Customer Reviews (6)

Dont be stupid
1 "1" how the hell could they have ended the war when Hanoi demanded a unilateral pullout and that the US toppled the Saigon government on the way out?? It took years of political and military pressure for Hanoi to abandon that demand. Dont be stupid.

1-1 is a raving idiot
1-1 has cut and pasted the same idiotic rant for all three volumes of Dr. Kissinger's memoirs, and has obviously NOT READ ONE SINGLE PAGE OF ANY OF THEM!!!! Go post your polemics on Indymedia you moron.
This is a first rate account of one of the most influential statesman in history.

War Criminal
if you want the evil truth about Dr K and how he undermined the 1968 peace talks, read "No Peace, No Honor: Nixon, Kissinger, and Betrayal in Vietnam" by Larry Berman.

This book explains how Nixon and Kissinger illegally colluded with SVN and Nguyen Van Thieu - he was told by Nixon via Anna Chenault to "hold on, we are going to win" and "you will get a better deal with us". So Thieu says he won't talk peace, Nixon wins, Kissinger openly changes sides after working with the Democrats, and together they crank up the war.

The point is: The War could have ended in 1968 if it were not for this man - Dr Death himself, Henry Adolf Kissinger!

Architect of a modern foreign poligy
I started this book on a whim in a coffee shop and soon decided to read all 1,475 pages (which required buying the book!) Kissinger has an amazing story to tell and writes exceptionally well.He gives vivid descriptions of encounters with world leaders and of Washington politics.His reflections range over history, politics, culture in many countries, war, and US policy.

He is full of surprises, sharp-edged, hilarious, philosophical, and always authoritative.Professor Kissinger doesn't use fancy words.He is never aloof.His purpose is to make the material understandable.Some passages about negotiations have perhaps more detail than one really wants.

The last four years of the Viet Nam war figure prominently in the book.Nixon and Kissinger's insistence on winding down the war slowly over four years is controversial.The whole book is unsentimental, convincing and will appeal to the liberal or conservative reader.It is also a revealing study of the "Cold War", including Nixon's trip to China, the Middle East, the SALT treaty, European relations, war between India and Pakistan, and more.

"The Longest Journey Begins With The First Step"
The title of this review stems from an ancient Chinese proverb. Henry A. Kissinger's book, White House Years is the first of a three-volume trilogy that covers his remarkable career. This initial book begins with his appointment as National Security Advisor to Richard M. Nixon January 1969, and ends with the initialing of the Paris Peace Accords in 1973. Kissinger lets the reader know early on, they were under no illusions their journey would be easy or joyous.

He paints a vivid picture of Lyndon Johnson at Nixon's inauguration. If a political heavyweight like L.B.J. could be humbled by (sic) "Veetnam" no one could expect an easy time. Nixon, who had made a career of exhorting political opponents to, "Get tough with the Communists," now had his turn. He would either succeed where his predecessors had failed, or share L.B.J.s fate.

A series of opportunities to "get tough" with the Communists soon followed. The Soviets continued to harass Berlin; the Strateg!ic Arms Limitation (SALT) Talks provided critics from the right and left; West German leader Willie Brandt's Ostpolitik threatened the cohesion of the Atlantic Alliance and the Soviets' establishment of a submarine base at Cienfuegos, Cuba created a situation reminiscent of the Cuban Missile Crisis. Also, the election of Salvador Allende in Chile threatened to introduce a second, Communist state into the Western Hemisphere. Elsewhere, a crisis was brewing between India and Pakistan, and the powder keg in the Middle East threatened to explode at any time.

All these things occurred while the bulk of our military forces were mired in a seemingly endless stalemate in Vietnam that was tearing our nation apart and steadily draining both our coffers and our national resolve. Any of them had the potential to bring the two nuclear equipped superpowers into direct confrontation at any time. Kissinger calmly states: "Statesmen do not have the right to ask to serve only in simple t!imes." The early '70's were anything but, "simple times."

White House Years is a first-person account from a key player in each of these crises. Kissinger takes us step-for-step through the decision-making process they undertook before each action. These deliberations led to the most spectacular diplomatic initiative of our time: Nixon's historic trip to The Peoples Republic of China! The diplomatic opportunities made possible by this trip still shape our world today. Among other things it made Hanoi serious about negotiating an end to the War in Vietnam.

Dr. Kissinger narrates the maddening, secret negotiations with North Vietnam's Le Duc Tho in Paris. The differences between what the Communists were feeding the Western media and what they were saying behind closed doors makes the reader both loathe and admire them for their political skill. Their efforts finally led to the signing of the Paris Peace Accords. Kissinger sincerely believed South Vietnam would surv!ive. Unfortunately, he was wrong.

White House Years reads like a Greek tragedy. The reader gets excited and then remembers how it all ends. The very secretiveness that produced spectacular successes also sowed the seeds that would lead to Nixon's self-destruction.

I highly recommend this book to anyone with an interest in the War in Vietnam and/or international relations. The conduct of international diplomacy today is still unquestionably influenced by the events narrated here. I am much better informed for having read it. You will be as well! ... Read more

Book Description
In a town where the weapon of choice is usually a well-aimed rumor, the strangling of Secretary of State Lansard Blaine in the Lincoln Bedroom is a gruesome first. White House counsel Ron Fairbanks is ordered to investigate. There are persistent rumors that the Secretary was an accomplished womanizer with ties to a glamorous call girl. There is also troubling evidence of unofficial connections with international wheeler-dealers.

In death as in life, Blaine is a power to be reckoned with. For Fairbanks, who loves the President’s daughter, one point is soon clear: only a few highly placed insiders had access to the Lincoln Bedroom that fateful evening. And one of them was the president. . . .
... Read more

Customer Reviews (6)

Murder in the White House
This was my first Margaret Truman book.I enjoyed it and really like her writing style.I agree with some other reviewers that the story was a little lacking but it was a very quick read and I will definately read more of this series as I understand it gets better.

Murder in the White House (Capital Crimes
Once I started reading I couldn't hardly put it down until I finished.

Moderately entertaining
The first book in Margaret Truman's Capital Crimes series is moderately entertaining, but no more. The Secretary of State is killed in the White House; the President appoints his inexperienced Junior Counsel to head up the investigation. There's a lot of talk, an action sequence, some more talk, another murder, some more talk, and then it all ends rather hurriedly.

The book's main strength is the way it hints that bigger, darker things are at stake. But it has no real sense of urgency or structure. For example: couldn't the investigators have made a list of all people who had access to the relevant part of the White House at the relevant time, and worked through them one by one? Instead, they seem to be poking around at random. You can never tell whether or not they're really making progress. Another example: the hero didn't vote for the President, has no investigative experience, and yet is put in charge of the investigation. This could be a fascinating hook to explore the President's mixed motivations and the hero's ambition, but it too goes nowhere. The characterization throughout is fairly flat, with only the central puzzle holding the reader's attention.

Oh, and... I guessed the murderer, and more or less the motive. Fun, and somewhat atmospheric just by virtue of its setting, but by no means great.

baltazar rosiles review
(...) Margaret Truman's book, Murder in the White House, merits three stars because this book gets the attention of the reader with great and pretty details, keeping the book interesting and emotionally. This book is about looking the responsible of the murder in the white house; in the way the book shows all the relations or romance that Blaine had before he pass away, and also the cost that Ron Fairbanks had to find the true of this accident. This incident provides dark pass of Blaine's life, Ron's consequences, the bribes to cancel the agreements, and secretes of the president's family. (...)Also, we will learn to say always the true to prevent consequences. I really recommend this novel to everybody who wants to increase their knowledge of the problems that happen to the biggest people of the society. I really learned a lot of this novel because I always thought that the biggest people do not suffer and we can see during this novel that everybody is human and everybody can make mistakes and feel the consequences of the mistakes

Serious logical flaws hamper the story
The premise of the book is an interesting one, the secretary of state is found professionally murdered in the White House and the circle of suspects includes the president. However, there are some substantial flaws in the book that seriously reduce the quality of the story. The major one is that the murdered secretary of state is found to have taken bribes and frequented prostitutes. Given that the timeframe is set after the Carter presidency, the premise that no one knew before his death is simply beyond belief. In the post Watergate environment, such misbehavior would have been like a wounded fish to a hungry shark of journalists.
Another major problem is that the secret service agents assigned to guard the president's daughter deliberately allow her to be placed in a dangerous situation. This is implausible, and making the most professional of officers into bumbling incompetents rarely makes a story stronger.
While the original murderer is not the one you may think, there is another murder committed as a cover up and the perpetrator of that crime is rather clear. I enjoyed the book, but found the weaknesses greater than the quality of the tale. ... Read more

Book Description
For 200 years the White House has served as the residence of our nation's president and his family. John and Abigail Adams were the first residents, and each family ever since has been able to make the White House a comfortable home and to acquire the necessities for handsomely carrying out its additional functions as nexus for state ceremenoy and entertaining. In captivating detail, this volume--produced in association with the White House Historical Association--reveals how the decoration of the White House has reflected the personal style of our first families and their countless forays into redecorating.

Illustrated largely with photographs especially commissioned for this book, as well as historic pictures, The White House focuses on some of our nation's most important heirlooms, including furniture, silver, glass, porcelain, and textiles. Enlivened with stories about the first families and how their furnishings often clashed with the politics of the time, this book is an ideal gift for those interested in the decorative arts, biography, and history. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (5)

A Great Reference for Any White House Afficianado
What a great addition to my collection of WHITE HOUSE books and memorabilia.This well-written, well-researched and beautifully photographed book gives the detail that is sometimes missing in the more general WHITE HOUSE history or antecdotal writings.It is a good "stand alone" and would be a great "living room" collection book in any case, but for those who enjoy the rich history of D.C. this is a jewel.I recommend it.

President's Park
The White House is just an amazing facility, it's a museum, the President's Residence, and the embodiment of the Executive Branch.This book is exhaustively researched, and the photographs are well done.Though it is really not a history of the first families, the book really consentrates on furnishings, and the changes made to the structure over the centuries.The White House serves so many duties and thanks to Jackie O, the historic furnishing have returned and subsequent first ladies and curators have continued her pursuit of historic period furnishings.This book does a wonderful job of highlighting the best of the White House Collection.If you like books of this sort then you will enjoy this book dedicated to one of the iconic symbols of democracy.

A misleading title
This is a beautiful book with exquisite layout and photographs. However, the title gives the impression that we will find information on the First Families, which certainly is not so. It is a very good coffee table book on interior design, design, furnishings, architecture, etc. but since I expected photos and information on people,I was somewhat dissappointed with its contents. But it is a work of art.

An Excellent Resource for Any Library
Betty Monkman, the White House Curator and photographer Bruce White (from the Metropolitan Museum of Art) have collaborated to create an invaluable text on the history of the furnishings of The White House.Wonderful stories lie within...most famously, the story behind the Resolute Desk, the desk used by Presidents Kennedy, Carter, George H. Bush, Bill Clinton, and now President George W. Bush in their respective Oval Offices.

On June 1st at 6PM, Ms. Monkman will deliver a lecture on The White House as part of exhibition presented by the John F. Kennedy Library and The Metropolitan Museum "Jacqueline Kennedy: The White House Years-Selections from the John F. Kennedy Library and Museum".The exhibit will begin May 1, 2001 until July 29, 2001.This will be a great opportunity for one to hear Ms. Monkman's expertise in person.Go to the lecture and buy the book!

BRAVO!BRAVO!
Once again Betty Monkman has given us WHITE HOUSE FANS a magnificant chronicle!What a glorious, beautiful absolutely stunning work of art! Betty has included everything in this piece!Bruce White's photography cannot be topped!Looking at the old photos of days gone by and then seeing the "latest versions" of those historic rooms is truly a treat!The details on the historic furntiure, art pieces, glassware, china and more within those walls is fascinating!During this - the 200th Anniversary year of the White House getting it's first occupants, this book is really a treasure and a great addition to anyone's library to help mark this historic anniversary! I thought I knew a lot about the White House - once again Betty Monkman has taught me more! Thanks Betty! :-) ... Read more

Amazon.com
In the introduction to this book on presidential sinners and scofflaws, Greg Stebben poses the following questions: "Are we, the people, really this callous? Petty? Shallow? Or easily amused?" Stebben and his coauthor, Jim Morris, are betting that we, the people, are all of the above. This book is packed with trashy tidbits and lighthearted hearsay. Although the authors admit that "this work contains absolutely no groundbreaking or earth-shattering new research on the behavior of presidents past or present," much of this "information" will be new to many readers. Most people probably have an inkling that John F. Kennedy had an extramarital affair or two, but may not know that Richard Nixon once worked as a carnival barker. According to Stebben and Morris, President Calvin Coolidge enjoyed having petroleum jelly slathered on his head while he ate breakfast in bed; Coolidge believed it was good for his health. Some factoids in this book are fun; others are just factoids. For example, it was not astonishing to learn that Ronald Reagan believes that knocking on wood is good luck. The authors devote chapters of the book to presidential scandals, tempers, fatalities, and money problems. A presidential "scorecard" near the middle of the book shows readers at a glance which presidents cheated on their wives and who their mistresses were. Stebben and Morris rank the presidents according to their entertainment value, which makes Warren Harding a winner and George Washington a big loser in their book. Harding had mistresses, scandals, and a corruption-ridden administration; Washington was noble. The authors' central point is that presidential eccentricity and scandal are not a new development but have been part of the history of the presidency all along. --Jill Marquis ... Read more

Customer Reviews (12)

Presidential Legacy?
As I think previous reviewers have pointed out, this book is riddled with errors. The first noticed, right at the beginning, is that the President has the right to declare war.When did this happen?Tell the masses! Constitutional checks and balances are put by the wayside! Since the very debates that gave the American President its powers, this has never been the case.

And yes: They brilliantly nailed the presidential term of the third president Thomas Jefferson as starting in 1790. Kudos to the fact finding department! Most interesting, since the Washington started his term in 1789!

I'm very sorry I spent the measly $10 for this book. Most of the information contained in this book, that isn't incorrect, is simply information that is best suited for today's supermarket tabloids. I realize that Presidents and presidential associates, past and present alike, were/are far from perfect , but I wasn't interested in reading about their dirty laundry.

Two stars, one step above bottom, for the very limited quantity of fascinating informational pieces.

Riddled with Errors
The glowing reviews for this little hit piece (evidentally published to capitalize on the whole impeachment passion play of a couple of years back) moved me to buy the book.A glance over the contents quickly revealedseveral ludicrous errors that should never have passed the proofreader, ifindeed there was one.(For example, at one point it claims that AndrewJackson was the first president to be elected after being defeated for theoffice.In the very next sentence it mentions Thomas Jefferson as one ofthe other men who share this honor!There are other laughable errors,too.)Had the authors and their editor (was there one) concentrated moreon content control than on fancy typography and tedious Clinton-bashing,this book might have been a worthy addition to the bathroom reading shelf.

Amazed from page 1!
Everyone is looking for some sort of trivia on each president, and everyone is writing a book about it. White House Confidential is no exception. What makes this book different, however, is the way the author put things, in a clear and concise manner, easy to read.

I found the bookto very easy to read and quite enjoyable. I was treated to several amazing,yet humorous stories of presidents of the past. You'll find the writersability to convey an objective point of view to be refreshing in this dayof political bashing books.

White House Confidential takes you into theprivate lives of the Oval Office and shows you that what we see today couldand did happened in administrations of the past.This book was insightfuland allowed me to look at the presidency a little differently.

FromWashington to Jefferson to FDR and Bill Clinton, you'll find yourselfreading about the lives of those who have held the highest office and thosewho held a secret place outside the office. The book... would make a great gift for any occasion. Overall a great read!

An Eye Opener and perhaps a Mind opener
This is one of the best books I've ever read on American history and is one I plan on having my children and my parents read. Give it as a gift to your favorite History buff or "Puritanical" room-mate. This bookmakes Clinton look like a poster boy for All American;->Too bad I hadto wait until I was almost 40 to learn the truth that I suspected allalong.Ditch the Myths of our forefathers and teach the Human side ofthese men... it detracts nothing from them and makes them that much morereal. A Great and Fun read!

If only I had Mr. Stebben as my government teacher......
I loved the book.The book is a great synopsis of presidential foibles, follies and forays.The most fascinating part is that everything is true!Thanks Mr. Stebben for the insighful entertainment.Sincerely,

Dr. Richard A. Westbrook ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

A KID'S GUIDE TOTHE WHITE HOUSE
GOOD READING FOR ANY AGE. LEARNED A LOT ABOUT THE WHITE HOUSE

I LOVE THIS BOOK!!
I adore this book! It even has color pages in the middle showing actual pics of White House Tours! It even has ACTUAL PICTURES OF THE
OVAL OFFICE!! I would die for my own copy of this!This book is awesome! If you've read this book, I love you! ... Read more

Customer Reviews (7)

Great read for all ages!
Although this is technically a YA book, the only real "teen" thing about it is Meg's age. She, her siblings, parents and various White House personas are thoroughly fleshed out, as well as the multitude of psychological issues that come along with being the child of a president. White intertwines this with Meg's thoughts -- usually zany, humorous or sarcastic -- which keep it from ever becoming too serious.

Great book -- disappointing quality on this reprint edition
I have read and reread (and loved, especially the first one) all three Meghan Powers books in their original editions. I am grateful to Hawk Publishing for reprinting these three books (now called the "President's Daughter" series) so that more people can enjoy them, but I do feel that people should know that these reprints are not high quality. They are trade paperbacks with bindings that seem sturdy enough, but the text is not at all crisp -- in fact, it looks like the publisher may have enlarged the pages from the original mass market editions on a Xerox machine and then reprinted these new editions from those copies. I am basing this guess on the fact that the text looks enlarged and somewhat blurry.

The covers of all three of the reprint editions are hideous; the first one shows a girl who looks to be about 8 or 10 years old instead of a teenager, and the "White House Autumn" cover is not much better. The price is also steep at $14.95. I can excuse that on the basis that Hawk is probably a small press, and small presses find it hard to make ends meet.

If you can get past all that, these books are marvelous to read. "White House Autumn" continues to use Meg's unique voice and sense of humor.The book also deals with Meg's feelings of guilt when her mother is the subject of an assassination attempt.Again, I am grateful to Hawk for reprinting these, even if the quality is a little disappointing.

White House Autumn
This is the best book ever! I love the president's daughter. She is the Best. Always getting out of sticky situations. I don't know how she does it? When her mother, The President,gets shot(a really sticky situation) she is forced to mature like never before. It teaches girls of all ages what can happen any day, even if your the president's daughter! A real life, well almost, look into the life of the first family.

White House Autumn
This is the best book ever! I love the president's daughter. She is the Best. Always getting out of sticky situations. I don't know how she does it? When her mother, The President,gets shot(a really sticky situation) she is forced to mature like never before. It teaches girls of all ages what can happen any day, even if your the prresident's daughter! A real life, well almost, look into the life of the first family.

Great sequel to a great novel.
Like its predecessor, I found myself unable to put the book down until I had read the very last page.I stayed up until 5 in the morning to finish it, and it was worth every minute (good thing I didn't have work the next day).Not as light as The President's Daughter, the first book in the trilogy, White House Autumn is bit more depressing and a bit more adult as it tells what happens to Meg and her family when her mother, the President, is shot.It's a serious subject, and the author deals with it in a very mature, realistic and sympathic way.Of course, all of the other great qualities of the first book is still present in this one.The characters are as likable as ever, especially Meg's best friend, Beth, who I'm sure would've been my idol had I read this book when I was younger.The conversation is witty, and the situations and the way the characters deal with them are very true to life. Admittedly not as great as the President's Daughter, but nevertheless a wonderful wonderful read.Try to get your hands on this one. ... Read more

Product Description
Two white house maids, a remarkable mother and her daughter, reveal what it was really like upstairs, downstairs at the white house. ... Read more

Book Description
The White House Situation Room is arguably the most important facility in the most important building in the world. As the presidents intelligence and alert center, it provides vital communication and crisis management capabilities to the chief executive and his advisers. It can also be an island of calm, as a top adviser for Vice President Al Gore once described it. So little is known about the Situation Room that, until the publication of Nerve Center, the American publics knowledge of it is almost entirely based on its portrayal by the entertainment industry.

Yet, as Michael K. Bohn points out, Hollywood has failed to capture the real drama of the Situation Room. Numerous crises come alive in Nerve Center, from the Vietnam War (when President Johnson made late night visits to the Situation Room wearing his pajamas and went so often that he moved his Oval Office chair there), to the attempted assassination of President Ronald Reagan, to todays high-tech war on terrorism. Created in the aftermath of the Bay of Pigs fiasco by advisers to President John Kennedy, presidents, cabinet members, and National Security Council staff members have all come to depend on the Situation Room. I knew that I could always rely on the Situation Room, President Jimmy Carter recalled, and it never let me down.

Bohn, who served as director of the Situation Room for the first President George Bush, has recruited numerous officials, including former and current staff, to tell the colorful forty-year history of the Situation Room. In a final chapter, Bohn uses a fictional crisis to describe how the Situation Room will evolve to help the president meet the challenges of an increasingly dangerous future. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (6)

Totally Cool
Excellent sneak peak into the White House Situation Room, dispelling myths and showing us the American people how our leaders handle a crisis.

A must for lovers of the West Wing!
I first read this book 2 years ago after purchasing it from Amazon, and loved it the moment I saw it. Sitting down to read it was almost like opening a chocolate box, with wonderful anecdotes from dozens of men and women who have served in the nexus of American Military decision making. I highly recomend this book to anyone who would like to find out more about the White House Situation room and it's impact on the world and the West Wing itself.

Behind Closed Doors - A Fascinating Look
Mike Bohn has succeeded in opening to the reader a portion of the White House that few understand - let alone acknowledge its existence or function. The Situation Room truly is the "Nerve Center" for the country - both in times of crisis and in peace time. It is a central briefing room for the President, and a contact center for countries around the globe. Before reading this wonderful book, I hadn't thought about how calls to heads-of-state were made on behalf of the President, but now I can see why they would all go through the Situation Room.

If you are a fan of political movies, and want to know the truth behind the Hollywood fiction, or are just a political junkie, then this truly is the one book you want on your shelf!

Life in the WHSR
Bohn, Commander Bohn. Shakes not stirs events in the White House from the Situation Room.He takes the pulse of the Sit Room and displays it with humor and humanity.This is the first account of the people who watch and report on events that shape our world. Well done and well written!

Greatview of the White House Situation Room
I enjoyed reading this book on the White House Situation Room. It offers readers great insight and anecdotes behind the scenes of government crises and every day political happenings. ... Read more

Book Description
On the surface the new president seems to inherit an empty house," Hugh Heclo, a recognized expert on American democratic institutions, has noted. "In fact, he enters an office already shaped and crowded by other people's desires." Empowering the White House examines how Richard Nixon entered that crowded Oval Office in 1969 yet managed to change it in a way that augmented the power of the presidency and continues to influence into the twenty-first century how his successors have governed.

Nixon's White House is perhaps best remembered for the growth in the size of the staff, which operated under the supposed iron fist of H. R. Haldeman. But more important than size and management style to the character of the Nixon White House were the assigned tasks, complexity, and dynamics of the burgeoning staff. Faced with hostile majorities in Congress and executive branch careerists assumed to be committed to a Democratic agenda, Nixon sought to control his political fate by engaging more actively than earlier presidents in public relations and the mobilization of support. At the command and under the control of the Oval Office, the staff carried out assignments designed to fulfill Nixon's aims.

This theoretically informed and well-researched study explains how Nixon changed and expanded the institutionalized presidency and how that affected the Ford and Carter administrations. Nixon ushered in a new stage in the modern presidency by organizing and using his increasingly complex staff in new ways that have persisted beyond the 1970s to this day. To a greater degree than any predecessor, Nixon systematized outreach, legal advice, and policy formulation. His White House staffing, then, has come to be regarded as a "standard model" that influences incoming presidents regardless of party affiliation.

Leavening this organizational study are revealing accounts of how the Nixon, Ford, and Carter staffs operated behind the scenes in the West Wing. Anyone needing to know how the White House worked during those presidencies--or how it has worked since--will find this book invaluable.

This book is part of the Studies in Government and Public Policy series. ... Read more

Book Description
Life-altering choices are made by the flip of a switch. If you lose focus, determination, or forget early lessons, you may not like your destination. One should never look at a successful person and judge them by what they have attained. We should first determine the length traveled and how they negotiated the forks in the road. Using an uncanny memory of events, trends, and people, the author allows us to sail alongside and truly see what he sees. He takes us back to the best of times - our childhoods. He describes the things that shaped our lives with magnificent detail. Switches places a humorous twist on life's events while motivating us to think before we move. It also celebrates the individuals who flip switches on our behalf because they ultimately change our lives. The one thing that it does not do is throw individuals "under the bus" in order to paint a poignant picture! This is not your everyday "boys from the block" story! ... Read more

Book Description
Stephen Wayne, a leading scholar of presidential electoral politics, describes and analyzes the crucial politics, procedures, and strategies behind campaign finance, media relations, nominating conventions, and the general election. The post-election edition includes a thorough analysis of the entire 2000 presidential election and its dramatic conclusion. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

excellent book on Presidential Election
This book provides an excellent review of the Presidential Election process in the United States.

A textbook, not a report on the campaign
This was written before the 2004 campaign as a guide for following the campaign, and does not include info re: the campaign itself.As such, it's rather dry but useful for a hard-care politics junkie. ... Read more

Book Description
'Readable, well organized, well researched, and smoothly written. . . . Even those who know Lincoln well may learn something they did not know before.' --- The Washington Post Book World From the day of his inauguration, Abraham Lincoln was confronted with a nation divided by a savage conflict but within the White House walls, Lincoln's family was as divided as the nation he led. Criticized by the American public for her extravagance, and distrusted because of her Southern roots, First Lady Mary Lincoln's increasing mental instability would strain her marriage. The presidential couple was devastated when eleven-year-old Willie died in the White House of typhoid fever. Robert Lincoln's success at Harvard made his parents proud, but his relationship with them was troubled and would eventually result in his permanent, painful estrangement. The Lincolns' youngest son Tad, though physically impaired, remained the couple's joy; but the president's assassination coupled with Tad's early death all but destroyed Mary's fragile spirit. Mary finally retreated into deep seclusion, falling further into madness until her own death in 1882. The Lincolns in the White House is a moving and poignant portrait of the family life of America's greatest president. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Good read on the Lincoln family in the White House
Errors appear in even the best edited works.Perhaps the next edition will correct the incorrect information about the "last" photograph.As one of the multitude of Lincoln fans I found this book to contain lots of personal information about Lincoln and his family that I had not read in collected form elsewhere.I value the author's collected research that gives us a brief peek into the life of a very private man with more than his share of family tragedy.The relationship with his sons and wife is much clearer to me now that I have read this work.I consider this a well-written, highly readable account of the A. Lincoln family in the White House and belongs on every Lincoln collector's, if not scholar's bookshelf.

Found A Mistake As Soon As I Opened The Book
I received Mr. Packard's book yesterday, and I could not wait to begin reading it. Although I have little interest in the war aspects of Lincoln's presidency, the personal side of his story has always piqued my interest.I recently purchased books on Lincoln's depression and on his supposed (by the author) sexuality.Mr. Packard's contribution seemed to fit the motif quite well.After reading the back of the book jacket, which states that his book was written "with painstaking research and an eye for historical detail", I was disheartened to see that the first page I opened up to (purely by coincidence), was a photograph of Lincoln purported to be his last.The photograph in question was believed, for many years, to have been taken by Alexander Gardner on April 10, 1865, four days before the assassination.Packard dates the photograph to that session.The problem lies in the fact that many Lincoln scholars, relying on primary sources of the time, including the diary of portrait painter Matthew Wilson, who attended the photo shoot, have long since established that the Gardner photo was taken on February 5, 1865, and that the true last set of photographs were taken of Lincoln on the south portico of the White House on March 6, 1865, two days after the second inaugural, by Henry F. Warren.This will undoubtedly come across as nitpicking to some, but when a book markets itself as one conducted with "painstaking research and an eye for historical detail", it makes one wonder just how much of the content is accurate, ala "A Million Little Pieces."I tried to contact Mr. Packard before writing this review, but naturally his number is unlisted.In any event, the written portion of the book may be incredibly interesting and perhaps even accurate, but the author gets a one for making such an obvious and unnecessary error, in light of what current scholarship has already undercovered through the writings of Lincoln's secretaries, John Hay and John Nicoloy, Lloyd Ostendorf, W. Emerson Reck et. al. ... Read more

Book Description

and #147;Will you honor us by pointing the way to Washington? and #148;

Giving directions seems easy enough, but Charlie and #146;s whole life is about to change. Soon he is delivering messages to the President and #146;s Palace and helping with John Adams and #146; own granddaughter! Strange Frenchmen are threatening the United States, and one teacup is the only clue to the mystery. Can Charlie and his friend Hannah find out what and #146;s really happening before France declares war?
In the early days of the United States, nothing is certain and #151;not the fate of the country or of Charlie and #146;s missing father. Will God listen to the prayers of a poor black boy in the midst of so many bigger problems?

Ages: 7-10
Value: Prayer

Book Description
In First Daughter: Extreme American Makeover, Sameera showed the United States it was ready for a Pakistani-born First Daughter. With her brains and bravado, she helped her dad win the presidential election. Now she's living in the White House. Fabulous! Right? Actually, it's no fairy tale. The Secret Service and the paparazzi follow Sameera everywhere. She misses her friends--and even her school--back home. So Sameera decides to escape. Will she be able to pull it off, or will her plan backfire on the entire First Family? This smart and funny novel continues the adventures of a Pakistani-American teen in the spotlight. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Spread Butter to Treat Burns
I am not a chef on any account except the freelance sort of cooking that comes out "just right" from time to time. This book, however, has gripped my interest in antiquity rather that gastronomy. It is filled with little oddities that are no longer practiced in any kitchens that I know of.

It certainly is a fun book to browse through...and, yes, that part of a raccoon can be quite good (in accordance to the book).
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Amazon.com
If social history is more accessible to many readers than military or political tomes, perhaps its gossipy subgenre is the most entertaining of all.This quirky, highly readable series of portraits of "Women in and Around the White House" is enlivened by some wonderful quotes (many from the irrepressible Alice Roosevelt Longworth) and a gallery of first ladies every bit as insipid as those pictures of presidents inflicted on us all in school (but with really funny captions).

The first lady (she wasn't even called that at first) has always been under pressure from the public and the press to conform to an ill-defined, constantly changing role.Each in the parade of women across these pages did something to change that role, expanding or contracting it, or just plain opting out altogether out of fear or loathing of a public life.Presented largely chronologically, Stephens's look at the wives, mistresses, daughters, mothers, nieces, aunts, sisters, and female friends and acquaintances of the presidents of the United States is a refreshing review of changing fashions in etiquette, clothing, and gender roles.By the end, you'll find yourself compelled to agree with the current first lady's assessment of her treatment: "I don't think there's anything that has happened to me that is, frankly, very new."Product Description
Part Irreverent Portrait Gallery, part exuberant expose, Wild Women in the White House introduces an unforgettable array of feisty first ladies and mutinous housekeepers, bigamist brides, subversive office seekers, and, of course, the ever-burgeoning bevy of backdoor paramours who have held (or at least briefly handled) the reins of executive power. Rollicking and revealing, this latest gem from the author of Wild Women and Wild Words from Wild Women offers and eye-opening journey into the realm of the eclectic sisterhood whose outrageous works and deeds haverocked the fusty old foundations of 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue..and sometimes the entire nation. From Day One of American democracy, scores of ahead-of-their-times trend-buckers have more than matched the mettle of the men in the Oval Office. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

Wild and not-so-wild women
Not all the women in this book are wild, some aren't wild at all, but all the brief essays about them are interesting and amusing.Many of the women are already well-known, many more are not well-known at all.It is fascinating to read about all the president's wives with their very different personalities and attitudes to being in the White House.My absolute favourite is Mamie Eisenhower, who refused to bestir herself about anything and said "all women over fifty should stay in bed till noon."I only have three years to go, hooray!Truly a woman after my own heart. I was a bit taken aback though when Cher's romance at forty with a twenty-two-year old boy is referred to as a December-May romance.Come, come, Ms. Stephens, forty is scarcely December.September at the latest.

What's old is new again.
Reading Autumn Stephens' Wild Women in the White House reminded me that what's old is new again.These wild tales of First Ladies and other women who've made their own impact (sometimes notorious impact) on the White House just goes to show anything coming out of our nation's head household is nothing to be shocked about. A great read.Lots of attention to detail, history, and mindful entertainment.

Interesting and fun read. Chock full of intriguing tidbits.
What a fun and intersting book! My impression of the world of the White House is forever altered. Page after page is filled with intriguing tales of the tangled lives of the people who have in some way ended up at the White House over the course of U.S. history. It's a real window to the emotional side of the lives of the Presidents, their wives, and all the hangers-on. Yep, those folks are just as wacky and disfunctional as the rest of us. This book is best kept on top of the toilet tank since it's a perfect bathroom reader. Each page is a separate little vignette; pick it up for just a few minutes during your "morning routine" and you'll surely learn something really interesting to share with friends and co-workers later in the day. ... Read more

Book Description
Living in the back of Oscar's Pizza Palace in Washington, D.C., Wilky is a small bug with big dreams. His uncle Julius was a great adventurer, and Wilky longs to follow in his footsteps. But when he stows away in a pizza box and winds up at the most famous address in the country—on the day of a big state dinner honoring the president of France—it looks like Wilky's first big adventure may turn out to be his last. With the President and his staff in crisis mode and hot on his trail, Wilky has some powerful shoes to outrun—but if there's one thing a cockroach knows how to do, it's survive. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Howie the White House Satirist
Howie Schneider, Wilky, the White House Cockroach (Putnam, 2006)

Seriously, I gotta ask: where do people come up with these ideas? Wherever it may be, I'm glad they do. In this bright, spunky kids' book, Wilky, a cockroach who lives with his family in a pizza joint near the White House, hitches a ride to the Oval Office in a pizza box, sparking an international incident that has all of Washington scrambling to figure out how to placate both the bug populace and the French. (Yeah, I know.) It's a kid-sized satire on how things run in Washington, and makes a good counterpoint to My Senator And Me: A Dog's Eye View Of Washington, D.C., Ted Kennedy's recent dog's-eye-view kids' book of politics. *** ½
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Book Description
The White House: An Illustrated Tour takes the reader on an exclusive tour of the halls of the White House and details the history of its architects, planners, and engineers. State rooms, relics and replicas are examined, together with the various rooms of this vast monument to democracy, including the West Wing immortalized in film and on television. These places, and the fascinating personalities that shaped them, are examined in detail in 96 beautiful pages of full-color photography and illustration. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (7)

They took the pages off...!
Funny, got this book mainly to appreciate the White House inside and to my surprise Amazon took most of the pages out bofore sending it! Either as a security measure or a total coincidence all of the photographs from the actual inside of the White House were removed from the book I got which kind of reminded me of the paranoia following 9/11. Also reminded me of that scene in Seven if you saw it.

They did leave the pages from the old White Houses though; thank you very much A.

Why did i not returned it? Makes for a perfect funny story/NSA Souvenir sitting on my coffee table...!

Weak!
As a White House junkie from childhood, this effort by Mr. Harris was weak and the information and photos insultingly outdated even at the time of publication.To present the State Rooms in photos from the Eisenhower and Nixon administrations as current was nothing short of shoddy journalism.Don't waste your money on this book.The White House Historical Association's guide is a much more solid investment.

The White House: An Illustrated Tour
The title of this book is quite misleading.Wanted a book that would give our class a tour of the rooms of the White House and its gardens.This book shows you old hats and gloves and things worn by Presidents. There is far far too little information about the actual White House.For one who teaches children who may never visit the White House, this book was really did little to increase thier knowledge nor may I add, hold their interest.

Tour-age and the White House
Like Alice walking into Wonderland, many residents visit the public areas of the White House through its many tours. A few documentaries have been made over the years, but few which track the "life" of the White House itself. Since it plays its own panoramic role in the life of every President who lives there, it deserves its own category in American History as more than simply the home of Presidents. More within the realm of "if these walls could talk" scenes, there is the architectural significance of the changes made there, but there is also the social history of the "home" that becomes a part of each Presidential term. Every President should be publishing his own "view" of the White House, his impressions, his concerns, the significance of living there, changes that might be made, etc., all in an effort to identify the "true" nature of the White House because they are in the best position to evalutate its strengths, weaknesses, and significance, which likely changes relative to the personality of each President who inhabits it, or tries to accommodate his family there. This is something that should be separate from any autobiography he or a First Lady might write because it is its own unique topic, and deserves the attention that any ultra-historical building might require as a result of its potential influence upon those persons. Each President who lives and works there is likely to enter, some with anticipation, but most without a sense of the spectacular wonderland atmosphere that accompanies that journey through time, identified by their own performance, and is possible to be viewed best, from their personal experience of living there. From such personal perspective of America's house, it is possible for ordinary Americans to appreciate what that might be like, what value the home is to the nation, and possibly, how its support (and condition) is essential to American history. It also makes great flavor-fare in respect of historical preservation, while giving a running history of the place from such unique perspectives. It is the most common denominator of each President and from these views, a pattern over time may develop to identify unique perspectives of historical significance, and perhaps something about the Presidential experience as well as the personal attributes and contemplative possibilities of each President. There have been observations previously by several Presidents about the White House, and accumulated and taken together, they offer great insight into the unique experience of being a President, always a valuable exercise from the perspective of the public who must choose one each four years to live there. Because the experience of a President is as much about each person as it is about what each President does during his term, this is a very family-friendly method of reaching those interesting perspectives through which America may relate to its Presidents and their families, and the experience they go through in being President. It is Presidential family entertainment at its best and helps to give character and dimension to each President and the terms in which they serve, and perhaps something of their disappointments, and dreams from such an awe-inspiring place. It's also a wonderful way for Presidents to share their experience with the public, apart from the complications of the nature of the office that are the focus of most historical documentaries.

Disappointng imagery and captions
The front matter dealing with historical evolution of the early White House is accurate and highly interesting. Bill Harris receives points for the accessibility of this book, and I know it is not meant to be the definitive White House tour book. Unfortunately this is the extent of anything positive I can find to say about this book.

Harris' book suffers in two surprising ways. First the reproduction quality of photographs, even current Bush administration photographs, is disappointing. Photographs appear either milky with little contrast or too dark with low light areas appearing as dark brown to black. Most disappointing, and highly surprising are the blatant disconnects between his captions and the photographs they are supposed to describe. It made me wonder if he had benefit of an editor or fact checker atCourage Books. As example, caption descriptions of the Red Room, and State Dining Roomeach describe the rooms as they presently exist, yet the photographs are 50 and 45 years out of date respectively. Example: the Red Room is described as having been restored in 2000 retaining the American Empire period established in the Kennedy administration, and yet the photograph we are shown is that of the pre-Kennedy, Truman administration renovation produced by B. Altman showing the room furnished in bad reproductions. A similar disconnect between caption and photograph exists for the State Dining Room where, once again the Truman era renovation photograph is shown. The Blue Room is presented in its Kennedy era decoration as though that was how the room currently appears even though it has been redecorated during both the Nixon and Clinton administrations. The book's last page, a list of phot credits titled "Acknowledgments" reveals the reason we find such dated imagery. Much of the credit goes to the stock image libraries of Corbis and Bettman. Harris and ultimately his readers would have been better served by his simply contacting White House Curator Betty Monkman for public domain and current images of the White House. ... Read more