“The Residence” by Kate Andersen Brower – The Invisible Servants

When people try to figure out the inner workings of the White House, how things happen there in general and the relationships people really have with each other, they tend to try and get that information from the more renowned public figures.

However, it is very easy to forget that very few are in a better place to truly know what happens behind closed doors than the countless servants hired to work there. Being virtually invisible and called upon to work everywhere behind the scenes, their stories are certainly interesting, but overshadowed by anonymity.

In The Residence, Kate Andersen Brower takes it upon herself to collect all the stories from the butlers, maid, florists, cooks, engineers, cleaners, doormen, security guards and others, bringing them all together in one place to paint a new and captivating picture of the White House.

Of course, these servants may not exactly be privy to all the politics and the secrets of politics, but they most certainly got to know the many people running this country, and what they have to say ranges from small and quirky anecdotes to heartwarming stories about long-lasting friendships and even people falling in love.

 In other words, the goal is to provide a fresh new perspective on something old (and yet still mysterious) all while giving a voice to some of the people history books left aside.

Brower complements the many stories she gathers from the workers by archival research, putting it all together in a neat story-like form, one that sways rather skillfully between informing and entertaining.

Yes, it is true that some of the stories aren't exactly remarkable and perhaps ought to have been cut out, but then again there aren't that many of them and it can also be argued that even the more minute details are important when painting such a complex picture.

One thing that Brower managed really well in this first book of hers is drawing out emotions from the reader. Rest assured, there is no shortage of heavy topics being discussed, some of them including Kennedy's assassination and the grief it caused, the Watergate scandal and Clinton's impeachment battle, just to name a few.

In the end, we come to see the people running the White House (as well as those behind the scenes) as being regular people burdened with abnormal responsibilities, laughing and crying just like the rest of us.

Considering the decisions made by the government over the years it can be easy to forget that not all of them seek to advance personal interests no matter how detrimental it may be to everyone else... some of them are good people, as is the case for every profession in the world.

To conclude, The Residence offers an inspiring and fresh perspective on a subject that's already been explored under numerous angles, one that will take you through a whole range of emotions and teach you about the unseen side of history, one that probably won't stand the test of time after all.

Highly recommended to anyone interested in learning about the White House from a unique point of view.

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Kate Andersen Brower Personal site Kate Andersen Brower is an author and former CBS News staffer as well as a Fox News producer, living just outside of Washington, D.C. In April 2015 she published her very first work, one that earned her a lot of attention: The Residence: Inside the Private World of The White House.