Who Thought This Was a Good Idea?: And Other Questions You Should Have Answers to When You Work in the White House

Enjoyable read that provides insight into how the White House and Barack work. Really made me miss Obama. He called her when her cat died, for gods sake! Imagine the orangutan doing that

If you are looking for a book that is humorous, insightful, and empowering to women in leadership this is a great one for you. I think if you liked Tina Fey's and Mindy Kaling's books, you'll like this one too. I'm almost done with the audible version and love it!

This is the autobiography/memoir of Alyssa Mastromonaco. She starts off telling about growing up in a small town in Vermont. While attending the University of Vermont she did her summer internship with Bernie Sanders. After college she worked for Senator John Kerry then obtained a job with Senator Barack Obama. When Obama became President, she became the Deputy Chief of Staff to the President. She was the youngest women to assume this office.

The author provides a look inside how presidential campaigns are run and what it is like to work in the White House. For those planning on a job in politics, she provides some pointers and a few examples are…. “always be prepared”, “Know as much as possible about the people you meet”,… “Be polite”… “Take responsibility for your mistakes”.

The book is easy to read but did not follow a chronological order which was a bit confusing at times. I enjoyed the humor but what I did not enjoy was the profanity. If you are curious about politics or thinking about working in politics, you will enjoy this book.

The book is about six hours long. The author narrated the book.

I don't recall how I stumbled upon this book in Audible, but it was interesting, inspiring and laugh out loud funny! Worth the listen. I may listen again, it was that good.

Alyssa was very transparent as she walked you through the life of a staffer. As a Navy Staff Officer, I see a lot of similarities and sincerely appreciate her perspective. Being a staffer can be challenging so hearing how she navigated the various pitfalls was funny and insightful. I have already shared this book.

More of a "how to survive working in politics" guide than a political memoir, Alyssa Mastromonaco's recounting of her time with Senator, Candidate and finally President Barack Obama is a must read for anyone contemplating -- or currently struggling through -- a life as a political staffer.
Punctuated by personal stories and poignant advice throughout, Mastromonaco honestly details the difficulty of achieving a work life balance in the fast-paced world of politics. Though I imagine this story will be particularly helpful to women climbing the corporate or political ladder, "Who Thought this Was a Good Idea" should be on the top of any political geek's reading list, or that of anyone who looking to be entertained, informed and inspired.

I really liked what the author had to say. Very relatable in terms of a working woman's career path. My only criticism is around the narration. I really didn't like her style, but her anecdotes helped distract from it. I really recommend this to all young women.

After hearing Alyssa on Make me smart podcast I couldn't wait to hear her story. My only issues with this book is that I couldn't stop listening and it was over too fast! The authors passion shines in her voice and her perspective and candid way of giving you the real deal was way refreshing. Great perspective on true politics when we need it most.

This is the perfect book for every young woman. Especially when you want to go into politics, or plan another big career. What makes this book so great is that Alyssa is so relatable, she writes about the big meetings with Obama she had, her love for cats and everything in between. You can be a woman with a big career and still be a crazy cat lady. This is an unique insight in the head of someone who looks like she has it all together, but on the inside is just as insecure as all of us.

Ms. Mastromonaco is obviously a bright, energetic dynamo. I wished she had put more of that energy into writing this book. I love books about the Obama White House but I feel ripped off by this one. It's poorly organized and quite honestly I have the feeling she could written a much better book if she'd wanted to. I'm really disappointed.