Under This Roof
The White House and the Presidency--21 Presidents, 21 Rooms, 21 Inside Stories
by Paul Brandus
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Pub Date Sep 29 2015 | Archive Date Oct 09 2015
Rowman & Littlefield | Globe Pequot/Lyons Press
Description
Why, in the minutes before John F. Kennedy was murdered, was a blood-red carpet installed in the Oval Office? If Abraham Lincoln never slept in the Lincoln Bedroom, where did he sleep?Why was one president nearly killed in the White House on inauguration day—and another secretly sworn in? 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—who selected the winning design for the White House—to the current occupant, Barack Obama—the story of the White House is the story of America itself, Brandus writes. You’ll:
Walk with John Adams through the still-unfinished mansion, and watch Thomas Jefferson plot to buy the Louisiana Territory Feel the fear and panic as British invaders approach the mansion in 1814—and Dolley Madison frantically saves a painting of Washington Gaze out the window with Abraham Lincoln as Confederate flags flutter in the breeze on the other side of the Potomac Be in the room as one president is secretly sworn in, and another gambles away the White House china in a card gameStand by the presidential bed as one First Lady—covering up her husband’s illness from the nation—secretly makes decisions on his behalf 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.”
An award-winning, independent member of the White House press corps, Paul Brandus founded West Wing Reports ® 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.
A Note From the Publisher
Advance Praise
—Del Quentin Wilber,New York Times bestselling author of Rawhide Down: The Near Assassination of Ronald Reagan
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“[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
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“[I]nventive, smart and engaging.”
—Susan Page, Washington Bureau chief of USA Today
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“[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
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“Quite simply, it’s a fascinating read.”
—Steve Scully, C-SPAN Networks
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“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
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“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.
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“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® and author of The American Plate
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“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
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“[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
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“[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
Available Editions
| EDITION | Hardcover |
| ISBN | 9781493008346 |
| PRICE | $25.95 (USD) |
Average rating from 16 members
Featured Reviews
scott G, Educator
Loved this book. Great little bits of history that combine to create a grand narrative of the special building.
CL L, Reviewer
ARC received from: Netgalley
Rating: 4*
Cover: Yay
Review: This was a really interesting book which told us all about the history of the White House as well as providing a taster to American history. Admittedly it took me awhile to get into it but the later chapters especially, when things grew more contemporary, especially held my interest.
Sarah M, Reviewer
I learned quite a few interesting tidbits about so many presidents who I thought I knew well. I also learned that the White House might be the most poorly constructed building in the history of the world.
As stated in the title, this book takes a look at 21 different rooms in the White House and the story of that room as relating to a specific president. The stories flow well for the most part, weaving the wider US and/or world events as related to the purpose of the room and the president of the time. The book contained several pictures per chapter which are relevant, though I wish I would have had a physical copy as I would love to see many of these in color. I also wish there had been more pictures of the rooms themselves at least for as far back as pictures would exist. It would have been nice to see reproductions of Jefferson's design plans that are mentioned. I am interested to see if they still exist, as would it be cool if plans by any other presidents exist also.
Not only is this a history of the White House, but a history of some of these presidencies at crucial times in our nation's history. For example, I did not know that it was ever a question as to who would succeed the president, should he pass away while in office. This issue came to light in the case of Harrison and Tyler when the former died after a month in office. I also do not recall ever learning about Wilson's last 18 months in office when he was no longer actually in charge due to the massive stroke he had that rendered him all but helpless and paralyzed on his left side. It is said that his wife essentially became president and made decisions. That is a very interesting but also a scary prospect.
I was pleased to see a section for FDR, though I would have been surprised if he had not been included. If only he could have lived forever and gone on being re-elected. Would he have made the decision to drop the atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki? Could history have been dramatically different?
There is so much history I do not know about so many of the presidents and it is my goal to read at least one book about each man to hold this office. I appreciated this book piquing my interest in some of these men who I have yet to learn about - incidentally I am far more curious now about Nixon than I was prior to reading, when all I really knew related to Watergate. Interesting that such an intensely private person would seek the highest office in the country. He is intriguing.
I realize this is only an ARC as I have received it, so my only real complaint was the final chapter and how it ended. This final chapter revolved around President Obama and the movie theatre within the house. There was no real end to the chapter though, it just kind of devolved into a brief conclusion without any heading indicating as such, then moved to the author thanking those who assisted him, and finally on to the notes. Hopefully in the final copy, this was resolved.
I've never been to the White House, though I was able to see the building from afar on a class trip to D.C. in 8th grade. I was in awe of the ease in which people could just come and go to call on the president in the infancy of the presidency. Of course this would be impossible to do today, but how awesome would that be to just stroll up the steps and see if the president was available for an evening chat?
Overall, this was an interesting look at the White House and 21 important stories in 21 rooms as related to our country's history and I highly recommend it. I must say though, it is a home I am certainly glad I don't live in - I fear one day it may really fall apart!
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