Book Review: The Residence: Inside the Private World of the White House by Kate Andersen Brower

The Residence: Inside the Private World of the White House
Author: Kate Andersen Brower
Publication: Harper Paperbacks (March 8, 2016)

Description: 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.

My Thoughts: Kate Andersen Brower interviewed many White House staff members to write this story about what it is like to work in the White House and interact with the First Family. She interviews people who worked in the White House from the days of the Kennedys to the Obamas. 

I was astonished to learn that the White House has 132 room, 35 bathrooms, three elevators, and eight staircases. There are six floors including a couple of mezzanines. There is a large staff of butlers, maids, cooks, florists, electricians, painters and many more people who try to keep life smooth for the First Families who live in the house. 

The staff are the ones who stay on. The First Families are renters with four or eight year leases or sometimes less. I was surprised to learn that staff positions were often held by members of the same family. I think there were five generations of Ficklins who all served at the White House. I liked the close relationships and friendships developed among those who worked at the White House. I liked reading about their dedication and pride in their jobs. 

I was amazed at the way the staff transitioned on inauguration days to make the changeover in families so smooth. I found it hard to believe that the staff could pack up one family's belongings and unpack and set up for the new family in just a matter of hours. I enjoyed the stories about how the various presidents and first ladies were as employers. 

I liked the insights into the private lives of some of the presidents, first ladies, and children who lived in the White House. 

This was a fascinating insight into the behind the scenes at a very public place. 

I bought this one March 19, 2017. You can buy your copy here.