Chris Matthews interviewed Kate Anderson Brower on Hardball yesterday and simply put there is no way to not be super excited about a new book regarding an inside look at the White House as told from the view of the staff. Brower spent four years covering the Obama White House for Bloomberg News and is a former CBS News staffer. Her book, The Residence: Inside the Private World of the White House seems the perfect way to start spring reading in your favorite sunny spot. If you love history, presidential politics, and also a dose of inside tidbits this book is just for you–and me!
In the voices of the residence workers themselves—sometimes wry, often affectionate, always gracious and proud—here are stories of
- The Kennedys—from intimate glimpses of their marriage to the chaotic days after JFK’s assassination
- The Johnsons—featuring the bizarre saga of LBJ’s obsession with the White House plumbing
- The Nixons—including Richard Nixon’s unexpected appearance in the White House kitchen the morning he resigned
- The Reagans—from a fire that endangered Ronald Reagan late in his second term to Nancy’s control of details large and small
- The Clintons—whose private battles, marked by shouting matches and flying objects, unsettled residence workers
- The Obamas—who danced to Mary J. Blige on their first night in the White House
One of my favorite historians gave fantastic praise to the book.
“Kate Andersen Brower’s The Residence is one of those rare books that is both elegant portraiture and highly readable, important White House history. The anecdotes are fresh and the analysis cogent. The stories about Kennedy, Reagan, Clinton, and Obama are irresistible. Highly recommended!” — Douglas Brinkley, editor of The Reagan Diaries.
CAFFEINATED POLITICS 