Who Thought This Was a Good Idea?

Ms. Mastromonaco, the Obama White House deputy most likely to regale the staff with The Jackal, has written a political memoir slash thriller. Will she even survive her absolutely draining stint as PBOs aide-de-camp? I worried that the last page would just be whatever letters were in the center of her keyboard when her poor forehead came crashing down.

Which is merely to say that Ms. Mastromonaco does an excellent job of telling civilians about the stress and adrenaline levels of working in the White House. (At least back when people were keen to do a good job for the citizens of America.) From getting POTUS and entourage a second plane in case of an Iraqi sandstorm, or making sure the U.S. Secret agents were allowed to bring their weapons into South Africa, Ms. Mastromonaco got the job done.

One might, simply out of feminist reflex, flinch each time the author mentions that she cried. The underlying culprits were usually exhaustion or physical issues. However, when one considers the grim souls currently stalking the west wing, one remembers to appreciate the fact that she has a human, beating heart, and that she had the emotional capacity to actually care.

I suspect privacy rules & regs forced the author to limit the PBO anecdotes. The former presidents playful attempts at matchmaking for Ms. Mastromonaco caught me by surprise; the ultra-rational regimen of salmon and brown rice (even while campaigning) did not. But he seems to have been just like all non-disturbed people saw him to be an extraordinarily decent, bright, hardworking man. A man who, while carrying the weight of the world on his shoulders, took time to call a grieving Ms. Mastromonaco and offer her words of comfort from Air Force One. Just as, I believe history will confirm, the nation was lucky to have him, Obama was lucky to have Ms. Mastromonaco.

Mastromomaco says towards the end of this book that she intended it for 15-25 year olds. That revelation explained a lot and made me a bit more forgiving of her over sharing of menstrual and IBS symptoms. I understand that she is trying to make her big, intimidating career relatable to young adults, but at times she goes a bit too far and ends up demeaning her position. She must be a whip smart, incredibly fast learner with a work ethic second to none, yet we hear lots about her potty problems, her cat, her clothes. Bottom line was I enjoyed the book, and the Very little insight she gives into Obama is still fascinating. I just wish I had read it as a college kid.

I have always been a great admirer of Barack Obama, so it was only natural that I would read this book which promises a peak into everyday life in the White House. It is more about Alyssa Mastromonaco and her role as chief of staff, but it was delightful and informative and showed once again the human empathic leader that Barack Obama is. Ps: I’m not American, so he was not my President, therefore, politics aside, I still think he is a great orator and writer and of course a thinker and great family man.

Its a very good read. Shes very funny and its interesting to learn about all the tasks that one White House staffer must do behind-the-scenes to make various events come off smoothly.
Im struck by how real and cool Obama is. Alyssa had a very stressful job that required frantically working on numerous tasks. When Obama was a senator, Alyssa’s desk was near the back door to Obamas office. Once when she was on the floor doing sit ups to relieve the stress, Obama walked by. She was concerned he might be upset, but instead he said, Good for you.

Class guy! Thanks Alyssa for letting us see another side of a president we respected and admired.

First: I despise politicians and am a fiercely independent voter. I have no idea how it got on my Kindle because memoirs are not my thing – particularly political ones.

However, I found this book delightful. It is so refreshing to see POTUS as a real live human. It was awesome to know that Obama learned how to deal with Sandy by directly asking Bush’s people about what went wrong with Katrina. I found it inspiring that the two past presidents helped each other out for the betterment of the country (I sincerely doubt the current POTUS bothers to ask his predecessors anything).

The advice given here is useful for anyone, of any age, that wants forward momentum in their career. Plus, it’s just a great read. It should be required reading for college kids. It has super practical advice and real life examples.

I loved the glimpse behind the curtain of life in the White House. I totally understand why the burnout rate is so high. I know for sure I couldn’t keep the pace. Fantastic read.

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