I enjoyed this one. A microcosm of history that I would venture that most Americans don't know much about. I listened to the audio version, which was both cool and annoying - great to hear real people talking about their experiences, but audio levels varied and could have been better. Recommended.

I thoroughly enjoyed this fascinating book focused on the room where the most secretive and dangerous decisions are made, phone calls from world leaders are received, and supersecret videos are watched, all in the little-known rather dingy room in the basement of the White House. The chapters were just the right lengths and spanned each presidents' experiences in using the situation room. It was written just like Stephanopoulos' reporting style, interesting and informational but not too burdened down with details.

Fantastic read by George Stephanopoulos. I thoroughly enjoyed learning about The Situation Room and the ways it has been used differently by all the presidents throughout the years.

Excellent lessons in how our government works in stressful, dangerous times. It was JFK who created the first Situation Room with the goal of centralizing decision-making in the White House. This book has a chapter for each president beginning with JFK…from Johnson’s micromanaging to Nixon’s absence, to the mad scrambling after Reagan was shot to the chaos of the Trump administration. Totally apolitical in treating presidents of each party equally and with respect. The only exception to the respect part was how Trump misused the Room for his own whims and benefits, but it is what it is and that is how it was.

Thank you to the publisher and to Netgalley for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for a review. I am a fan of George Stephanopoulos's journalism on ABC and so I was excited to see a political history book from him. Overall I thought this was a really interesting and informative read. I think deciding to do each presidency as a chapter was a smart choice. It allows him to explore each administration while using the room and major crises as a central point with which to examine them. It was interesting to see a profile of each president but also how the Situation Room itself has changed with the advent of new technology and as needs change. This was clearly a very well researched book with extensive interviews aimed at both understanding the full operation as well as singing the praises of these mostly unsung figures that keep The United States safe and moving forward.

I knew very little about the "sit room" before this book, and this was an excellent way to do a deep dive into the world of White House communications, and just how important this room [and a!I the people who have and continue to run it] is in the running of the White House and the government.

From its beginning in JFK's White House [after the disastrous Bay of Pigs incident] to the present day President Biden White House and the War in Ukraine, this is a very well-written, well researched [OHHHH the interviews Mr. Stephanopoulos was able to get] book and I love that I have added to my ever-growing knowledge of how things work [and sometimes DON'T work] within our government.

The stories within are enlightening, thought-provoking, humorous [because sometimes you just have to laugh], and often sad [the chapters on 9/11 and January 6th were particularly heartbreaking to listen to] and I went band forth in needing to read just one chapter and then not being able to stop. Mr. Stephanopoulos is a great narrator [I have always enjoyed his voice] and the stories are sprinkled with clips from his interviews that really added to the whole storytelling.

If you have an interest in how things work, I highly recommend this book!! Very well done!!

Thank you to NetGalley, George Stephanopoulos, Lisa Dickey - Contributor, and Grand Central Publishing for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

THE SITUATION ROOM by George Stephanopoulos is a very interesting look at the crises faced by Presidents since Kennedy and how each utilized the conference and communication area known as the Situation Room. ABC News host and commentator Stephanopoulos served in the Clinton administration as the senior advisor to the president for policy and strategy so he has personally spent time in that arena. He shares at least one story from each administration, beginning with the Cuban Missile Crisis continuing through events like the capture of the S.S. Mayaguez, the secrecy behind the hunt for Osama bin Laden and the "surreal" atmosphere during the events of January 6, 2021. Particularly fascinating themes are (1) the way that technology has changed and the speed with which information is now shared; and (2) the way each President utilized the space and its specialized staff. Stephanopoulos interviewed one hundred people and is therefore able to share new "never been told before" stories and numerous insights. Readers will appreciate the unique perspective on the crises faced by our leaders, further emphasizing the importance of professional staff and reasoned judgment. Subtitled "The Inside Story of Presidents in Crisis," Kirkus describes THE SITUATION ROOM as "An effective blend of political analysis and personal stories, tied together at the epicenter of crisis management." This text will have strong appeal for history buffs and political junkies. Definitely recommended.

I loved this book so much. It is such a researched and informed look into a space that most of us will never glimpse. It felt like being right on scene. I would hand this book to almost anyone. I couldn't put it down.

Well researched and superb book about the history of the White House Situation Room. The book provides a detailed view of the amazing staff, events and operations surrounding the Situation Room. Particularly interesting is the interaction of each President with the Situation Room staff and their use of the wealth of Situation Room knowledge and experience in moments of historic decision making.

This book was a much better book than I thought it was going to be given the subject of politics. You can usually tell in the first 10 pages or so if the writer will remain neutral about their own politics or spread their owm propaganda. I like that George Stephanopolous remained neutral and just shared the interesting tidbits about monumentals occurences in "The Situation Room." Readers got to know exactly what the situation room is and that when crisis occurs, this is where the action happens.

I personally enjoyed reading the chapters about JFK, events on and post-9/11, and Obama's plans for Bin Laden. This book emphasizes the importance of cohesive and strong executive branch. Our government needs to get back a having a president that is for the good of America and the people and him or herself.

Well wriiten. Current. Important.

Thanks to Netgalley, George Stephanopolous and Grand Central Publishing for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Available: 5/14/24

This was a great book. George Stephanopoulus really kept me interested in this book. There is a great deal of information . You feel like you’re there. It’s a great history lesson with takes from people there or notes. I loved this book and it was great at keeping my attention.

Thank you to the publisher and for NetGalley, which provided me with a free copy of this book in exchange for an unbiased review.

I just finished The Situation Room: The Inside Story Of Presidents In Crisis, by George Stephanopoulos.

This was an excellent look at behind the scenes in the situation room during times of crisis. The book also discusses how the room works during its every day operation.

The book is filled with fascinating tidbits and stories. One of the most alarming stories was how, in the middle of the Yom Kippur War, President Nixon was out of commission because he was having a mental breakdown, due to Watergate. Al Haig was, according to one witness, acting as though he was the president, while Kissinger was also running the show with him. To make matters worse, Brezhnev was out of commission in the Kremlin, due to alcohol and sleeping pills, while events were escalating to the point where nuclear war was a realistic scenario.

There are other very interesting tidbits, such as during Clinton’s second term, newspaper articles from the New York Times and Washington Post were still be circulated in the situation room by making photocopies of the newspapers and faxing them and they didn’t get internet access until 1998. Also, how Richard Clarke sat in the situation room in the days following 9/11 with a loaded gun on him.

We also learn in the book that the Situation Room has a new name. It’s been called WHSR (pronounced whizzer) by the “cool kids.” But, I have to agree with Stephanopoulos that it’s not a term I will ever use and I hope that it never catches on.

I give this book an A. Goodreads and NetGalley require grades on a 1-5 star system. In my personal conversion system, an A equates to 5 stars. (A or A+: 5 stars, B+: 4 stars, B: 3 stars, C: 2 stars, D or F: 1 star).

I found this book on NetGalley one day way back in January. It immediately caught my attention. I'm a sucker for all things presidential history, and I thought this would be a very interesting book. The Situation Room does seem to have a bit of the unknown surrounding it. I read it in chunks over the last few months, a chapter here and there. Luckily the way the book is structured it didn't matter that I read it in this manner. Some of the book lagged for me at times and I definitely preferred reading about the beginnings of the Situation Room more than I did the sections that were more recent (with the exception of the sections dealing with 9/11 and the killing of Bin Laden...) but overall I found this to be quite an interesting book and I enjoyed my time reading it. Definitely recommended for those who have an interest in presidential history.

I received a copy of this book for free on NetGalley in exchange for an honest review; all opinions expressed are my own.

Ya’ll, this book was brilliant! This book provides a vast amount of valuable insight into the many presidential crises that have occurred over the years. This book stands out as being exceptionally well-written and thoroughly researched. If you have an interest in learning more about American history and politics, I would highly recommend this book to you.

Sterling read.
Stephanopoulos provides an incredibly in depth and riveting accounting of the WH's Situation Room - and tracks its use in high profile cases since its inception.
Whether you lean red or blue makes no difference in this remarkable story of the room and the men and women who have, in the past and continue today, to work in it and keep it moving forward in high tech. Equally mesmerizing ate the interactions of presidents and advisors with these dedicated men and women and, with the room itself.
The deep commitment and love of country by all the presidents, save perhaps one, and their top security advisors and aides is evident through out the retelling of stories and their behind the scenes non stop ferreting out of terrorism and it's continual threat to the US and it's global allies.
Bravo to the heroes and heroines of the Situation Room.
And kudos to GS for telling their stories.

It's hard for me to get excited about a book about something as ordinarily dull as the government, but this one was surprisingly good. I don't even care much about the author, but this book was really very good. It really gives an insider's peek into what is usually not let out of the White House. Mr. Stephanopolos outdid himself in this one.

The Situation Room was a good read, but not great. Interesting historical views from JFK to Biden, on if they used it or not, and the people who staffed the room. The author, George Stephanopoulos, did his due diligence in researching the history, and it was well-written. You will learn some interesting facts, especially from the staffers who had to deal with the President, cabinet members, politicians, and the military peeps.
Thanks to NetGalley and Grand Central Publishing for the ARC. If you like factual history, then you should read this book..

A well-researched and well-written look at the White House situation room from George Stephanopoulos and his team. Events covered span from the Kennedy assassination to the Capitol riot, and how administrations both triumphed and failed in the wake of difficult moments.
Be forewarned, if you’re looking for something that’s a lighter take on presidential history, this is not it. It does drag on at some points.
But I learned quite a bit, and would recommend to anyone interested in national security!
Thanks to NetGalley and Grand Central Publishing for the ARC.

The Situation Room
by George Stephanopoulos
Pub Date: May 14, 2024
Thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the ARC of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.
George Stephanopoulos, former senior advisor to President Clinton and for more than 20 years anchor of This Week and co-anchor of Good Morning America, recounts the crises that decided the course of history, from the place 12 presidents made their highest-pressure decisions: the White House Situation Room.
“The Situation Room” by George Stephanopoulos is an excellent history of the White House communications and decision-making center first established during the Kennedy administration. Readers interested in the Presidency, The White House, and how various modern Presidents and their administrations have utilized the room—and how they made decisions during national crises—will want to add it to their libraries.
I found “The Situation Room” to be a well-written, riveting exploration of one of the most vital components of the Executive Branch; and fully deserving of a five-star rating.

The Situation Room, according to George Stephanopoulos, is a combination of "place, process, and people." He amply demonstrates this in his highly readable book of that title. Created in the mid-twentieth century, the room has navigated a long series of vitally important events and morphed - matured really - over the ensuing years.

Stephanopoulos takes us from event to event - the Cuban Missile Crisis and Vietnam to the Russian invasion of Ukraine and so many in between. We see the physical space and how that impacted the room's role. We see how the events were handled and responses planned. We meet the players, from the well known like Presidents to nearly anonymous but enormously important technicians and staffers. Most readers will be familiar with most if not all of the events, but will view them through a new lens. It is difficult to not admire how it all unfolded in at least most of the cases and appreciate the ongoing importance of this piece of American governance as well as the dedication of those involved.

Stephanopoulos comes across as well-informed and engaging. A valuable and enjoyable use of the reader's time. Highly recommended.