters first: stories from our wild and wonderful life." why that title? >> guest: why the title? because we are sisters first, and with a play on being first

daughters, but we've been so lucky and allies to have a twin which meant we always had a partner and everything that we were doing. so whether it was out of the ordinary experience growing up in texas, everything was more fun because there was someone with those to make it more magical. as bing for starting with someone who is also going to the same experiences with all parents that understood what life was like. so i guess above everything we feel like we are sisters first and then we are daughters and we all play roles in life that we started off entering the world together as sisters. >> guest: makes you want to cry. >> host: your city use the word ordinary. what you like ordinary? >> guest: it was. it's a funny, people come up to both of us all the time and say you of so normal on tv. it's sort of a strange thing to hear because we want to think of ourselves as exception but we are normal. we grew up, grandparents and

rewritable bit about all of what made us who we are. but our grandparents on my moms side who don't have airports and death income who haven't been on c-span interviews by people like you whose names are only because we repeat them. we are from midland texas. my grandpa was a homebuilder. he built a lot of midlands and those two, both of us were just as much a part of our life as george and barbara bush. and, in fact, it was sort of this cornerstone. midland, texas, is just as much a part of our lives as washington, d.c.. i think where this juxtaposition in life that i don't think people realize. i also think we have been through things on the outside that people have witnessed but then there's also personal joys and struggles that we will share in this that i think will surprise people. >> host: from your upcoming

book, for years right up until this day when walking to room or a restaurant or almost any public space together we invariably hear what, it's the bush twins. sometimes followed by an eye roll and then the place will fall uncomfortably quiet over those while the bush twins. when did you understand that you had lost the public narrative about your life? >> guest: that's a good question. i really think when we were 18, when my dad became president or when he was running for president we were entering college. and until then we were living in texas. we went to a big public high school that is like every other, almost made for tv. there's like cheerleaders and jocks come marching band and that whole bible. and when were 18 and a dad started running for president all of a sudden i think we became more aware that other

people had narratives of us that may or may not be true. there's always a little bit of truth and a stereotype or in a narrative, but after he was president and that was a time when there wasn't actually likely for us a lot of social media. >> hallelujah. >> we wanted to b the college ks pick wanted to experience the world. i wanted to focus on that more than how did other people perceive us really. >> guest: also what's interesting is that anybody i think he can relate with the fact when you're part of siblings are part of the group or part of work colleagues, you get characterized as one way or the other. we had a really interesting time writing this book because sometimes people would say, still people say, you're the loud one. but really it people new us, barber is far more independent and really outgoing. she commutes to rwanda as a job. has the most amazing confidence

and it shines. those who know received. but can you kind of wonder, and i think that one can this. do you fall and other stereotypes of you or did you play into that more because that's what people think of you? it's been fun for us to explore that. we've seen people we love dearly, our grandfather and grandmother, mother and father stereotyped insert mice and some of those of course are true and some, it's easy to simplify people. a seizure to call them one word as opposed to this really, to they really are. i think we see this with cable news, no offense to c-span2, we love you but we see you with the way that we kind of simplify public figures. people are complicated and we are complicated, and we've been characterized as one way and i think it's fun to share a story and tell who we really are. >> host: one story in the white house used during your father you went toyou -- ut and

doing to yale and you get are purposely wouldn't be together for is a true? >> guest: partially. also i couldn't get into yale. [laughing] if i could've gotten into yale, we might have been a different narrative. we are very different. i think thank goodness and as a mother now i am such an on this, we not compared. barbara missed one or two problems honor sats. i miss some more than one or two. we were always really celebrate for who we were. i love to perform. my parents are familiar feel like i was lesser, thank god, because i would need some serious therapy. >> guest: you earned that. but it do think is going to different schools, i wanted to leave texas. i was just curious to go to other places and meet new people. there was something, i did know a single person at yale so was fun for me, that challenge of walking in and thinking what mma to encounter any people.

but the beauty of it is we both then get double the prince because i could be friends with all of her princeton university text and she's close with my friends and yale. there was a real kind of blessing in it, too. >> host: twinkle, mom, i was kidnapped. >> guest: is not part of -- >> you wrote about it. >> guest: there were all these stereotypes that i was come we were secret service -- that my friend is not to be but as a first grader, i did take my own kidnapping. >> host: who is twinkle? >> guest: i am twinkle. that was my secret service codename. i don't know what, i don't know if we had codenames when my grandpa was president. we only 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. space off of our isaac they said i had a twinkle in my eye. that has to do with mischief and barbara has these beautiful turquoise eyes. yeah, as a first grader i had a wild imagination. >> she did. it made life on but complicated. >> guest: instead of getting in trouble i acted like him and by the way, my sword was perfectly flawless. it was exactly what you read or see in all the movies. >> host: what was your moms reaction? >> guest: my mom is unbelievably calm. i was busted. this is a good thing. she can shut us down with one look. she never even needs to raise her voice. she so-called, but -- she is so calm that she was not happy. i can open to think speed is strong and may be.

after you to tell the secret service then you have not been kidnapped. >> i take my own kidnapping time what you say those are inaccurate but there was a long-term story about you, a tollbooth, yale, cars. >> guest: that did, in fact, happened but -- >> you need to write about that. eitheby the way, this is how the world was back then. i didn't even know this story. >> i was with friends from yale. oddly enough we're going to a pro wrestling federation event in new york. >> what? >> i don't know why. biting of our stride with friends back from new york to one of the tolls and i was in a car that had the toll pass so we went through. secret service did not. >> we have to write about this. you have to include this.

>> we lost them. but then it ended up somewhat in my dorm wrote about it, it became this whole come it took on a life of its own. pretty sure i like the national enquirer it took on a life of its own. >> host: maybe i should read the "new york times" will more than the national enquirer. >> guest: you have really been reading the nationalenquirer. can we have intervention? >> it was an accidental -- >> i'm tired of being the only bad twin. >> believe me, there are plenty of stories in the book. >> host: margaritas, austin. whether it be in the book? >> guest: it sure will try to what's really funny is when we write about our ashes gandy, my dad to dad -- precious pick these unbelievable stories of him and thinks he said to me that it moved me to tears and makes them want to cry right now, that's easy to write because it meant so much to me.

writing about margaritas in austin, not that it wasn't easy to write, it's not that i feel guilt about or sensitive about it. it happen. it's just that it wasn't his crazy memory that meant so much later, although i will say that our parents always said when they told us they're going to run or he was going to run for president, we tried, this will ruin our life. and then he said no, i want you to have a normal, this is going to change. that was naïve on all of our parts but you can have a normal college experience. that's what a want for you. when we got in trouble, everybody i think thanks that based on tv and stereotypes that there was, my parents were furious. i'm sure they were disappointed i know they were disappointed. the more than that also i think sad that they promised this normalcy that was not delivered upon.

you know, looking back it i'm so happy that i parents that allowed us to make mistakes. imagine if we were perfect. life would be horribly boring and i don't know if i -- >> i don't think we could do it. >> it would be too much pressure to be these political daughters than never made a mistake, that were never able to stick your tongue out, for example, let their hair down. and also as a mom i just can't now with two little girls, i'm so thankful that my parents allowed us to sort of explore our own path, make mistakes and be these free humans. also doughnut and the and caring and the big world and how much if we care we could bring life to it. had we not i don't know if i could be a good mom. i'm not sure if we're told to be this one particular thing, that wasn't ourselves, i could be a mother of my own girls, not understanding that it's okay to mess up.

>> host: speaking of mothers, you write that laura bush was the family closet hippy and last nazarian. >> guest: she was. the low back. our mom loves music. she loves reggae, loves it. so growing up we always had reggae music playing. we have a number of experiences with our mom going to hear great music started in first grade, paul simon was on tour. so my mom took us with a but, of course, when you're in first grader about this tall sweat stood on the contrary deceits. i will never forget it. and that a number of other memories i was just thinking about when i was nine at camp, you could get one care package and people would buy to parents anesthetists and a cd. it was a big gift of a cd playr of the tiger ivy was getting like new kids on the block in the mail, and my mom sent me bob dylan live at budapest. which i love. >> i made her love it.

she really wanted -- she would say this because she ask if she was patrolling but i think deep inside she want us to good music case. >> she loved van morrison so much that i as a child was convinced she is going to leave my dad for van morrison. >> not that they ever cost path once. she just loved his music that much. >> host: brown eyed girl. >> guest: and that was my theme song. >> host: what are you doing today? >> guest: i am working for the today show, and it's really fun. it's very ironic, wrinkly, because we had from the media. i literally ran, i don't use te work of my dad was on a one-man campaign to in the word literally. my little girl said eric told me not to go. he literally said that her and i said what did you just say? poppa will be curious.

people throw it in -- furious. i literally ran, spread in the opposite direction from david gregory on the steps the white house pick we spent all these years trying to hide from the media and now i work for them which is so ironic but also really awesome because it shows that life is unexpected and it can take these crazy turns and that if you're so rigid on what you want to like to be, then you never can experience kind of the beauty of growing and changing. i think also shows you that you can't judge people. i had this to a type of a lot of the people i work with have now become my very best friends. she's one of my next-door neighbor and one of my best friends. i think i thought of her as somebody who is different than she is. and i think it goes with what we're trying to talk about ourselves. people are more complicated than

we usually think. >> host: this is not the first book your co-authored? >> guest: that stupid have also written to children's books with my mom who is a very vivacious editor. she's a little more complicated to work with. >> you are less of a diva. >> thank you. >> host: why did you hide from the media? >> guest: why did i? i don't know that i'd hidden from the media. >> host: may be i -- >> guest: you mean when we were younger. well, i'm a very private person, even writing this book was a leap for me. but i'm so proud of her because she was very honest. >> thank you. >> there were things i learned about her. even today i've learned that we wrote in silos and i just read her part and i was blown away. >> thank you. i think we again were in college when we'reyoung and so the idea

of additional attention on us was uncomfortable. i think it is ironic that jenna is on tv now but when we were younger we really, our life in college and, of course, cause really was about kind of going to school, figure out what we want to do and how to explore the difference that we want to make in the world and starting our career. so much of that is personal. to me what was and is very private. i would say i probably i guess i would still hide from media except for doing this. >> and she's coming, she will be on tour. >> host: the book comes out in october. what are you doing these days? >> guest: i focus on competitively recruiting amazing young leaders who are currently solving and will continue solve the world's most pressing health care issues of the rest of their life and our life. it's really helpful way to wake

up every day knowing that there's almost 1000 amazing young people who are passionate about serving others and making sure they can live and healthy and dignified life. >> she's doing awesome work. >> host: final question. is there a sorority or fraternity among the white house kids? i mean come have you ever talked to the johnson girls, are women i should say, or the nixon women? >> guest: we have. >> guest: we definitely have. definitely with kelsey and malia and sasha. with malia and sasha we felt unbelievably protective of them. people i think thought it was odd how protective we were. but it isn't, we saw ourselves in thing. we saw our little self and then when a grandpa became president and then when you left the white house it was thesame age we were when our dad became president. being a teenager with your dad as president is always that easy but it's also incredibly rewarding. we have had, we kind of been

penpals with them. we have learned some facts from the period we have been very open letters to them but we've heard back in a private way. i'm just a proud to be part of this group. especially other women, there are men, too, but the most recent have been women. i do think we are part of a group of really awesome women who had each other's backs. i think that's whole point of this book. we are part of the group that's like that. >> guest: sisters first. >> guest: you're a part of the clay. we would not leave me out but sisters first can mean just more than blood. >> host: given your experience what you think is going through barren trump's mind right now as he gets ready to move into the white house? >> guest: i hope what's going to his might is he's an elementary school. school and friends and planes for sitting what ever, hobbies that is interested in. because he deserves to be a kid and he is a kid.

>> and we should treat him like that. if him the respect that all of us didn't always have but we mostly did. i think the children of the president should be off-limits, serious. you can see what you want about his father who chose to run, but he didn't make that decision. he is an elementary school, so when people attack children of presidents who are not political, don't have a say, it makes us met. so sisters and brothers first. >> host: his the cover of the book. it's called "sisters first: stories from our wild and wonderful life." >> guest: you know what that comes from, story summer wild and wonderful life? a poem. >> tommy what you plan to do with your wild and precious life. >> host: i didn't read about that in the national enquirer so i don't know. tricky sometimes they do in the crosswords. >> guest: thank you so much.

>> host: the book is out in october thanks for being on booktv. >> guest: thanks so much. that was fun. we had a blast. >> booktv takes hundreds of programs of the country all year long. here's a look at some of the events will be covering this week. >> we cannot ignore the church with this whole committee get in terms of resistance, the whole idea of self-determination that was coming from a number of

church leaders who were a fully with the abolitionist movement but no one more pronounced, profound than william lambert. his story, that would make this a fascinating film to see the kind of stuff he went through, then mystery system. that he put together. they had a coding, kind of a secret code, secret language. they are trained all these individuals on the underground railroad in case you encounter some of his bounty hunters out there. it was so instructive, later on his involvement with clay matthews church in his involvement in the educational process. people like danny richards who's a pioneering black woman in terms of first african-american to teach in the so-called public school system here. so we have this conjunction and is going to be a collaborative situation from one generation to another. each spurred on by the of the. each taking this kind of influence and its enthusiasm for the breakthroughs occurring in the previous generation.

what going to see that happening time and time again and this will odyssey a black detroit. >> that's a look at some of the events booktv will be covering this week. many of these events are open to the public. look for them to air in the near future on booktv on c-span2. >> i am reminded of the story just a few months ago from grand rapids michigan, the family owns the meatpacking company. one day the usda meat inspectors came by for a visit and they were in the break room and this also religious materials on the counter. one of the usda inspectors became offended by those materials and they summoned mr. vander going to his office. can you imagine that, government agents summering fascist summoning some to the own office in the business? they told him you either remove those materials because they are offensive to us or we were moved our meat inspectors.

in it you know anything about meatpacking business which i did not but i've now been educated on, eat remove the meat inspectors, usda inspectors, they have to shut down that business, 45 people would've been put out of work. 45 people. so he did as he was ordered to do and remove the materials, and he has filed a formal complaint. this is why groups like alliance did in a freedom and the american family association are urging president trump to sign an executive order protecting religious liberty, protecting people. president reagan my favorite present, i was in junior high school when he waspresident he said freedom is just one generation away from extinction. and last year we came close,

very close. franklin grande told me for the book that we are at a moral tipping point. but i believe god saw fit to give us a second chance. i believe one of the reasons why is because of this next generation that's coming up behind us, generation of young men and women who are unashamed to stand up for freedom and for liberty. i want to tell you about some of those stories that i write about in this book. i have hope in america because of another man named connor brewer. he's a football player at millikin university here his teammates decided to protest the national anthem by remaining inside the locker room. but connor chose to stand alone on the sidelines. and he did so as his teammates were howard nsa space inside the locker room. i have hope in america because of young man named alex down

from fayetteville north carolina at his father served our great nation at this very moment. alex was in class and is level teacher wanted to explain to them about freedom of expressi expression. so the teacher tried to set an american flag on fire in the classroom. but the teacher couldn't get a lighter to work. and discussed the teacher through old glory on to the floor. and then commenced to stop on old glory. young alex a 16 year old patriot, rushed to the front of the classroom and snatched the flag off the ground and ran out of the classroom. so that the flag would no longer be desecrated by that schoolteacher. he refused to stand by and do nothing as the flag was desecrated. i have hope in our nation because of a young cheerleader madison mississippi. it wasn't long ago that a

federal judge appointed to the bench by president obama told the school district that if they engaged in anything remotely religious, they would be fined $10,000 per violation. well, it just so happened that high school marching band was doing a performance of how great thou art. i'm originally from the south and that's a popular hymn in te church that i tend, and i'm sure the principal was counting up the number of people in the marching band and he was afraid that he is going to have to multiply that number by $10,000. that's a lot of cookie sales. so he called the kids to the front office and said, kids, i'm sorry but you will not be able to play that song. you're not going to be able to perform your halftime routine. and i want to pause for a moment and say this. once again, it illustrates the importance of not just the

supreme court, but the lower courts as well. this is a lower court ruling. well, friday night football game kane and it was a hot, humid night in mississippi. as the players walked off the field at halftime, a very strange and unsettled hush fell over the stadium there. no one quite knew what to do. there were no marching bands. suddenly, a young lady started singing a familiar song. and one by one people in the stands began to sing along with her, and before too long the entire stadium rose to their feet in defiance of the government and saying how great thou art. so the question i posed in the book is in this. who among us will stand? who will stand with the alex dunn of the people and good

people of madison, mississippi? the liberals may try to silence our voices. they may try to bully us into submission, but we cannot be silent. we must not he silent. they took a stand for religious liberty in the great state of mississippi, and i believe it's spreading like wildfire across the fruited plain. thithis is a quote that's often been attributed to dietrich von offer, cited in the face of evil is evil itself. god will not hold us guiltless, not to speak is to speak. not to act is to act. and i believe thi this is a momt for every freedom loving patriot in america. and the time has come for all of us to stand together and with one voice declare that we are one nation under god. >> you and watches and other programs online at booktv.org.

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