Customer Reviews

White House: Confidential

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

To: Gregg Stebben, Co-author of "White House: Confidential...The Little Book of Weird Presidential History."

A thank you.

I had to write to you about your new book. I bought it last Friday, the day of the Senate vote on Clinton's impeachment.... and thought it might lift my spirits over this whole presidential debaucle.

I found your little book at the Princeton Bookstore for $11 [it seemed to be the only book not on sale that day]... and I needed a little humor in my life. I was on a business trip to New Jersey [where I was born] and visited some old, historic places of my ancestors and found myself in Princeton buying your book.

I am a scientist and historian and love interesting stories and trivia about well-known people... presidents included. Your book was wonderfully funny and a joy to read. It was.... what we call in Texas... "a hoot" [Check with your co-author, Jim Morris, for interpretation of this expression].

Every page... a surprise. Some of the stories I had heard, but enjoyed your unique commentary written in clear, conversational English.

I rarely read an author's acknowledgments, but I read yours... much to my delight. I thank all those people who encouraged you to complete it and I thank you and Jim for adding it to my shelf.

Most of us in college took American History, but I suggest that you offer a course surrounding the stories in your book.... maybe American History 101a "Weird Presidential History". It might turn some students on to history ...or anthropology ...or even religion.

In any case, thanks again.

Barry A. Schlech, Ph.D.

Everyone is looking for some sort of trivia on each president, and everyone is writing a book about it. White House Confidential is no exception. What makes this book different, however, is the way the author put things, in a clear and concise manner, easy to read.

I found the book to very easy to read and quite enjoyable. I was treated to several amazing, yet humorous stories of presidents of the past. You'll find the writers ability to convey an objective point of view to be refreshing in this day of political bashing books.

White House Confidential takes you into the private lives of the Oval Office and shows you that what we see today could and did happened in administrations of the past. This book was insightful and allowed me to look at the presidency a little differently.

From Washington to Jefferson to FDR and Bill Clinton, you'll find yourself reading about the lives of those who have held the highest office and those who held a secret place outside the office. The book... would make a great gift for any occasion. Overall a great read!

We cannot tell a lie. George Washington was not America's first president.

Seriously.

It was a guy named John Hanson.

In a new book on weird presidential trivia, "White House: Confidential", journalists Gregg Stebben and Jim Morris prove that Hanson called the shots before the wig-wearing cherry-tree chopper. They even produce quotes from Washington and Thomas Jefferson acknowledging Hanson as the first president.

How is this possible? It's because Hanson was sworn into office under the Articles of Confederation, which predates the Constitution by eight years (actually, he was the first of seven pre-Washington presidents). Moreover, Hanson apparently did a bang-up job.

During his one-year term, the Maryland native launched a postal service, chartered a national bank, created the Treasury Department and--according to some historians--declared Thanksgiving a national holiday. Hanson also handled the awkward task of shrinking the U.S. Army and informing its soldiers that the government couldn't afford to pay them for work already done.

When the militia threatened a coup d'etat, every member of the Continental Congress fled--except Hanson, who stayed behind and negotiated a settlement. Now, Stebben and Morris say Hanson deserves proper recognition. We vote for putting his face on the dollar bill or renaming the nation's capital Hanson, D.C. But Stebben and Morris are willing to settle for Congress passing a law that orders schools to teach about the "real" first president.

Of course, their motives aren't purely historical. If the movement is successful, it could mean another national holiday.

-- Roy Rivenburg, LA Times

"White House: Confidential" revealed presidential secrets that I'd never heard before. This is a great book for any history buff or the seeker of interesting/surprising political information. After reading "White House: Confidential," Clinton loathers may want to rethink their opinions.

As I think previous reviewers have pointed out, this book is riddled with errors. The first noticed, right at the beginning, is that the President has the right to declare war. When did this happen? Tell the masses! Constitutional checks and balances are put by the wayside! Since the very debates that gave the American President its powers, this has never been the case.

And yes: They brilliantly nailed the presidential term of the third president Thomas Jefferson as starting in 1790. Kudos to the fact finding department! Most interesting, since the Washington started his term in 1789!

I'm very sorry I spent the measly $10 for this book. Most of the information contained in this book, that isn't incorrect, is simply information that is best suited for today's supermarket tabloids. I realize that Presidents and presidential associates, past and present alike, were/are far from perfect , but I wasn't interested in reading about their dirty laundry.

Two stars, one step above bottom, for the very limited quantity of fascinating informational pieces.

I loved the book. The book is a great synopsis of presidential foibles, follies and forays. The most fascinating part is that everything is true! Thanks Mr. Stebben for the insighful entertainment. Sincerely,

Dr. Richard A. Westbrook

This is one of the best books I've ever read on American history and is one I plan on having my children and my parents read. Give it as a gift to your favorite History buff or "Puritanical" room-mate. This book makes Clinton look like a poster boy for All American;-> Too bad I had to wait until I was almost 40 to learn the truth that I suspected all along. Ditch the Myths of our forefathers and teach the Human side of these men... it detracts nothing from them and makes them that much more real. A Great and Fun read!

Journalist Gregg Stebbben and political impressionist Jim Morris must have possessed a crystal ball when they wrote White House: Confidential about presidential scandals...

-- Gary Stern, Real People Magazine

This book is funny and it is irreverent and it is cheeky and it made me laugh out loud, so I think people should buy it.

-- Peggy Noonan, author of What I Saw at the Revolution : A Political Life in the Reagan Era

The glowing reviews for this little hit piece (evidentally published to capitalize on the whole impeachment passion play of a couple of years back) moved me to buy the book. A glance over the contents quickly revealed several ludicrous errors that should never have passed the proofreader, if indeed there was one. (For example, at one point it claims that Andrew Jackson was the first president to be elected after being defeated for the office. In the very next sentence it mentions Thomas Jefferson as one of the other men who share this honor! There are other laughable errors, too.) Had the authors and their editor (was there one) concentrated more on content control than on fancy typography and tedious Clinton-bashing, this book might have been a worthy addition to the bathroom reading shelf.