Real Life At The White House

An irresistible chronological overview of daily life in the presidential residence. Divided into 42 chapters representing each succeeding administration, this survey is brimming with fun facts, tantalizing tidbits, and memorable anecdotes detailing two centuries of domestic bliss and strife in the White House. From George Washington, who chose the sight and initiated work on the presidential mansion, to Bill Clinton, whose well-documented White House escapades titillated and scandalized the nation, each individual president has contributed to the mystique of the most readily recognized home in the U.S. Together with scores of drawings, portraits, and photographs, the breezy text chronicles the significant physical, social, and emotional changes wrought by each First Family as they sought to personalize daily life in the White House.

In this New York Times bestseller, the White House chief usher for nearly three decades offers a behind-the-scenes look at America’s first families. J. B. West, chief usher of the White House, directed the operations and maintenance of 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue—and coordinated its daily life—at the request of the president and his family. He directed state functions; planned parties, weddings and funerals, gardens and playgrounds, and extensive renovations; and, with a large staff, supervised every activity in the presidential home. For twenty-eight years, first as assistant to the chief usher, then as chief usher, he witnessed national crises and triumphs, and interacted daily with six consecutive presidents and first ladies, as well as their parents, children and grandchildren, and houseguests—including friends, relatives, and heads of state. J. B. West, whom Jackie Kennedy called “one of the most extraordinary men I have ever met,” provides an absorbing, one-of-a-kind history of life among the first ladies. Alive with anecdotes ranging from Eleanor Roosevelt’s fascinating political strategies to Jackie Kennedy’s tragic loss and the personal struggles of Pat Nixon, Upstairs at the White House is a rich account of a slice of American history that usually remains behind closed doors.

White House journalist for more than five decades chronicles her work covering all of the presidents since John F. Kennedy. Shares personal reminiscences of the U.S. leaders as well as of the first ladies. Bestseller.

After dozens of books and articles by anonymous sources, here, finally, is a history of the Trump White House, with the President and his staff talking openly and on the record. In President Trump, Doug Wead offers a sweeping, eloquent history of President Donald J. Trump's first years in the White House, covering everything from election night to the biggest political obstacles of his presidency. The book will include never-before-reported stories and scoops, including how President Trump turned around the American economy, how he "never complains and never explains", and insight into how his actions sometimes lead to misunderstandings with the media and the public. President Trump features exclusive interviews with the Trump family about the Mueller Report, and narrates their reactions when the report was finally released. Wead successfully gained interviews with the President in the Oval Office, chief of staff Mick Mulvaney, Jared and Ivanka Kushner, Donald Trump Jr, Eric and Lara Trump, and White House insiders for this illuminating history.

In collaboration with the White House Historical Association, National Geographic presents this authoritative overview of America's first home featuring never-before published stories and photographs. Organized by theme, discover what makes the White House tick--from its beginnings to the modern day, from the architecture, to the staff, to the first families. Learn fascinating details of the real-life Downton Abbey staff who run this grand home. Marvel at the elaborate detail that goes into hosting a state dinner. Meet the beloved pets who've inhabited 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue. Read about celebrity visitors, the media, and the security so critical in today's world. Sidebars contain tidbits of rare information, and an appendix includes an illustrated time line of all White House First Families as well as a complete index. Photos include intimate and candid glimpses of life inside the White House--some never before seen, others long forgotten, and most never displayed in such large format.

A masterful, concise biography of Theodore Roosevelt, America's first modern president New York State Assemblyman, Assistant Secretary of the Navy, Governor of New York, Vice President and, at forty-two, the youngest President ever--in his own words, Theodore Roosevelt "rose like a rocket." In Lion in the White House, historian Aida Donald masterfully chronicles Roosevelt's life and his presidency. TR's accomplishments in office were immense. Believing that the emerging aristocracy of wealth represented a genuine threat to democracy, TR broke trusts to curb the rapacity of big business. He built the Panama Canal and engaged the country in world affairs. And he won the Nobel Peace Prize-the first sitting president ever so honored. Throughout his public career, TR fought valiantly to steer the GOP back to its noblest ideals as embodied by Abraham Lincoln. Alas, his hopes for his party were quashed by the GOP's strong rightward turn in the years after he left office. But his vision for America lives on. In lapidary prose, this concise biography recounts the courageous life of one of the greatest leaders our nation has ever known.

#1 New York Times Bestseller “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.

The White House for Kids provides an intriguing, in-depth history of the White House and its role as a home, an office, and a powerful symbol of the United States, making it a unique resource for kids visiting Washington D.C. with their family or class and those studying American history, presidential history, and American government. Through numerous primary sources and kid-friendly anecdotes, the history of the building is detailed including the many renovations and redecorations made over the years, and the daily lives of the White House’s inhabitants are illuminated including presidents and their families as well as the enormous staff that makes the White House run smoothly. Kids will learn that George Washington never slept in the White House and Abraham Lincoln never slept in the Lincoln Bedroom; why the Trumans had to move out of the White House for three years during Harry Truman’s presidency; which president’s daughter held her high school prom in the White House; the evolving layout of floors and rooms including today’s, and much more. Crosscurricular activities allow readers to walk in the footsteps of presidents and those around them. Readers can play key passages of “Hail to the Chief” and practice signing a bill the way presidents do, as well as make White House Punch and re-create an aerobic game designed for President Hoover. Katherine House was born in Washington, DC, and grew up in nearby Arlington, Virginia. She is the author of Lighthouses for Kids and has written articles about US and Iowa history for children’s magazines including AppleSeeds, Cobblestone, and the Goldfinch.