Under This Roof

The White House and the Presidency - 21 Presidents, 21 Rooms, 21 Inside Stories

By: Paul Brandus

Narrated by: Tom Zingarelli

Length: 7 hrs and 42 mins

Publisher's summary

In Under This Roof, award-winning White House journalist Paul Brandus weaves together stories of the presidents, their families, the events of their time, and an oft-ignored major character, the White House itself. From George Washington to the current occupant, Barack Obama - the story of the White House is the story of America itself, Brandus writes. You'll:

• Walk with John Adams through the still-unfinished mansion and watch Thomas Jefferson plot to buy the Louisiana Territory.
• Feel the fear and panic as British invaders approach the mansion in 1814 - and Dolley Madison frantically saves a painting of Washington.
• Be in the room as one president is secretly sworn in and another gambles away the White House china in a card game.
• Stand by the presidential bed as one First Lady - covering up her husband's illness from the nation-secretly makes decisions on his behalf.
• Learn how telephones, movies, radio, and TV changed the presidency - and the nation itself.

Through triumph and tragedy, boom and bust, secrets and scandals, Brandus brings history to life in this riveting, highly entertaining inside look at the presidency and White House.

©2015 Paul Brandus (P)2015 Tantor

Critic reviews

"[A] fast-moving and well-written history of the presidency." (Del Quentin Wilber, author of Rawhide Down)

Interesting insights

I learned some things I didn't know and got to hear expansions of things I did. It was a very interesting book highlighting the goings-on in the White House - and sometimes out of it. It did irritate me a bit when things were repeated or when the author/narrator told a side story that was about a different president than the chapter was about, but overall, it was great.

Enjoyable Read

I liked this very much. I am not too political, but this book give much info about each president and their families plus very interesting information about the development of the White House, additions, decorations etc. Very enjoyable but informative book

Great

From the narrator to the subject matter, this book keeps you listening. If you love history the descriptions are so vivid you can almost smell the White House as it slowly crumbled over the years. The dedication of the First Families to repair and endure there are a testament to what it means to be a true civil servant. If those walls could talk it would make a great movie. The book moved along quickly and as always I learned something new about a few of our presidents. I recommend as an educational tool or just an easy listen to a sad and funny and all of the other emotions we humans have rolled into one book about Our White House.

Bad editing error towards the very end.

I hope they catch it and fix it. Otherwise, this is my kind of geeky history. The White House's history is so incredibly interesting. It so perfectly embodies the strength, resiliance, and many imperfections of the country itself. But it has also gotten better over time.

Love this!

I love this book! So much history is in this book. I learned about presidents whose names I didn't know before. I'm even more enchanted with the White House! The narrator did a wonderful job and was easy to understand and follow along with.

1600 Pennsylvania Ave

What an incredible story about the White House and its residents. Each leaving their mark in history like the President.

Interesting but Glaring Omission

Learned some great things but extremely disappointed to not have Lyndon Johnson. If you think his administration had nothing to do with White House preservation and restoration you need to recheck your facts and start over.

More history on the White House.

Would you consider the audio edition of Under This Roof to be better than the print version?

I would.

What did you like best about this story?

The information that I had never heard about before.

Which character – as performed by Tom Zingarelli – was your favorite?

Most of them, though he can't do any accents.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?

Afraid I can't think of one.

Any additional comments?

None.

Interesting but a bit tedious at times

The book was full of interesting facts about the White House and the presidents who call it home/. But you may be off put by the dozens of Presidents you've never heard of and goings on nobody cares about. The author doesn't do a good job of putting his selections into context and telling the reader why he selected the people he did. That said if you're the kind of person who likes history for it's own sake you can't go wrong with this. Performance is top notch

Brief history of our Presidents

I confess to not knowing much about past Presidents. This book allowed me a glimpse of most of them and a starting point to get to know those that inspire or interest me more. It was well presented and the narrator was perfect for the story. I undoubtedly will listen again and again.