NF - The Residence by Kate Anderson Brower

Fascinating and well documented account of the behind-the-scenes activities in the White House as told from the perspective of the predominately African-American Staff. The author researched accounts from long ago, but mostly interviewed surviving staff members of  "the House".

Spanning from the FDR years though the present day Obama administration, these are the revelations of devoted butlers, maids, secretaries, waiters, electricians, janitors, and dog walkers. How they got their positions, the eccentricities of their charges, and the effects of long hours on their families.

Some of the vignettes are heartbreaking - the JFK assassination; others hilariously funny - LBJ's shower dilemma; still others are poignant or eye-opening.  Nothing too scandalous, just a rewarding insight into the inner workings of our country's most famous residence.