I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It gives such intimate details on the first families living there and also about what was happening within the walls of the White House during critical times in history. From the staffer who stayed up all night waiting for Jackie Kennedy to return to the White House from Dallas when he could have gone on home that night, but, wanted to be there fro Mrs. Kennedy. Who ended up staying up basically 36 hrs. so he could attend Mrs. Kennedy in the event she needed anything in the night, then marched in the funeral procession along with Heads of State Charles deGaul of France and the ruler of Ethiopia, Haile Selassie down Pennsylvania Ave. to the capital building where the President's body was laid in state. The staff who had to go from the Kennedy White House or Camelot as it was affectionately called to the Johnson White House which was all about Johnson running the show and screaming at staff who displeased him. Nancy Reagan caused one staffer to quit when she constantly berated her in front of anyone maliciously and accused her at being the fault of something of the first lady's being lost, damaged, etc. By the 3rd time this venomous tirade took place it was so intense that another staffer working two floors down heard it and came up and stood in the staffers' place telling her to go home and allowed the first lady to continue her tirade on him instead. The staffer had enough and looked for employment elsewhere. The staffer who Reagan asked to join him for a swim in the White House pool and the maid who accidentally walked in on Reagan sitting in the nude reading (it comes out in this book that Reagan liked being in the nude and felt he was showing the staff how comfortable he was with them around because it never stopped him from doing so. The Clintons preferred their privacy to having staff around unless absolutely required while the Bush Familes both George and Barbara and G.W. Laura and the girls tended to talk to staff directly asking about their families and remembering names and ailments and inquiring about them throughout their time in the White House. The Obamas often mentioned their staff looked like they could be part of their families and while the President was jovial and down-to-earth with staff, the first lady blasted the Secret Service when 3 times within 3 months intruders made it into the White House evading the notice of the security detail until alarms were set off, someone was spied on an in-house camera or spotted in one case by an off-duty staffer on their way off the grounds after a shift change. While many staffers were reluctant to speak about the first families to journalists especially those who were still working at the White House and those who had recently retired, others shared some positive stories about the human side of the Presidency and First Families and some friends and family members shared stories as did some staff who left the White House employment. Super interesting book. I highly recommend it to anyone interested in who the first families really are. Really interesting stuff showing the true personalities the public doesn't often get to know.
- Shirley J
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