Description
"Like taking a tour of the White House with a gifted storyteller at your side!" 1.Why, in the minutes before John F. Kennedy was murdered, was a blood-red carpet installed in the Oval Office? 2.If Abraham Lincoln never slept in the Lincoln Bedroom, where did he sleep? 3.Why was one president nearly killed in the White House on inauguration day-and another secretly sworn in? 4.What really happened in the Situation Room on September 11, 2001? History leaps off the page in this "riveting," "fast-moving" and "highly entertaining" book on the presidency and White House in Under This Roof, from award-winning White House-based journalist Paul Brandus. Reporting from the West Wing briefing room since 2008, Brandus-the most followed White House journalist on Twitter (@WestWingReport)-weaves together stories of the presidents, their families, the events of their time-and an oft-ignored major character, the White House itself. From George Washington to Barack Obama-the story of the White House is the story of America itself, Brandus writes. You'll: 1.Walk with John Adams through the still-unfinished mansion, and watch Thomas Jefferson plot to buy the Louisiana Territory 2.Feel the fear and panic as British invaders approach the mansion in 1814-and Dolley Madison frantically saves a painting of Washington 3.Gaze out the window with Abraham Lincoln as Confederate flags flutter in the breeze on the other side of the Potomac 4.Be in the room as one president is secretly sworn in, and another gambles away the White House china in a card game 5.Stand by the presidential bed as one First Lady-covering up her husband's illness from the nation-secretly makes decisions on his behalf 6.Learn how telephones, movies, radio, TV changed the presidency-and the nation itself Through triumph and tragedy, boom and bust, secrets and scandals, Brandus takes you to the presidential bedroom, movie theater, Situation Room, Oval Office and more. Under This Roof is a "sensuous account of the history of both the home of the President, and the men and women who designed, inhabited, and decorated it. Paul Brandus captivates with surprising, gloriously raw observations."
About the Author
An award-winning, independent member of the White House press corps, Paul Brandus founded West Wing Reports (R) in 2009 (Twitter: @WestWingReport) and provides reports for television and radio outlets around the United States and overseas. He is also a Washington columnist for The Week and moderates panels for the magazine in Washington and around the U.S. on topics like cybersecurity, energy and infrastructure. He has lectured at the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism. An innovator in social media, Brandus's Twitter account @WestWingReport is the second biggest among all accredited members of the White House press corps. In 2011, he won the Shorty Award for "Best Journalist on Twitter," sponsored by the Knight Foundation. The Atlantic calls Brandus "One of the top Washington Insiders You Should Follow on Twitter." His career spans network television, Wall Street and several years as a foreign correspondent based in Moscow, where he covered the collapse of the Soviet Union for NBC Radio and Public Radio International's award-winning business and economics program "Marketplace." He has traveled to 53 countries on five continents and has reported from, among other places Iraq, Chechnya, China and Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. He began his career as a desk assistant at NBC News Washington and as a U.S. Senate staffer. Brandus sits on the Board of Governors of the Overseas Press Club of America and serves as its Washington, D.C. representative. He lives in Reston, Virginia.
Reviews
"[A] fast-moving and well-written history of the presidency.... Brandus is a top-notch tour guide, filling his pages with vivid portraits of presidents and their families at work and play." -Del Quentin Wilber, New York Times bestselling author of Rawhide Down: The Near Assassination of Ronald Reagan
"[A]n engaging, endearing profile of the world's most famous residence and the families who called the White House home.... I thought I knew just about everything interesting about the presidency-until I read his book!" -Ron Fournier, senior columnist for the National Journal
"[I]nventive, smart and engaging." -Susan Page, Washington Bureau chief of USA Today
"[A] towering history . . . a riveting narrative." -David A. Andelman, Editor & Publisher, World Policy Journal; Columnist, USA Today; and author of Shattered Peace: Versailles 1919 and the Price We Pay Today
"Quite simply, it's a fascinating read." -Steve Scully, C-SPAN Networks
"This fascinating book is stuffed with secrets and little-known tales of presidential intrigue." -Larry J. Sabato, New York Times bestselling author of The Kennedy Half-Century: The Presidency, Assassination, and Lasting Legacy of John F. Kennedy
"Under This Roof is like taking a tour of the White House with a gifted storyteller at your side illuminating the most dramatic moments of American history.... Paul Brandus paints a vivid picture." -Christina Bellantoni, Editor-in-Chief, Roll Call.
"Paul Brandus brings wit and insight to vivid depictions of the forty-two men, their families, and staff members who have lived and worked at the 'President's House' since 1800. Liberally sprinkled with anecdotes, Under This Roof is a great choice for anyone interested in American History and life in the White House." -Libby O'Connell, Chief Historian, HISTORY (R) and author of The American Plate
"Under this Roof sweeps us into a sensuous account of the history of both the home of the President, and the men and women who designed, inhabited, and decorated it. Paul Brandus captivates with surprising, gloriously raw observations." -Mark Santangelo, Chief Librarian and Archivist, The Fred W. Smith National Library for the Study of George Washington
"[A] terrifically fun, smart, and thoughtful exploration of the people who lived in the White House.... [A] must-read for anyone with curiosity about what happens within the White House's historic walls." -Ben Frumin, Editor-in-Chief, TheWeek.com
"[A] meticulously researched, highly entertaining 'if these walls could talk' biography of the White House and its inhabitants from a writer who makes the reader feel he is there. On this brisk walk through American history, author Paul Brandus shows us the small moments that tell the American story." -Melinda Henneberger, Washington Post and Senior Writer for Bloomberg Politics
" Under This Roof is a quick-moving read. It is almost like having a guided tour of the White House itself! It brings history alive, and that is no small accomplishment! It is a perfect gift for the Holiday season. And you might enjoy it yourself!" * Feather Schwartz Foster Presidential Historian *
Book Information
ISBN 9781493033591
Author Paul Brandus
Format Paperback
Page Count 296
Imprint The Lyons Press
Publisher Rowman & Littlefield
Weight(grams) 26g
Dimensions(mm) 231mm * 151mm * 15mm
About the Author
An award-winning, independent member of the White House press corps, Paul Brandus founded West Wing Reports (R) in 2009 (Twitter: @WestWingReport) and provides reports for television and radio outlets around the United States and overseas. He is also a Washington columnist for The Week and moderates panels for the magazine in Washington and around the U.S. on topics like cybersecurity, energy and infrastructure. He has lectured at the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism. An innovator in social media, Brandus's Twitter account @WestWingReport is the second biggest among all accredited members of the White House press corps. In 2011, he won the Shorty Award for "Best Journalist on Twitter," sponsored by the Knight Foundation. The Atlantic calls Brandus "One of the top Washington Insiders You Should Follow on Twitter." His career spans network television, Wall Street and several years as a foreign correspondent based in Moscow, where he covered the collapse of the Soviet Union for NBC Radio and Public Radio International's award-winning business and economics program "Marketplace." He has traveled to 53 countries on five continents and has reported from, among other places Iraq, Chechnya, China and Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. He began his career as a desk assistant at NBC News Washington and as a U.S. Senate staffer. Brandus sits on the Board of Governors of the Overseas Press Club of America and serves as its Washington, D.C. representative. He lives in Reston, Virginia.
Reviews
"[A] fast-moving and well-written history of the presidency.... Brandus is a top-notch tour guide, filling his pages with vivid portraits of presidents and their families at work and play." -Del Quentin Wilber, New York Times bestselling author of Rawhide Down: The Near Assassination of Ronald Reagan
"[A]n engaging, endearing profile of the world's most famous residence and the families who called the White House home.... I thought I knew just about everything interesting about the presidency-until I read his book!" -Ron Fournier, senior columnist for the National Journal
"[I]nventive, smart and engaging." -Susan Page, Washington Bureau chief of USA Today
"[A] towering history . . . a riveting narrative." -David A. Andelman, Editor & Publisher, World Policy Journal; Columnist, USA Today; and author of Shattered Peace: Versailles 1919 and the Price We Pay Today
"Quite simply, it's a fascinating read." -Steve Scully, C-SPAN Networks
"This fascinating book is stuffed with secrets and little-known tales of presidential intrigue." -Larry J. Sabato, New York Times bestselling author of The Kennedy Half-Century: The Presidency, Assassination, and Lasting Legacy of John F. Kennedy
"Under This Roof is like taking a tour of the White House with a gifted storyteller at your side illuminating the most dramatic moments of American history.... Paul Brandus paints a vivid picture." -Christina Bellantoni, Editor-in-Chief, Roll Call.
"Paul Brandus brings wit and insight to vivid depictions of the forty-two men, their families, and staff members who have lived and worked at the 'President's House' since 1800. Liberally sprinkled with anecdotes, Under This Roof is a great choice for anyone interested in American History and life in the White House." -Libby O'Connell, Chief Historian, HISTORY (R) and author of The American Plate
"Under this Roof sweeps us into a sensuous account of the history of both the home of the President, and the men and women who designed, inhabited, and decorated it. Paul Brandus captivates with surprising, gloriously raw observations." -Mark Santangelo, Chief Librarian and Archivist, The Fred W. Smith National Library for the Study of George Washington
"[A] terrifically fun, smart, and thoughtful exploration of the people who lived in the White House.... [A] must-read for anyone with curiosity about what happens within the White House's historic walls." -Ben Frumin, Editor-in-Chief, TheWeek.com
"[A] meticulously researched, highly entertaining 'if these walls could talk' biography of the White House and its inhabitants from a writer who makes the reader feel he is there. On this brisk walk through American history, author Paul Brandus shows us the small moments that tell the American story." -Melinda Henneberger, Washington Post and Senior Writer for Bloomberg Politics
" Under This Roof is a quick-moving read. It is almost like having a guided tour of the White House itself! It brings history alive, and that is no small accomplishment! It is a perfect gift for the Holiday season. And you might enjoy it yourself!" * Feather Schwartz Foster Presidential Historian *
Book Information
ISBN 9781493033591
Author Paul Brandus
Format Paperback
Page Count 296
Imprint The Lyons Press
Publisher Rowman & Littlefield
Weight(grams) 26g
Dimensions(mm) 231mm * 151mm * 15mm
