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Front Row at the White House : My Life and Times (Paperback)

~ (Author) "A reporter's work involves observing, listening and writing about people, places and events..." (more)
Key Phrases: press cabin, presidential news conference, presidential aircraft, White House, Oval Office, New York (more...)
3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (44 customer reviews)
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Customers buy this book with Watchdogs of Democracy?: The Waning Washington Press Corps and How It Has Failed the Public by Helen Thomas

Front Row at the White House : My Life and Times + Watchdogs of Democracy?: The Waning Washington Press Corps and How It Has Failed the Public
Price For Both: $22.72

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Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Born in 1920, Helen Thomas was one of United Press International's very few female journalists for years. She promoted herself to UPI's White House Press Corps in 1960 ("I just started showing up every day") and has reported on eight administrations. Her episodic, old-fashioned autobiography contains anecdotes about each president, their first ladies, and their staff. Her stories are often funny, and she doesn't mind when the joke's on her: "Isn't there a war somewhere we can send her to?" Colin Powell inquired after being buttonholed at a party; President Carter's mother said the greatest lesson she learned in 80 years was, "Never to open my mouth around Helen Thomas." She's also fair: even the press secretaries get balanced treatment, though Thomas criticizes the White House's growing efforts to "manage" the news. (Her most affectionate political portrait is of the unmanageable Watergate wife Martha Mitchell.) Thomas pays loving tribute to her parents, hardworking, religious Syrian immigrants, and to her late husband, Associated Press reporter Doug Cornell, but she keeps the focus on the people and public events she covered. Scrupulously impartial when reporting the news, she feels free here to be bluntly opinionated, especially in her unrepentant advocacy of the media's responsibility to ask uncomfortable questions, even when the public condemns them as intrusive. --Wendy Smith --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.


From Publishers Weekly

The veteran Washington reporter gives her account of instant history at the White House, the result of her fly-on-the-wall perch covering the administrations of every president since JFK for United Press International. Thomas is always on hand with a jaded eye, a cynical word and a probing question. And her story gives a view of the Fourth Estate surprisingly dissimilar to those that predominate today. In Thomass telling, the press is an institution, one of the many necessities of a democratic society. Gossip and scandal dont drive events, she asserts, as much as the desire to get the story and tell it first. Contained within her memoirs are remarkable recollections of Lyndon Johnson, who investigated the press as much as it investigated him; of Richard Nixon, who asks Thomas to say a prayer for me in one of Watergates darkest hours; of Martha Mitchell, a cabinet wife (of Nixons John Mitchell) who got sucked in and spat out by Beltway politics; and of First Ladies who offer birthday greetingsand others who close off their private lives. While the book is woefully thin on personal motivation and inner thoughts (one of the shortest chapters is on Thomass husband, former AP White House reporter Doug Cornell), it provides a sharp chronicle of the nations recent historyand of the crusade of women reporters to be considered the equal or better of their male counterparts.
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
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Product Details

  • Paperback: 416 pages
  • Publisher: Scribner (May 3, 2000)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0684868091
  • ISBN-13: 978-0684868097
  • Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.5 x 1.1 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 14.7 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
  • Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (44 customer reviews)
  • Amazon.com Sales Rank: #374,382 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Helen Thomas
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Front Cover | Table of Contents | First Pages | Index | Back Cover | Surprise Me!
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A reporter's work involves observing, listening and writing about people, places and events. Read the first page
Key Phrases - Statistically Improbable Phrases (SIPs): (learn more)
press cabin, presidential news conference, presidential aircraft, women reporters, press pool, lady bird, presidential trip
Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
White House, Oval Office, New York, United States, Air Force One, Helen Thomas, Secret Service, President Clinton, National Press Club, Richard Nixon, Lyndon Johnson, George Bush, President Reagan, President Bush, Ronald Reagan, Camp David, Marlin Fitzwater, Pat Nixon, President Nixon, Bill Clinton, Martha Mitchell, Monica Lewinsky, Soviet Union, Washington Post, East Room
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Mrs. Kennedy by Barbara Leaming
The Survivor by John F. Harris
 

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Customer Reviews

44 Reviews
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Average Customer Review
3.9 out of 5 stars (44 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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19 of 20 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars Seconds out, round eight!, June 19, 1999
By A Customer
This review is from: Front Row at the White House: My Life and Times (Hardcover)
As the first (and perhaps last) woman to "beat up" no fewer than eight US presidents in succession - figuratively speaking, of course -Helen Thomas certainly could not be accused of pulling any punches. Her book gives us a fascinating insight into the relationship between the elite White House press corps and the President, which comes across as rather like that between prison guard and prisoner: a certain affection develops, but at the end of the day it's still very much adversarial. Helen Thomas comes across as someone with very strong values of truth, honesty and public service, who has not shied away from asking the awkward questions of errant Presidents over many years. Indeed, you might even get the impression she enjoys being perceived as unrelenting and at times blunt in her attempts to present the truth to the public. Her book is a little disjointed in the early chapters, but soon settles into a (perhaps better-edited) chronological pattern, giving excellent insight into the Presidents, their wives, and the various White House staffers whose job it is to manage the news, but who rarely - if ever - manage to control people like Helen Thomas. This book is an excellent read, not too self-centred, but creating a strong impression of a dedicated reporter with a determination to get to the heart of the truth.
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11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars A Truly Unique Witness to History!, May 11, 1999
By Daniel J. Maloney "Daniel J. Maloney" (Saint Paul, MN United States) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Front Row at the White House: My Life and Times (Hardcover)
I believe it is near impossible to read this fascinating book and not come away with a tremendous admiration for Helen Thomas. Approaching 80 years young, Thomas continues to cover the White House as Dean of the White House Press Corps, and Chief White House Correspondent for United Press International (UPI). Thomas has covered the White House since the early days of the Kennedy administration. She has been daily witness to history in the making through her daily presence at the White House, or on travels with the President of the United States.Over the terms of eight U.S. Presidents, Thomas has clearly proven herself to be a fair, credible, and objective representative of the news media. Although "news" has increasingly become a cut-throat, opportunistic, money grubbing industry, Helen Thomas seems to have maintained perspective. She seems to be a principled, fair, yet uncompromising human being in an arena that is generally more interested in "scoops," "ratings" and "sensationalism." In her faithfulness to the finest tenets of her vocation, Thomas works hard to report "without a personal spin." While she has reported everything from the most boring and mundane -- to some of the most critical events in history -- Thomas appears to have done so in all fairness and with a minimum of personal bias. Titled in reference to the front row seat she occupies at the White House during press briefings, Thomas, despite often unflattering reports; albeit fairly represented, appears to have earned the respect of almost every President she has ever covered. In this retrospective, she is able to acknowledge her own flaws and limitations. As a woman who has earned the esteem she has, Helen somehow has remained at heart, a fair and humble reporter. "What you see is who she is" to turn a phrase. Yet, it is equally important to note that Thomas' objectivity and fairmindedness has never made her a soft reporter or a pushover. Thomas is indeed a feisty, hardworking, often impatient and intolerant human being. She is not satisfied with lies and attempts to obfuscate the truth. She can quite obviously be annoyingly in her singleminded quest for the the bottom line of a story. In addition, Thomas possesses an innate nose for anything less than full disclosure. She will pursue a story until she has a true read on it -- without a thought to whose nose she may put out of joint in the process.In "Front Row", Thomas puts aside her usual objectivity and shares many of her long held personal views of the men who have occupied the Office of the President of the United States, their spouses and the staff who have surrounded them. Her account is a fascinating portrait of the strengths and weaknesses of each administration she has witnessed. I indeed hope that some of those whom Thomas has mentored -- directly or indirectly -- have taken her lessons to heart and brought their learnings into their work. In an era when the news media is often -- justifiably -- under attack, it would serve the entire industry well to read Thomas' book and to study her career more closely. If there were more reporters practicing their calling with the level of integrity which Thomas has consistently demonstrated, the American people would have far more faith in the the news media. I hope Helen Thomas carries on, and that her colleagues and the Presidents she reports on, learn a few more lessons from her. An outstanding read!
James J. Maloney
Saint Paul, Minnesota USA
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10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars A Must Read for Political Afficionados, January 3, 2002
By R.J. Corby (Philadelphia, PA, U.S.A.) - See all my reviews
If you are looking into a behind-the-scenes look at how the White House interacts with the press corps, told by the premiere White House reporter of all time, this is the book for you.

Thomas tells her wonderful story in an easy-to-read style that makes this book very, very hard to put down. I read it in less than two days.

This will make a valuable addition to any political buff's library.

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Most Recent Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars Front Row at teh White House : My Life and Times
Helen Thomas is beautiful in every way. Her writing ability is incredible, her life in the front row at the White House was brilliant. Read more
Published 12 months ago by Wendy R. Jansz

3.0 out of 5 stars I felt a few rows back when reading; expected great - it's OK
I respect Helen Thomas for her fearlessness, tenacity, and the fact that she broke so much ground as a woman in the WH Press Corp. Read more
Published 15 months ago by Douglas Hileman

3.0 out of 5 stars Interesting but disappointing
I never noticed Thomas much until I saw her bit on Steven Colbert's famous slap in Bush's face at the White House Pres Corps dinner. Read more
Published 22 months ago by ash

5.0 out of 5 stars Front row at the White House
I liked doing business with them. The book came in very good packaging. I plan on doing more business with them in the future. Keep up the good work!!!
Published 23 months ago by Kelly Dobbins

4.0 out of 5 stars "Mr. President?"
If you've ever wondered about the woman who for years asked the first question at presidential news conferences and also ended each one, then this memoir will be entertaining... Read more
Published on October 13, 2007 by Bradley F. Smith

5.0 out of 5 stars Great read!
The book is a true reflection of who Helen is and her commitment to the ideals and responsibility of being a "reporter". Read more
Published on January 9, 2007 by Charles H. Viator Jr.

4.0 out of 5 stars Incredible life....
It's one thing to be a history buff and read about events of our country and the world. It's another to live it. Read more
Published on July 15, 2006 by sdm mom

1.0 out of 5 stars Everthing you didn't want to know about Helen and very little about anything else
I was looking forward to reading this book but was sadly very disappointed. Helen Thomas takes great pains not to rock the boat. Read more
Published on February 18, 2006 by BkWyrm

4.0 out of 5 stars white house years
I wanted to give this book at 5 star rating but the first two thirds of the book are written too much in the style of a quick note taking journalist and I found the writing... Read more
Published on January 25, 2005 by William D. Tompkins

4.0 out of 5 stars A Kinder Gentler Side to Her
I have always assumed that this author would write a book that was full of nasty one liners and little back biting comments. Read more
Published on July 31, 2003 by John G. Hilliard

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