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A review by cameronwaller
Who Thought This Was a Good Idea?: And Other Questions You Should Have Answers to When You Work in the White House by Alyssa Mastromonaco, Lauren Oyler
3.0
This book was fine. Not great or particularly good, but fine.
I enjoyed the through-line about period advocacy and her work regarding the destigmatization of feminine hygiene, as well as her struggles with being a young professional with IBS. Some of the anecdotes involving Barack - particularly one touching moment towards the end when he calls the author from Air Force One after hearing about the death of her beloved cat - helped restore my pre-2016 affinity for US presidential politics.
But this book’s structure was all over the place, and the writing itself lacked brevity and heft. The author’s choice to litter swear words throughout did not succeed in making her seem more relatable (as was, I believe, her intention), but instead came across as an empty, lazy effort to express passion, akin to the overuse of an exclamation mark (less is more!!)
In lieu of recommending this memoir, for anyone wanting a strong and fun occupational autobiography about the Obama White House I would suggest picking up Beck Dorey-Stein’s ‘From the Corner of the Oval.’
I enjoyed the through-line about period advocacy and her work regarding the destigmatization of feminine hygiene, as well as her struggles with being a young professional with IBS. Some of the anecdotes involving Barack - particularly one touching moment towards the end when he calls the author from Air Force One after hearing about the death of her beloved cat - helped restore my pre-2016 affinity for US presidential politics.
But this book’s structure was all over the place, and the writing itself lacked brevity and heft. The author’s choice to litter swear words throughout did not succeed in making her seem more relatable (as was, I believe, her intention), but instead came across as an empty, lazy effort to express passion, akin to the overuse of an exclamation mark (less is more!!)
In lieu of recommending this memoir, for anyone wanting a strong and fun occupational autobiography about the Obama White House I would suggest picking up Beck Dorey-Stein’s ‘From the Corner of the Oval.’