Book Description

In a natural follow-up to her national bestseller "Front Row at the White House, " the dean of the White House press corps presents a vivid and personal presidential chronicle. In nine riveting chapters--one for each administration--Thomas delights, informs, spins yarns, and offers opinions on the Commanders in Chief, from John F. Kennedy through George W. Bush.

Amazon.com

Penzler Pick, April 2002: The second novel by Baine Kerr is, like his first, Harmful Intent, a densely plotted thriller with the threads of the story meandering here and there, the author apparently in no hurry to get to the crux of his story. It is a device that, in the hands of a less talented writer, might frustrate the reader, but here it is a pleasure to go along for the ride during which a richly textured story infolds.

It begins on December 25, 1993, in Laramie, Wyoming. June Mooney, the only female engineer at the train yard, has signed up for duty on Christmas Day because her daughter is with June's ex. Dale Stillwell, a loner, has also signed up for duty. In the middle of a raging blizzard, June is in the trailing cab of a locomotive, steering it through the yard while Dale hangs off the lead engine checking switches and giving the go ahead. As June's engine starts down a line to a spur, an outbound coal train stands in the cutoff. Dale is straining to see through the snow and, as he glimpses the cowcatchers of the coal train close in with 6 inches to spare, he clambers up the rungs of his engine, misses one, loses his hold, and slips between the trains. He is rolled and then dropped with two collapsed lungs, 11 broken bones, and a bolt jammed into his skull. June never saw a thing.

This story is told by Elliott Stone, the court-appointed conservator for Dale Stillwell in the matter of Stillwell vs. The Western Pacific Railroad. As conservator, Elliott is making sure the financial settlement being hammered out between the lawyers for each side is fair. June is there, but now she's June Stillwell, having married Dale and devoted her life to nursing him. June reminds Elliott of his wife who, two years earlier, died unexpectedly. Elliott doesn't really want this job, but he is persuaded to take the case by Stillwell's doctor, Hans Leitner. Elliott owes Leitner a favor for getting him an appointment in The Hague to join the prosecutor's office at the United Nations criminal tribunal for the former Yugoslavia. The settlement is agreed upon and Elliott can leave for Europe but, as he leaves the courthouse, he overhears Dale Stillwell muttering over and over "I'm going to k-kill her!"

Two years pass and Elliott returns to discover that June Stillwell is in the Colfax Center for Rehabilitation with other hopeless patients after being brutally attacked in her bed by person or persons unknown and with an object which nobody can identify.

The stage is set. When a series of deaths occur at the Colfax Center, Elliott is in a unique position to connect the deaths at Colfax with European war crimes--and that connection is shocking.

　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　--Otto Penzler

From Publishers Weekly

Just as it ain't over till the fat lady sings, a presidential press conference isn't finished until Helen Thomas delivers her ubiquitous "Thank you, Mr. President." The phrase has saved presidents struggling with difficult questions from reporters, frustrated viewers who would have liked a longer appearance by the president and has even inspired jokes from presidents. Having served as UPI's White House bureau chief for an unprecedented nine administrations (she was long known as dean of the White House press corps), Thomas is certainly qualified to write a book compiling presidential anecdotes. Introducing each president's chapter with a summary of what she found that particular man to be like, Thomas seems to find something nice to say about everyone. LBJ was an expert raconteur, Nixon was best in small groups, Ford had a great laugh, Reagan was master of the one-liner and Bush Sr. was "quick on his feet" (though, she admits, a champion of "disjointed communication"). Thomas's memories (which range from 50 to 500 words) of these men are indeed telling. She acknowledges that no president has ever liked the press, yet does offer a few glimpses into the camaraderie between leader and reporter, especially present with Kennedy. Readers will laugh at Clinton's self-deprecating remarks (stricken with laryngitis, he announced, "My doctor ordered me to shut up, which will make everyone in America happy") and sigh at George W.'s "Bushisms" ("Rarely is the question asked: Is our children learning?"). Thomas's "all in good fun" attitude and breadth of experience make this a light but entertaining follow-up to her recent memoir, Front Row at the White House.

From Library Journal

The First Lady of the White House press corps follows up her engaging memoir, Front Row at the White House, with a collection of humorous and sometimes touching stories about the nine presidents--John Kennedy through George W. Bush--she covered for UPI and as a columnist for Hearst. She reveals the human side of the presidents by reminding the reader that they "are people, too. They just get to live rent-free and have someone else pick up the dry cleaning." Presidents Ford, Reagan, and George W. Bush endeared themselves to the public by knowing how to laugh at themselves, while Nixon's and Carter's humor was twinged with bitterness. President Clinton turned to gallows humor as he careened from one crisis to another. Thomas is especially fond of Kennedy and Johnson, and in addition to her anecdotes she includes tales about them contributed by other reporters. Thomas here provides some good laughs for these serious times. Strongly recommended for public libraries.

　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　Karl Helicher, Upper Merion Twp. Lib., King of Prussia, PA

Synopsis

The former grande dame of the White House press corps offers a personal memoir of her experiences with the First Families, from the Kennedys through two Bush administrations, covering nine presidential administrations.

Book Dimension:

length: (cm)21.5 　　　 　　　　　　　　　 　 width:(cm)14