Beck Dorey-Stein is struggling to make ends meet after college. She is living in D.C. and working all sorts of odd jobs to make ends meet. She had an interview from a Craigslist ad, that she actually blew off because of her job at Lululemon. That opportunity was actually a job for a stenographer's position on Barack Obama's White House. They gave Beck a second chance to interview and before she knows it, she is traveling the world on Air Force One and juggling her relationships outside the "bubble." With the eye of an expert people-watcher and the fresh perspective of a youthful professional Beck becomes a witness to the history that was the presidency of the 44th president. From the Corner of the Oval. From the tragedies and triumphs, she was part of it all. From early morning gym encounters with President Obama to encounters with the Vice President affectionately called "Uncle Joe" Beck lays it all out there. When you put it all together you have a fascinating behind-the-scenes look at the most famoust empoyer in the free world - The President of the United States.
From the Corner of the Oval is one of the best non-ficction books of the year. I would say it is part political memoir and part chick lit novel. You get all of the cool behind the scenes information (like what snacks are served on Air Force One) along with a young woman torn between two men. (For the record, one of those men was a big giant douchebag). But you also get an author who has such a talent for the most interesting observations, like:
"We are a team of professional stalkers, a congregation of believers who have followed this man around the world several times."
"After nearly a year at the White Hous, my morning entry ritual can be reduced to an assembly line of sounds - "
I think one of the things that I was pleased to read about was how the staffers were very familial like. Maybe familial is not the right word. They celebrated birthdays, they hung out together during the downtimes of their trips. They may have consumed a lot of alcohol, but they still did their jobs. And did them well. They played pick-up basketball or went for runs on the streets of whatever city they were in at the time. Not everybody in the White House are cutthroat polticians. It really made From the Corner of the Oval a fun and engaging read. One last thing that I liked - I liked and respected how honest was at her own contributions to her relationship failures. She took total and complete responsibility for her actions. Yes, one of the men in her life was a giant douchebag, but she was not without fault and she owns that. Rare to see such honesty in a memoir.
Bottom Line - While I feel that From the Corner of the Oval Office is so much more than just a poltical novel, it is a book about a staffer who served at the pleasure of one of our country's most popular presidents. If you let the "politics" of her boss prevent you from reading this book, you are the one losing out. I promise.
Details:
- From the Corner of the Oval by Beck Dorey-Stein
- On Instagram
- Pages: 352
- Publisher: Random Hous Publishing
- Publication Date: 7/10/18
- Buy it Here!
Post a Comment