Comment

Who Thought This Was a Good Idea?

and Other Questions You Should Have Answers to When You Work in the White House
Oct 23, 2017dani_lacey rated this title 3 out of 5 stars
A quick read that provided some fun anecdotes, but was at times underwhelming. Alyssa Mastromonaco ran the White House during the Obama years and it's clear that she has a deep passion for what she does. But, while I'd hoped to learn more about the nuts and bolts of what it was like to work in such a busy, high-stakes, high-pressure environment, I instead got a more intimate story, focusing on her own failings and successes. It's not terrible, but when I'm hoping to read about what it's like working for POTUS during events such as the economic recovery, Hurricane Sandy and the fight to pass ObamaCare, I don't really want to read stories about getting a tampon machine installed in the bathroom, getting diarrhea while meeting the Pope or taking a cat to the hospital. Also, unlike other memoirs, this book was organized more by themes rather than chronologically. I haven't decided how I feel about that. One the one hand, it did actually do a much better job at keeping me interested in story. It never felt like we were just reading her resume. It was confusing at times, however. No matter how I felt about the book, it was nice to go back to a time when we had a president who was intelligent, eloquent and compassionate. It was nice to go back to a time when we had a president. Sigh.