The author writes an interesting and thoughtful book about a part of government that many people are not very familiar with: the Secret Service. He describes the vast and impressive array of procedures employed in protecting presidents ,current and previous, vice presidents, and their families, as well as cabinet secretaries and political leaders in the line of succession to become president in case of a severe emergency. During a presidential election the leading candidates are also protected.
To accomplish their mission Secret Service agents must work in close proximity to all their protectees, becoming a part of their lives on a daily basis. This gives the agents a clear window through which to observe their personalities and character. Revelations from some of the agents indicate that what transpires in their clients' private lives may not comport with the image that they desire to show to the public.
As examples, the book describes how a number of protectees were especially "nasty" to the agents and their own staffs: Bill and Hillary Clinton, Nancy Reagan, Jimmy Carter and Al Gore.
Especially friendly and respectful to agents were Ronald Reagan, Bush 41 and 43 and their wives, Dick and Lynne Cheney and Mitt and Ann Romney. The sexual proclivities of LBJ, Bill Clinton (both inside and outside of the Oval Office) and Gary Hart are portrayed as important character issues. Some revelations are surprising, such as the preference of Joe Biden to swim naked in his home pool while being closely guarded by female agents. Many other observations of family members are also related, Including some of their drinking habits. Tension with the children of protected families seems to be prevalent in many cases.
Another focus of the book is an analysis of the management of the Secret Service. The author describes and details the incompetence and corruption of senior management that has resulted in poorly trained agents with very low morale, lack of leading-edge technology and weaponry to discover and eliminate threats, and in some cases a demonstrable lack of concern about national security. Prior lapses in standard procedures have resulted in the assassination attempts on presidents Reagan and Ford, and have put more current presidents in grave danger. After a number of recent scandals involving penetration of the White House grounds by dangerous perpetrators, the author ridicules president Obama's decision not to bring in a new director from the outside to replace the one who was fired, as he believes that as a result there will not be any change in the dysfunctional culture at the top.
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The First Family Detail: Secret Service Agents Reveal the Hidden Lives of the Presidents Hardcover – August 5, 2014
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Ronald Kessler
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Ronald Kessler
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Print length272 pages
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LanguageEnglish
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PublisherCrown Forum
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Publication dateAugust 5, 2014
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Dimensions6.38 x 1.1 x 9.53 inches
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ISBN-100804139210
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ISBN-13978-0804139212
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Editorial Reviews
About the Author
Ronald Kessler is the New York Times bestselling author of The Secrets of the FBI, In the President's Secret Service, and The CIA at War. A former Wall Street Journal and Washington Post investigative reporter, Kessler has won eighteen journalism awards, including two George Polk awards, one for national reporting and one for community service. He was named a Washingtonian of the Year by Washingtonian magazine. Kessler lives in Potomac, Maryland with his wife, Pamela Kessler.
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Product details
- Publisher : Crown Forum; First Edition (August 5, 2014)
- Language : English
- Hardcover : 272 pages
- ISBN-10 : 0804139210
- ISBN-13 : 978-0804139212
- Item Weight : 1.09 pounds
- Dimensions : 6.38 x 1.1 x 9.53 inches
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Best Sellers Rank:
#557,422 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #903 in Law Enforcement Politics
- #917 in Law Enforcement (Books)
- #1,116 in National & International Security (Books)
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4.1 out of 5 stars
4.1 out of 5
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Reviewed in the United States on August 2, 2015
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93 people found this helpful
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3.0 out of 5 stars
First Family Detail is the story of the Secret Service and the presidential families whom they protect with their lives
Reviewed in the United States on February 11, 2015Verified Purchase
The First Family Detail by Ron Kessler, former Washington Post reporter, takes the lid of the White House and the families which have inhabited that prime piece of real estate on Pennsylvania Ave in Washington D.C. The book is just over 200 pages long but is filled with inside dope on the first family. The book also explains the function of the Secret Service in a free society and the many problems concerning security, weaponry and personnel that needs to be changed if the SS is to operate on a more effective level in our age of global terrorism and assassination. Among juice items revealed by Kessler":
LBJ and Spiro Agnew were both womanizers. LBJ was often crude and rude to the agents and even his family members.
Hillary Clinton is despised by the Secret Service Agents who protect her. She cusses like a sailor on leave and is rude to the agents. She and Bill Clinton have a business arrangement. She loves power and is very ambitious. Her daughter Chelsea is polite and respectful of Secret Service personnel.
Bill Clinton is a chronic womanizer, is always late and is a narcissistic and ego driven man.
Kessler reports that the agents love Laura Bush and think highly of the entire Bush family. This is true even though Jenna and Barbara were wild during the time their father occupied the Oval Office.
Richard Nixon was a formal and distracted man who only thought of politics and sports when in conversation with agents. Pat Nixon was a heavy drinker.
Jimmy Carter was self-centered and not friendly to agents. His wife Rosalynn was much better liked than her husband.
Ronald Reagan enjoyed joking and telling stories with agents but his wife Nancy was cold and aloof.
Gerald Ford was OK but was a tightwad who enjoyed running with the rich and famous.
The family of Barack Obama are friendly and the agents like serving him as well as his friendly wife Michelle and their two adorable and polite daughters.
Vice President Joe Biden has spent over one million dollars of taxpayer money for frequent air trips from D.C. to his mansion in Wilmington Del. Biden refuses to have the nuclear football near him when on the road.
The book is an interesting read and explains the life of a Secret Service Agent. Enjoy!
LBJ and Spiro Agnew were both womanizers. LBJ was often crude and rude to the agents and even his family members.
Hillary Clinton is despised by the Secret Service Agents who protect her. She cusses like a sailor on leave and is rude to the agents. She and Bill Clinton have a business arrangement. She loves power and is very ambitious. Her daughter Chelsea is polite and respectful of Secret Service personnel.
Bill Clinton is a chronic womanizer, is always late and is a narcissistic and ego driven man.
Kessler reports that the agents love Laura Bush and think highly of the entire Bush family. This is true even though Jenna and Barbara were wild during the time their father occupied the Oval Office.
Richard Nixon was a formal and distracted man who only thought of politics and sports when in conversation with agents. Pat Nixon was a heavy drinker.
Jimmy Carter was self-centered and not friendly to agents. His wife Rosalynn was much better liked than her husband.
Ronald Reagan enjoyed joking and telling stories with agents but his wife Nancy was cold and aloof.
Gerald Ford was OK but was a tightwad who enjoyed running with the rich and famous.
The family of Barack Obama are friendly and the agents like serving him as well as his friendly wife Michelle and their two adorable and polite daughters.
Vice President Joe Biden has spent over one million dollars of taxpayer money for frequent air trips from D.C. to his mansion in Wilmington Del. Biden refuses to have the nuclear football near him when on the road.
The book is an interesting read and explains the life of a Secret Service Agent. Enjoy!
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Reviewed in the United States on November 25, 2016
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The book is written more like a school essay... a lot of words, but not a lot of insight. The author also seems politically motivated... criticism of Democrats... or ignoring them completely if they had good reputations (such as the Obamas). And lots of compliments for the Republicans. I'd have liked more balance. After all, this is supposed to be a guy with intimate knowledge about the First Families. Are his experiences that black-and-white? I did read the entire book, but I kept waiting for more compelling insights rather than just a recitation of details.
18 people found this helpful
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Reviewed in the United States on April 6, 2016
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The author writes of the FBI academy teaching that ' The best predictor of future behavior is past behavior'. Voters who disregard character flaws court disaster once a candidate becomes president, he goes on to write. So this book should be required reading before election day for us all . I have read other Secret Service books but learned a great deal about how elected officials treat those who serve, the scandals in Cartagena , the way certain grandchildren are under secret service protection and others not, as well as why cabinet members have secret service drive them for hours to their homes or mistresses. THANK YOU Mr Kessler; your recommendations toward the end of the book merit attention from the powers that be.
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GaD22
4.0 out of 5 stars
The First Family Detail: Secret Service Agents Reveal the Hidden Lives of the Presidents
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on August 19, 2014Verified Purchase
The First Family Detail: Secret Service Agents Reveal the Hidden Lives of the Presidents by Ronald Kessler is marketed as giving an insight into what life out of the public eye is really like with current and former US Presidents, Vice-Presidents or Presidential candidates. Some individuals come out well on a personal level e.g. former First Lady Barbara Bush’s concern for a Secret Service agent when out walking or Dick Cheney’s promptness and consideration for an Agents time and service. Others do not e.g. Joe Biden’s apparent disregard for taxpayers money in his use (misuse) of Air Force Two or the conduct of both Bill and Hillary Clinton. As one who has no axe to grind with either political party given that I do not live in the US, I found Ronald Kessler’s book to be easy reading, interesting and illuminating if somewhat concerning in part. Setting aside the fact that most people – politicians being no exception ( perhaps an understatement!!) - have their public face and their private face, my feeling about this book is that the stand out revelations are more about the pressures facing the Secret Service. Some of the examples given of Secret Service management cutting corners or demonstrating poor decision making skills when issuing instructions to their Agents is dreadful. The lack of resources, be they management, financial, physical or just plain common sense would, I should have thought, be something the Administration should be addressing as a matter of urgency given that those men and women are very much their safety blanket and last line of defence in a threatening situation.
4 people found this helpful
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sarahvm
3.0 out of 5 stars
The same as the other book
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on August 25, 2016Verified Purchase
If you have read in the presidents service there is really no need to read this book. Most of the stories are just the same with the occasional extra bit added on. There are a couple of New stories that have been added but overall its a bit like reading the same book twice. With that being said it is interesting to read what the presidents and families are like away from the camera's and some of the families do not come out well.
Mrs. L. Eggleton
5.0 out of 5 stars
Very interesting and easy to read
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on February 14, 2018Verified Purchase
Very interesting and easy to read. You see behind the closed doors the White House. Makes you think who made the more human President. Thoroughly enjoying it.
R. Ross
5.0 out of 5 stars
A very interesting and enjoyable book.
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on August 14, 2014Verified Purchase
I really enjoyed this book. It is filled with lots of stories that are fascinating to read. Ronald Kessler's writing style is very easy to read and I breezed through this book quickly as I couldn't put it down. I read Clint Hill's 'Mrs Kennedy and Me' and loved it. If you have read that you will enjoy this. It is the first book I have read by Ronald Kessler, but it won't be the last.
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Kindle Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars
Willing to take the bullet
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on May 7, 2015Verified Purchase
I saw the book and brought it on a whim.
It makes interesting reading the author writes well and brings alive the voices of the agents.
A hard job done by very dedicated men and women
It makes interesting reading the author writes well and brings alive the voices of the agents.
A hard job done by very dedicated men and women
One person found this helpful
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