White House

National Geographic's Inside the White House
$19.98
I use this in my social studies curriculum. My students enjoy watching itas many of them will never ge the chance to visit the White House.

My Thirty Years Backstairs at the White House
$25.95
I loved the NBC miniseries years ago, and found the revised ("movie") version of this book then, which I read to tatters. This story instilled in me an obsession with all things Presidential. When I saw Park's "original" version was once again available, I was excited to finally read it. As expected, the book itself is much more simply written, but the stories are still as fascinating and insightful. Lillian Park's love and appreciation for the First Families shines through some not-so-glamourous or dignified stories, and anyone interested in White House history will enjoy this book.
My only complaint is the Forward/Update, written by Sam Sloan. It is so poorly written as to be worse than amateurish. The language is awkward and reads like a folksy 6th grade term paper. Mr. Sloan actually presents as FACT the author's opinions of such things as the size of Margaret Truman's nose being why she did not enjoy a long singing career. He also gives a sort of synopsis of the book , citing pages, etc. Very unnecessary, and very badly written. Not sure why this was added, or why this "author" was chosen to write the Updates, but it really distracted me at first, and I almost put down the book in frustration. I may even tear out those pages, so my kids won't think this acceptable literature. If you pick up this book, be aware that this section is NOT representative of the much better writing in the actual memoir- enjoy it for the pictures (and you may even get a laugh out of how cheesy it is)! Other than that, this book deserves to be added to the treasured memoirs of our First Families and the people who worked with them.

The White House: Its Historic Furnishings and First Families
$75.00
What a great addition to my collection of WHITE HOUSE books and memorabilia. This well-written, well-researched and beautifully photographed book gives the detail that is sometimes missing in the more general WHITE HOUSE history or antecdotal writings. It is a good "stand alone" and would be a great "living room" collection book in any case, but for those who enjoy the rich history of D.C. this is a jewel. I recommend it.

Backstairs at the White House
$59.99
Backstairs at the White House was incredibly enjoyable. The acting was spot-on and the story lines very interesting. The one thing I was surprised about was that nothing was mentioned of FDR's untimely death. As he had formed a special relationship with Lillian, and Eleanor with the staff in general, I was expecting to see their sadness.

I laughed. I cried. I will definitely watch this mini-series over and over again, as well as share it with friends and family.

I will say, it depicted quite well the change in the attitude of our society in general when it showed that a once united in friendship staff was now aloof from one another and the family they served. A sad statement, indeed.

Highly recommend this as a family viewing - multiple times.