The Butler

A Witness to History

By: Wil Haygood

Narrated by: Forest Whitaker, Oprah Winfrey, David Oyelowo, Lee Daniels

Length: 2 hrs and 32 mins

Publisher's summary

The story that inspired the major motion picture...read by its stars David Oyelowo, Forest Whitaker, and Oprah Winfrey

When acclaimed Washington Post writer Wil Haygood had an early hunch that Obama would win the 2008 election, he thought he'd highlight the singular moment by exploring the life of someone who had come of age when segregation was so embedded in the culture as to make the very thought of a black president inconceivable. He struck gold when he tracked down Eugene Allen, a butler who had served eight presidents, from Harry Truman to Ronald Reagan.

Forest Whitaker narrates the story of this remarkable man who, while serving tea and supervising buffets, was also a witness to history as decisions about America's most momentous events were being made.

With a foreword by the Academy Award-nominated director Lee Daniels, The Butler also includes Wil Haygood's essay exploring the history of black images on celluloid and in Hollywood, read here by David Oyelowo and Oprah Winfrey.

©2013 Wil Haygood (P)2013 Simon & Schuster

Don't buy it !

What would have made The Butler better?

I was really looking forward to getting an insight into the daily life at the White House. I would have liked it better if they had focused on behind scenes events of one president.

What do you think your next listen will be?

I loved Listening to Chasing Fireflies by Charles Martin. I look forward to hearing another book by him.

What three words best describe the narrators’s voice?

pleasant, easy to understand.

If you could play editor, what scene or scenes would you have cut from The Butler?

The best scene in the book was when the writer was allowed to visit the basement in the butler's home.

Any additional comments?

Don't waste your money on this one.

Just advertising

What would have made The Butler better?

Not a novel, but just a trailer for the movie. Minimally expanded from the original Washington Post article with add-ons from Hollywood.

This is not a book but an advertisement

This book wasn’t for you, but who do you think might enjoy it more?

It seemed this book was really just an advertisement for the movie. It was not enjoyable. Felt cheated by wasting a credit.

Not what I expected!... in a bad way.

I like to read books before the movies come out, so when I saw that there was a “Butler” book I snatched it up.

I’m disappointed because it turns out that this is not the story of the Butler, but rather the story of the Movie! Did the publisher’s summary say so and I missed the warning? It was just advertizing for the film.

I prefer these kinds of thing as special features in a DVD; I regret this purchase.

would not recommend

I really thought this book would have been more about the butler's experience working at the white house rather than about the experience of meeting the butler.

A complete waste of money

What disappointed you about The Butler?

The Butler is not a book!
It is nothing but a political ad and an attempt to make obama (I refuse to use any caps on that name) some kind of a god. There is nothing about--what it was like to serve hundreds of people during a state dinner, how many persons are needed to serve a state dinner, how people have changed over the years both guests and staff, what were his routine daily duties, did he have to polish silver, was he ever scared he might droop something, how often he had to be invisible during his job, were there any parts of his job he didn't like, what was the feeling inside the White House during holidays, funerals, first time visits of a new leader of a country, was there ever a time they were afraid something might happen to the White House as during the Cold War, what changed when the President was out of town-----NOTHING AT ALL!
A total waste of good money and time!

Would you ever listen to anything by Wil Haygood again?

NEVER

Who would you have cast as narrator instead of the narrators?

Anyone who didn't worship obama!

What reaction did this book spark in you? Anger, sadness, disappointment?

Disgust nothing but disgust.

Any additional comments?

Save your money, save all the time you will waste-reading or listening followed by expelling everything you have eaten in the past 48 hours in the bathroom. If this trash
Is what you want Al Sharpen, or any radical pro- racist will be a much better use of your time.

Was not what I expected.

What would have made The Butler better?

I thought this was going to be the book version of the movie.

Has The Butler turned you off from other books in this genre?

No

Have you listened to any of the narrators’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

No

What character would you cut from The Butler?

None

Any additional comments?

I guess maybe Ishould have read the info in this book better because I thought it was the book version of the movie.

Bland.....Heartwrenchingly disappointing

How would you have changed the story to make it more enjoyable?

It really isn't about the story. I watched the movie and I thought it was sensational!!! So I thought, I could really do justice to this title by getting the book and as is customary there would be those little things in the book that weren't on the screen. Was I wrong!!!!

How could the performance have been better?

The narrator could have sounded a lot more interested in the content he was delivering. Ten minutes into a 2hr plus set of content I was still wondering if I was listening to the introduction....Nope! It was the actual 'book'...smh

What reaction did this book spark in you? Anger, sadness, disappointment?

DISAPPOINTED. I'm glad I had downloaded another book with it

Just an advertisement for the movie

Any additional comments?

I thought this was going to be a story about Eugene Allen. But it is just a poorly written advertisement for the movie with very little about Mr Allen specifically. This was probably due to the fact the Mr Allen was very discrete about what he saw during his years in the White House and chose not to dish out the dirt as so many are prone to do these days. I can't believe they actually charge for this book!!

awful, no story line

What could have made this a 4 or 5-star listening experience for you?

simply a lecture with an intro about the article it is based on

Would you ever listen to anything by Wil Haygood again?

no

Any additional comments?

save your money