On the evening of November 8, 2016, Jenna Bush Hager and Barbara Pierce Bush had a sleepover. Jenna’s husband, Henry, was out of town, and the twin sisters went to sleep in Jenna’s bed. That night and following morning, news of Donald Trump’s unexpected victory played out on every major news channel. They told People in a new interview that they were “filled with gratitude that [they] had each other for comfort” as they began to take in the results.

The twin daughters of George W. Bush and granddaughters of George H.W. Bush have co-written a new book, Sisters First, a collection of personal essays that encourage women to support each other. They are not shy about the fact that they don’t always agree with their family’s Republican politics. As the 35-year-old twins told Vanity Fair this month, neither of them are affiliated with a political party.

“I think it’s surprising for people. . . . Maybe it’s the current climate, but our parents raised us to have our own opinions and emotions and be curious, independent thinkers,” Barbara said. “As long as we are living a life well lived and have formed our own opinions, they’re proud of us.”

Jenna continued: “People will say to us, ‘Why are y’all so normal?’ It’s like, ‘Thank you . . . I think.’”

The twins said the inspiration for their book came from the divisive nature of the 2016 election, when Republicans and Democrats alike were embroiled in an often vicious cycle of political in-fighting.

The sisters, who endured a press—Vanity Fair included—that was not kind to their father during their time in office, still think the early 2000s were far less politically cruel.

“With our grandfather and our dad, there was a softer side and I do hope it goes back to that,” Jenna added.

Between their grandfather’s and their father’s presidencies, Jenna and Barbara spent the majority of their formative years at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue and were so connected to their time there that they wrote a letter to Malia and __ Sasha Obama__ when they moved in in 2009. When the Obama sisters left the White House this January, they received another letter from the Bush twins.

“You stood by as your precious parents were reduced to headlines,” they wrote then. “Your parents, who put you first and who not only showed you but gave you the world. As always, they will be rooting for you as you begin your next chapter. And so will we.”