First published 2015
Journalist Kate Andersen Brower opens the service doors of 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue to reveal America's most famous residence through the eyes of those who know it best. Butlers, housekeepers, cooks, florists, and calligraphers share their intimate observations of presidential families from the Kennedys to the Obamas. The White House doorman describes his reaction to John Kennedy's assassination. Staff members recall Jimmy Carter's demanding schedule that forced them to rise before dawn to clean the Oval Office. Workers detail the threats against residents and the elaborate state dinners they orchestrated. Three former First Ladies add their perspectives to this portrait of daily life in the mansion's 160 rooms across six floors. Brower transforms testimonies from domestic staff into fluid prose that captures both the grandeur and ordinariness of presidential family life. The book reveals how the seat of American government functions as a home that shelters different families every four to eight years, witnessed by the same dedicated staff who maintain its operations across administrations.
Genres: biography, history, american, politics, non-fiction, 21st-century
Vibes: emotional, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: behind-the-scenes, insider-perspective
Setting: 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, The White House
Period: 20th-century, 21st-century
281 pages · Hardcover · Harper