Jenna Bush Hager Popular Books

Jenna Bush Hager Biography & Facts

Jenna Welch Hager (née Bush; born November 25, 1981) is an American news personality, author, and journalist. She is the co-host of Today with Hoda & Jenna, the fourth hour of NBC's morning news program Today. Hager and her fraternal twin sister, Barbara, are the daughters of the 43rd U.S. President George W. Bush and former First Lady Laura Bush. Hager is also a granddaughter of the 41st U.S. President George H. W. Bush and former First Lady Barbara Bush, great-granddaughter of former U.S. Senator Prescott Bush, niece of former Florida Governor Jeb Bush and first cousin of former Land Commissioner of Texas, George P. Bush. After her father's presidency, Hager became an author, an editor-at-large for Southern Living magazine, and a television personality on NBC, being featured most prominently as a member of The Today Show as a correspondent, contributor and co-host. Early life and education Hager was born on 25 November 1981 at Baylor University Medical Center in Dallas, Texas, and she was named after her maternal grandmother, Jenna Hawkins Welch. While living in Dallas, she and her sister, Barbara, attended Preston Hollow Elementary School and then The Hockaday School. In 1994, after her father was elected Governor of Texas and the family moved to Austin, Texas, Bush was a student at St. Andrew's Episcopal School and attended Austin High School, from 1996 until her graduation, in 2000. With her father becoming President in 2001, she attended the University of Texas at Austin and took summer classes at New York University. She was a legacy member of Kappa Alpha Theta, her mother's sorority. While there, Jenna and her sister, Barbara, made national headlines when they were both arrested for alcohol-related charges, twice, within five weeks. On April 29, 2001, Jenna was charged with a misdemeanor for possession of alcohol under the age of 21 in Austin. On May 29, 2001, Jenna was charged with another misdemeanor — attempting to use a fake ID (with the name "Barbara Pierce," her paternal grandmother's maiden name) to purchase alcohol. She pleaded no contest to both charges. Jenna Bush graduated from the University of Texas at Austin with a degree in English in 2004. 2004 U.S. presidential election Jenna and Barbara asked their father not to run for President of the United States in 2000: "Oh, I just wish you wouldn't run. It's going to change our life." Her father told them that he and her mother needed to live their lives. In the winter of 2003, she and Barbara opted to become involved in the 2004 campaign. In response to this decision, she made media appearances during the summer of 2004, prior to the election. She and her sister made several joint public appearances, including giving a speech to the Republican Convention on August 31, 2004. She made headlines when she was found sticking her tongue out to media photographers at a campaign stop in St. Louis. Jenna and Barbara took turns traveling to swing states, with their father, and also gave a seven page interview and photo shoot in Vogue. Jenna later confirmed that Barbara and Jenna also developed a friendship with John Kerry's daughters, Alexandra and Vanessa, who campaigned on behalf of their father. Career Teaching Before leaving Washington, D.C., in summer 2006, Hager worked at Elsie Whitlow Stokes Community Freedom Public Charter School for a year and a half, as a teacher's aide. She took a leave of absence from the charter school position to work at a shelter as part of an internship for UNICEF's Educational Policy Department in Latin America, specifically Panama. After her internship for UNICEF, Hager returned to her position at the charter school in Washington, D.C. She has done work as a part-time reading coordinator at the SEED Public Charter School in Baltimore, Maryland, and she has contributed a monthly news story about education for the Today show. Writing In 2007, Hager began marketing a book proposal with the assistance of Robert B. Barnett, a Washington attorney. The title of the book is Ana's Story: A Journey of Hope, and it chronicles her experiences working with UNICEF sponsored charities in Latin America, including visits to drought-stricken Paraguay in 2006, while working as an intern for United Nations Children's Fund. HarperCollins announced in March 2007, it would publish the book, and it was released September 28, 2007, with an initial printing of 500,000 copies. Her share of the profits will go to UNICEF, while the remainder will go to the woman whose life is the basis of the book, assisting in the young woman's continuing education. During the book tour, Hager appeared on The Ellen DeGeneres Show. During the interview, Hager telephoned her parents. Hager wrote a second book, in conjunction with her mother, designed to encourage children to read. The book, entitled Read All About It!, was published on April 22, 2008, also by HarperCollins.On November 26, 2012, Hager was named editor-at-large of Southern Living magazine. NBC News (2009–present) Since 2009, Jenna Bush has worked at NBC News, as a correspondent, and at Today, as both a contributor and an anchor. In August 2009, NBC hired Hager as a correspondent and contributor for The Today Show. As time has progressed, Hager's profile has increased on Today, including filling in as the orange room anchor during the 7AM-9AM hours and substituting for Kathie Lee Gifford or Hoda Kotb during the fourth hour.In 2018, she interviewed Michelle Obama in a discussion about her life in the White House, the challenges of raising her daughters in the spotlight, and her book, Becoming. They also discussed the political atmosphere and political bipartisanship, with Obama stating that, despite their political differences, Hager's father, George W. Bush, is a "beautiful, funny, kind, sweet man".In March 2019, Hager started Read with Jenna, a monthly book club on Today Show. In April 2019, Hager began co-anchoring the fourth hour of Today with Hoda Kotb, following Kathie Lee Gifford's departure.In 2019, Hager was able to participate with Willie Geist in a special episode of How Low Will You Go, which aired on the Today Show. In 2021, Hager reacted, emotionally, to the storming of the United States Capitol, live, on air, stating: I have had the privilege of standing on those steps for several inaugurations, not just for family members but for the first black president of the United States of America. I kissed my grandfather goodbye in that rotunda. I have felt the majesty of our country in those walls, and nobody can take that from any of us. In February 2022, Hager signed a first-look deal with Universal Studio Group.On a November 2022 episode of Today with Hoda and Jenna, Hager confessed that she "never wears underwear". Later that month, she appeared on Watch What Happens Live and told host Andy Cohen that she did not wear underwear during a dinner she had with King Charles — then Prince Charles — the night before Queen Elizabeth II died.In .... Discover the Jenna Bush Hager popular books. Find the top 100 most popular Jenna Bush Hager books.

Best Seller Jenna Bush Hager Books of 2024

  • Friends and Strangers synopsis, comments

    Friends and Strangers

    J. Courtney Sullivan

    NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER A TODAY SHOW #ReadWithJenna BOOK CLUB PICK An insightful and compulsively readable novel about a complicated friendship between two women who are at two...

  • A Good Hard Look synopsis, comments

    A Good Hard Look

    Ann Napolitano

    From the New York Times bestselling author of Hello Beautiful and Dear Edward, a novel set in Flannery O'Connor's hometown of Milledgeville, and a tragedy that forev...

  • The Great Transition synopsis, comments

    The Great Transition

    Nick Fuller Googins

    This richly imaginative, immersive, and “electrifyingly relevant” (William Kent Krueger, New York Times bestselling author) debut novel follows a shocking disappearance amid the cl...

  • Memphis synopsis, comments

    Memphis

    Tara M. Stringfellow

    NATIONAL BESTSELLER READ WITH JENNA BOOK CLUB PICK AS FEATURED ON TODAY A spellbinding debut novel tracing three generations of a Southern Black family and one daughter’s discove...

  • Solito synopsis, comments

    Solito

    Javier Zamora

    New York Times Bestseller Read With Jenna Book Club Pick as seen on Today Winner of the Los Angeles Times Christopher Isherwood Prize for Autobiography Winner of the American Li...

  • Evvie Drake Starts Over synopsis, comments

    Evvie Drake Starts Over

    Linda Holmes

    NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER  Read with Jenna Book Club Pick as Featured on Today  “Everything a romantic comedy should be: witty, relatable, and a little complicated.”Peopl...

  • The School for Good Mothers synopsis, comments

    The School for Good Mothers

    Jessamine Chan

    Longlisted for the PEN/Hemingway Award for Debut Novel Longlisted for the 2023 Carnegie Medal for Excellence Shortlisted for The Center for Fiction 2022 First Novel Prize Selected ...

  • Good Company synopsis, comments

    Good Company

    Cynthia D'Aprix Sweeney

    AN INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLERA Read with Jenna Today Show Book Club Pick!"Plumbs the depths of marriage, motherhood and friendship with warmth and wit. I devoured ...

  • The Ascent synopsis, comments

    The Ascent

    Stefan Hertmans & David McKay

    In this revealing and poignant story, Stefan Hertmans uncovers haunting details about the previous owner of his house and the crime he committed as a member of the Nazi police.In 1...

  • White Ivy synopsis, comments

    White Ivy

    Susie Yang

    “A truly addictive read” (Glamour) about how a young woman’s crush on a privileged former classmate becomes a story of love, lies, and dark obsession, offering stark insights into ...

  • A Woman Is No Man synopsis, comments

    A Woman Is No Man

    Etaf Rum

    A Goodreads Choice Awards Finalist for Best Fiction and Best Debut BookBrowse's Best Book of the Year A Marie Claire Best Women's Fiction of the Year A Real Simple Best Book of ...

  • The Celebrants synopsis, comments

    The Celebrants

    Steven Rowley

    New York Times BestsellerA TODAY Show #ReadWithJenna Book Club PickA Big Chill for our times, celebrating decadeslong friendships and promisesespecially to ourselvesby the bestsell...

  • The Unwinding of the Miracle synopsis, comments

    The Unwinding of the Miracle

    Julie Yip-Williams

    NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER Read with Jenna Book Club Pick as Featured on Today  As a young mother facing a terminal diagnosis, Julie YipWilliams began to write her story, a st...

  • Barbara Bush synopsis, comments

    Barbara Bush

    Barbara Bush

    The classic #1 New York Times bestselling memoir, celebrating the life and legacy of First Lady Barbara Bushnow updated with new forewords from her five children, including reflect...

  • The Exiles synopsis, comments

    The Exiles

    Christina Baker Kline

    AN INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLEROPTIONED FOR TELEVISION BY BRUNA PAPANDREA, THE PRODUCER OF HBO'S BIG LITTLE LIES“A tour de force of original thought, imagination and promise …...

  • Beautiful Country synopsis, comments

    Beautiful Country

    Qian Julie Wang

    A NEW YORK TIMES BEST SELLER The moving story of an undocumented child living in poverty in the richest country in the worldan incandescent debut from an astonishing n...

  • The Bright Hour synopsis, comments

    The Bright Hour

    Nina Riggs

    INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER “Stunning…heartrending…this year’s When Breath Becomes Air.” Nora Krug, The Washington Post “Beautiful and haunting.” Matt McCarthy, MD, USA TOD...

  • The Last Romantics synopsis, comments

    The Last Romantics

    Tara Conklin

    A Read with Jenna Today Show Book Club Pick! “A richly observed novel, both ambitious and welcoming.” Meg WolitzerAn Instant New York Times BestsellerNamed a Best Book of the Mont...

  • Heart Talk synopsis, comments

    Heart Talk

    Cleo Wade

    A beautifully illustrated book from Cleo Wadethe artist, poet, and speaker who has been called “the Millennial Oprah” by New York Magazinethat offers creative inspiration and life ...

  • The Godwink Effect synopsis, comments

    The Godwink Effect

    Squire Rushnell

    From the authors of the popular and bestselling Godwink series comes a new and inspiring collection of true stories about people whose lives were changed by specific and extraordin...

  • The Turnout synopsis, comments

    The Turnout

    Megan Abbott

    "Impossible to put down, creepy and claustrophobic. It’s ‘Whatever Happened to Baby Jane’ in ballet shoes." Stephen KingBest Book of the YearNPR Wall Street Journal Boston Globe ...

  • Bright Burning Things synopsis, comments

    Bright Burning Things

    Lisa Harding

    A READ WITH JENNA BOOK CLUB PICK AS FEATURED ON TODAY  A PEOPLE MAGAZINE PICK AN INDIE NEXT PICK A LIBRARYREADS PICK AN AMAZON EDITORS PICK “On every page there are little s...

  • The Comeback synopsis, comments

    The Comeback

    Ella Berman

    A TODAY SHOW #ReadWithJenna BOOK CLUB PICK!   An empowering, behindthescenes novel of a young Hollywood actress and the dark secret she’s ready to confront.   One of Sum...

  • Everything Beautiful in Its Time synopsis, comments

    Everything Beautiful in Its Time

    Jenna Bush Hager

    Jenna Bush Hager, the former first daughter and granddaughter, #1 New York Times bestselling author, and coanchor of the Today show, shares moving, funny stories about her beloved ...

  • The Keeper of Lost Things synopsis, comments

    The Keeper of Lost Things

    Ruth Hogan

    Full of character, wit, and wisdom, The Keeper of Lost Things is heartwarming tale that will enchant fans of The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake, Garden Spells, Mrs...

  • Black Candle Women synopsis, comments

    Black Candle Women

    Diane Marie Brown

    A Read with Jenna Book Club Pick as Seen on the Today Show“If you like Practical Magic… you will love Black Candle Women.” Jenna Bush HagerNamed a Best Book of the Month ...

  • Lessons synopsis, comments

    Lessons

    Ian McEwan

    NEW YORK TIMES BEST SELLER  A NEW YORKER ESSENTIAL READ  From the bestselling author of Atonement and Saturday comes the epic and intimate story of one man's life across ...

  • Groundskeeping synopsis, comments

    Groundskeeping

    Lee Cole

    A TODAY SHOW #ReadWithJenna BOOK CLUB PICK  An indelible love story about two very different people navigating the entanglements of class and identity and coming of age in an ...

  • The Family synopsis, comments

    The Family

    Naomi Krupitsky

    The Instant New York Times bestsellerA TODAY Show Read with Jenna Book Club PickA captivating debut novel about the tangled fates of two best friends and daughters of the Italian m...

  • Chain Gang All Stars synopsis, comments

    Chain Gang All Stars

    Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah

    A NEW YORK TIMES TOP TEN BOOK OF THE YEAR  FINALIST FOR THE NATIONAL BOOK AWARD IN FICTION  A READ WITH JENNA BOOK CLUB PICK  NATIONAL BESTSELLER  Two top women...

  • A Burning synopsis, comments

    A Burning

    Megha Majumdar

    NATIONAL BESTSELLER  A READ WITH JENNA BOOK CLUB PICK! A "gripping thriller with compassionate social commentary"  (USA Today) about three unforgettable characters ...

  • Sam synopsis, comments

    Sam

    Allegra Goodman

    READ WITH JENNA BOOK CLUB PICK AS FEATURED ON TODAY  “I’ve been an Allegra Goodman fan for years, but Sam is hands down my new favorite. I loved this powerful and endearing po...

  • Summer Sisters synopsis, comments

    Summer Sisters

    Judy Blume

    #1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER READ WITH JENNA BOOK CLUB PICK AS FEATURED ON TODAY “Summer Sisters is a book to return to again and again.”Colleen Hoover“As warm as a summer breeze...

  • The Lincoln Highway synopsis, comments

    The Lincoln Highway

    Amor Towles

    #1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER More than ONE MILLION copies soldA TODAY Show Read with Jenna Book Club PickA New York Times Notable Book, and Chosen by Oprah Daily, Time, NPR, The ...

  • Hell of a Book synopsis, comments

    Hell of a Book

    Jason Mott

    2021 NATIONAL BOOK AWARD WINNERTHE NATIONAL BESTSELLERWinner of the 2021 Sir Walter Raleigh Award for Fiction, Joyce Carol Oates Literary Prize Finalist, 2022 Chautauqua Prize...

  • Black Buck synopsis, comments

    Black Buck

    Mateo Askaripour

    A New York Times Bestseller  A Read with Jenna Today Show Book Club Pick! Longlisted for the Center for Fiction's First Novel Prize“Askaripour closes the deal on the first pag...

  • The Grand Design synopsis, comments

    The Grand Design

    Joy Callaway

    She has one last chance to prove she chose the right course for her life.In 1908, young Dorothy Tuckerman chafes under the bland, beige traditions of her socialite circles. Only th...

  • The Dearly Beloved synopsis, comments

    The Dearly Beloved

    Cara Wall

    “This gentle, gorgeously written book may be one of my favorites ever.” Jenna Bush Hager (A Today show “Read with Jenna” Book Club Selection!)This “moving portrait of love and frie...

  • The Pale Blue Eye synopsis, comments

    The Pale Blue Eye

    Louis Bayard

    Now a Netflix film starring Christian Bale, Harry Melling, and Gillian Anderson“Shockingly clever and devoutly unsentimental . . . reads like a lost classic. Bayard reinvigorates h...

  • All Adults Here synopsis, comments

    All Adults Here

    Emma Straub

    AN INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER A TODAY SHOW #ReadWithJenna BOOK CLUB PICK! "In a time when all we want is hope, it’s a beautiful book to reach for." Jenna Bush Hager "Brimmin...

  • Dear Edward synopsis, comments

    Dear Edward

    Ann Napolitano

    NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER  READ WITH JENNA BOOK CLUB PICK AS FEATURED ON TODAY “Make sure you have tissues handy when you read [this] surefooted tearjerker” (NPR) a...