A fascinating look inside the White House from the staff's viewpoint
This book is about the people who work at the White House. It is of course fascinating to read about what the Presidents and their families were like, but also about what it is like to work in that environment. It can be very high stress and very long hours, and for the most part, the salaries are really not that great. When working there, the employees do not talk in public about what goes on there. However, Ms. Brower got a lot of former employees to open up (not all of them would). She spoke with butlers, housekeepers, chefs, and florists, among many others. However, most of them still tend to be circumspect after many years. She also spoke to former residents, including Barbara Bush, Laura Bush, Rosalynn Carter, and many of the children of first families. The focus is from the Kennedy administration to the Obama administration. There are also some comments about first families going back to the 1920's. There are often generations of family members who have worked there. People tend to stay there across many administrations. There are sections discussing what it was like to work there during crises such as the Kennedy assassination, Watergate and Nixon’s resignation, and 9/11. The most-loved President and First Lady were George H.W. and Barbara Bush. They were very down-to-earth and caring and the staff felt like family. The two worst to work for by far were Lyndon B. Johnson and Nancy Reagan. The Obamas are friendly and polite, but definitely keep it businesslike. Ronald Reagan was so friendly and talkative, that staff would sometimes hide when they saw him coming, because he would talk to them for so long that they would get behind in their work. This is a thoroughly entertaining book, written in a conversational style. Karen White provides excellent narration.