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The Residence

Inside the Private World of the White House

Audiobook
5 of 6 copies available
5 of 6 copies available

#1 New York Times Bestseller

The inspiration for the Netflix series premiering March 20!

"A revealing look at life inside the White House. . . it's Downton Abbey for the White House staff."The Today Show

A remarkable history with elements of both In the President's Secret Service and The Butler, The Residence offers an intimate account of the service staff of the White House, from the Kennedys to the Obamas.

America's First Families are unknowable in many ways. No one has insight into their true character like the people who serve their meals and make their beds every day. In her runaway bestseller, former White House correspondent Kate Andersen Brower pulls back the curtain on the world's most famous address. Full of stories and details by turns dramatic, humorous, and heartwarming, The Residence reveals daily life in the White House as it is really lived through the voices of the maids, butlers, cooks, florists, doormen, engineers, and others who tend to the needs of the President and First Family.

These dedicated professionals maintain the six-floor mansion's 132 rooms, 35 bathrooms, 28 fireplaces, three elevators, and eight staircases, and prepare everything from hors d'oeuvres for intimate gatherings to meals served at elaborate state dinners. Over the course of the day, they gather in the lower level's basement kitchen to share stories, trade secrets, forge lifelong friendships, and sometimes even fall in love.

Combining incredible first-person anecdotes from extensive interviews with scores of White House staff members—many speaking for the first time—with archival research, Kate Andersen Brower tells their story. She reveals the intimacy between the First Family and the people who serve them, as well as tension that has shaken the staff over the decades. From the housekeeper and engineer who fell in love while serving President Reagan to Jackie Kennedy's private moment of grief with a beloved staffer after her husband's assassination to the tumultuous days surrounding President Nixon's resignation and President Clinton's impeachment battle, The Residence is full of surprising and moving details that illuminate day-to-day life at the White House.

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    • Library Journal

      April 1, 2015

      America's first families have long been a source of fascination for the people of the United States, yet we rarely get a chance to glimpse anything but their professional and often stoic personalities. Journalist Brower, who spent four years covering the White House for Bloomberg News, explores the personal lives of American presidential families using stories from people who connect with them on a regular basis--the White House domestic staff. Her book provides a day-to-day look at the lives of maids, butlers, maitre d's, ushers, and chefs, as well as at their interactions with the presidents, first ladies, and first children they served. Although most of the interviewees keep their memories close to the vest, some share anecdotes that truly humanize their employers. Brower discusses everything that happens behind closed doors in the White House, from the mundane (Lyndon B. Johnson's shower specifications) to the dramatic (Hillary Rodham Clinton's response to her husband's cheating scandal). VERDICT Fans of Downton Abbey will find this look into the secret world of the White House fascinating. History buffs who would like to learn more about the personal lives of the presidents and their families will definitely enjoy all the intriguing vignettes.--Rebecca Kluberdanz, GB65 Lib., New York

      Copyright 2015 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

    • Kirkus

      March 15, 2015
      Anecdotes both touching and hilarious about living and working in the White House, "the country's most potent and enduring symbol of the presidency." While journalist Brower moves by theme in presenting the memories of select long-running staff at the White House-"Controlled Chaos," "Discretion," "Extraordinary Demands," "Dark Days," etc.-there is an irresistible, charmingly pell-mell quality to the arrangement of these dishy stories. The author has managed to track down numerous former staffers-ushers, electricians, maids, butlers, chefs, and florists-to share their mostly loyal thoughts on the illustrious families they served. They (and the families themselves) often compare living in the White House to a prison, albeit a fancy one. The White House has six floors, 132 rooms, 35 bathrooms, and 28 fireplaces, with "shops" in the basement housing departments such as housekeeping and floral. Here, the staffers do not have the freedom to leave, and the work demands mean that they often sacrifice their own social and personal lives. First and foremost, they are fiercely devoted, sworn to be apolitical, serving each family that arrives after Inauguration Day as evenly as the next, despite emotional attachments-for example, chef Walter Scheib spent a stint teaching 17-year-old Chelsea Clinton to cook. The most delicious stories involve President Lyndon Johnson and his extreme shower demands-it needed to have multiple nozzles shooting water at fire-hydrant intensity-while the most heartbreaking delineate Jackie Kennedy's arrangements in the aftermath of the Kennedy assassination. There is also an affecting glimpse of Hillary Clinton attempting to enjoy a shred of privacy at the pool amid the Monica Lewinsky scandal. Brower is keen to sympathize with the plight of the hardworking help. For example, in her chapter "Race and the Residence," the author reveals the first "revolt" by the largely African-American staff to push for salary equality in the late 1960s. A work of great historical interest that is also quite entertaining.

    • Publisher's Weekly

      October 26, 2020
      This chatty behind-the-scenes look at life at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue offers an uneven survey of its history and inner workings. Former White House correspondent Brower, who has written about this subject for adults, pays particular attention to the approximately 100 permanent nonpartisan employees, including the butlers, florists, plumbers, and chefs who keep the 132-room mansion running. The narrative offers architectural details, such as Taft’s adding the Oval Office; shines light into the experience of first children and pets; recounts ghost stories; and serves up choice details about U.S. presidents, including their favorite meals and quirks. Though much of the read is enjoyable, a story about Dolley Madison is repeated, and Jackie Kennedy receives more coverage than other first ladies. While a chapter on race—“Understanding the Past: Race and the White House”—grapples with the history of a house built by enslaved people, it also treats racism as a historical issue rather than a systemic and ongoing one. Includes a timeline, questions, list of presidents and first ladies, and recommended reading. Ages 8–12. Agent: Howard Yoon, Ross Yoon Agency. (Dec.)

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  • OverDrive Listen audiobook

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Languages

  • English

Levels

  • Lexile® Measure:1120
  • Text Difficulty:7-9

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