I really enjoyed learning about the inner workings of the White House. J.B. West essentially ran the White House in conjunction with the First Lady at the time. His tenure spanned FDR to Nixon. He didn't intersperse much in the way of his own opinion, allowing the reader to form his or her own opinion. It seemed that his job veered off with Jackie Kennedy, as she was deep into redecorating. The other First Ladies seemed more into an initial redecorating to make the living space to her own tastes. The author's tone was genial without being uppity, and I enjoyed the pictures that accompanied the book.