WEST WINGERS (edited by Gautam Raghavan) is a series of essays written by former West Wing staff members and thereby offers unique perspective. In his preface, Raghavan notes, "At a time of rising cynicism about politics and growing distrust of government, stories of idealism, patriotism, and service are more important than ever. As we think about the future, it is essential that we remember a more optimistic and inclusive vision of government – and know that time will come again." True; however, by their very nature essays themselves are rather self-centered and sometimes feel repetitive. It would be helpful to student researchers to have more delineation and labeling of the issues which are being discussed – either through adding an index or perhaps improved cataloging? For example, Lynn Rosenthal contributes "A call to action," but there is little reference outside her essay (unless one refers to her brief bio or if we added local notes in our catalog) that this essay is about response to sexual assault and the #MeToo movement. Of course, some of the events in this collection occur as early as 2009 and that, too, will seem a lifetime ago to high school students. Again, it could be valuable to maybe also add a timeline or chronology showing the impact of the contributors' work or highlighting various inflections points (e.g., Supreme Court decisions striking down DOMA to which Raghavan refers in "Evolution"). That would also show the complexity and overlap in the work done for various constituencies and thereby more effectively share these "stories from Dream Chasers, Change Makers, and Hope Creators."

West Wingers is one of the few books about the presidency that have flooded the library shelves recently that gives the reader a different point of view..IIn a personal, articulate, passionate, and sometimes emotional way, these ordinary Americans answer the call to serve their country. In a vignette format we hear from a variety of West Wing employees- their personal histories, their motivations, their paths to the White House, and the real inside picture of what it is to go to work at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue.

I very much enjoyed this informative and entertaining look at the experiences of these hard working folks, particularly the clear look at what life is like at the most famous building in the country.

This book is a must read. It’s a collection of essays from different staffers from Obama’s White House. What I liked about this collection is that it was perspectives from people we don’t usually hear from. Almost every story made me tear up. It was so inspirational and hopeful. And I couldn’t help comparing it to what we have now which is super depressing.