Kate Andersen Brower

Enjoyable and informative book about the residence staff at the White House. Some tidbits about the first families from the Kennedys to the Obamas.

It's amazing how much work these folks do and how long many of them serve at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue.

I usually prefer books but on this particular case I really think I'd have preferred a documentary to the book so I could see more of the WH and see them doing some of these things (like transitioning the house on Inauguration Day) instead of just reading it.… (more)

I disliked the writing and the actress through the first marriages , but became interested when she married Eddie Fisher. She was quirky (expected to get stuff free), she knew her value and got paid very well for it, she began working at age 12 and never stopped, she was intelligent ( knew how to evaluate her jewelry, was a good actress, was an advocate for the afflicted, and began fundraising for the Elizabeth Taylor AIDS Foubdation and amFAR. She also started mobile clinics in Malawi. It is estimated that she saved thousands of lives. That was her life’s purpose.… (more)

I'm not sure what I was hoping to read, but I do know that this was not it. This was NOT so much about the private world of the White House as it was a listing of residence staff's memories. The author attempted to place these memories into chapters with some semblance of themes but that didn't help with the organization which was abysmal. Maybe reading of each staff member's memoirs in chapters or chapters dedicated to each presidential family would have been more successful? How this book is presented is very repetitive.
While there was some new information about what living in the White House entails, this book was much more about the loyalty of the staff. Paradoxically, much was said about the discretion of the staff and how they strove to maintain the privacy of the presidential families, and yet here was the telling of memories.… (more)

The people who work behind the scenes at the White House are really a remarkable group who should be applauded for their efforts! The author gives readers an astounding look at goes on in that famous house. Some of the Presidents and their families were wonderful and thoughtful, others, not so much. Some things were surprising, like who the immodest presidents were. Some things weren’t surprising, like who the unfaithful husbands were. We learned who argued and fought, who partied very late, who went to bed early, who yelled at staff, who was overly demanding, and who was kind. The staff had to put up with much, sometimes without much appreciation. It was certainly something special, to say you worked at the White House, but it took a toll on the workers, and especially on their families. The staff must have thought it was worth it, because they worked hard, above and beyond the call, and stayed for years. They were very kind to the children who lived there, to try to make their life more normal in place where it was anything but normal. It may take an extraordinary person to run the country, but it takes many extraordinary people to make the White House run smoothly.… (more)