First published 2010
Jenny Sanford built a life around supporting her husband Mark's political rise in South Carolina. She abandoned her investment banking career, relocated from Illinois, and managed his campaigns while raising four sons in the governor's mansion. Then she discovered Mark was having an affair with a woman in Argentina. When the scandal broke in June 2009, Jenny made a choice that shocked the political world. She refused to stand beside her husband during his public confession. Instead, she focused on raising their children with integrity while Mark dealt with the fallout alone. Jenny traces her journey from successful banker to political spouse, revealing the daily pressures of life in the spotlight and the ways power can destroy marriages. She describes learning about the affair, the pain of discovering it continued longer than she believed, and her decision to prioritize honesty over political theater. Through personal stories spanning her entire adult life, Jenny shows how she maintained her moral compass despite constant compromises. Her story speaks to anyone fighting to preserve their independence and values within marriage or other demanding relationships.
Genres: family-life, autobiography, biography-memoir, 21st-century
Vibes: emotional, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: moral-compass, personal-journey
Setting: South Carolina, Argentina, Illinois
Period: 2009
240 pages · Hardcover · Ballantine Books