The Residence: Inside the Private World of the White House

A remarkable history with elements of both In the Presidents Secret Service and The Butler The Residence offers an intimate account of the service staff of the White House from the Kennedys to the ObamasAmericas 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 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 FamilyThese dedicated professionals maintain the six-floor mansions rooms bathrooms fireplaces three elevators and eight staircases and prepare everything from hors doeuvres for intimate gatherings to meals served at elaborate state dinners Over the course of the day they gather in the lower levels basement kitchen to share stories trade secrets forge lifelong friendships and sometimes even fall in loveCombining incredible first-person anecdotes from extensive interviews with scores of White House staff membersmany speaking for the first timewith 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 Kennedys private moment of grief with a beloved staffer after her husbands assassination to the tumultuous days surrounding President Nixons resignation and President Clintons impeachment battle The Residence is full of surprising and moving details that illuminate day-to-day life at the White House.