The Residence

The Residence: Inside the Private World of the White House by Kate Anderson Brower, 309 pages

Every four to eight years, a new family moves into the White House, and the household staff there is charged with the job of providing a safe, loyal, and comfortable sanctuary for the First Family in the midst of the stress of the presidency. The Residence examines the household staff's unique position of caring for the First Family on a day-to-day basis, offering up fascinating stories of the quirks of First Ladies (Nancy Reagan was not easy to please!), obsessions of presidents (mentioning LBJ's shower to anyone who worked at the White House during his presidency would certainly elicit a shudder), and visiting guests (my favorite tale involved Prince Philip), as well as in-depth accounts of tragedy, including the Kennedy assassination and 9/11. This was truly a fascinating read, and I can't recommend it enough.