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

not what I expected out of a "book"

What would have made The Butler better?

If it was an actual book about the Butler, instead of the story behind the movie.

Any additional comments?

Its not a book, but a behind the scenes, how we made the movie. Its a good story, but not a book like what you'd expect. More of a documentary.

NOT the book

Would you try another book from Wil Haygood and/or the narrators?

Yup the reviews are correct - this is just an essay about Civil Rights - OK for what it is - but if you use the Movie Poster as the cover, then have the content be that story....

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

YUP

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

I just quit listening.....

Any additional comments?

Don't buy this until you read all the reviews....

I Agree with the Others.....Very Deceptive!

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

I kept looking when I downloaded this thinking it must just be a sample. I had already seen the movie, and wanted to get more information on Eugene Allen's life....not less information. Like someone said, this was basically a summary of the movie and a marketing ploy.

In order to make this a 4 or 5-star experience....an actual book!

shocking misrepresentation

I have over 500 books in my audible library. This has to rate amongst the worst. The title is a total misrepresentation. It was nothing about the life and times of the butler as described.

It had no coherence and I had no idea what the relevance of most of it was to the title.

A REALLY BAD listen. The only redeeming feature was the narration, (not Forest Whitaker who speaks so slowly I had to put it on 1 1/4 speed).

An appalling waste of two hours of my life. I will never buy anything from this 'author' again. I am asking for my money back.

ugh!

While I was very excited to listen to this book, words can not begin to tell you how bad it was. I wanted to hear about Cecil Gaines, not the reporter. The story held so much promise, yet it failed. The narration was not well done, what I listened to. He just sort of droned on and on.

Don't waste your time or credit

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

It's not really the story of the Butler's life at the White House. I wouldn't even consider it a book.

Not about the butler!

This book title is misleading in that it is merely a description of the author's researching and interviewing, and not about the butler himself. I am very disappointed and feel cheated out of a credit.

WASTE OF MONEY! This book isn't the butler's story

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

This is not the story of the butler, it is the story about making the movie and black history, etc. I didn't think I was buying a book about this, I wanted to hear first-hand the butler's story. VERY DECEIVING AND WASTE OF MONEY.

What could Wil Haygood have done to make this a more enjoyable book for you?

Actually let the butler tell the story!

Any additional comments?

Stupidest thing I ever bought!