From the Corner of the Oval Office: One woman’s true story of her accidental career in the Obama White House

From the Corner of the Oval Office: One woman’s true story of her accidental career in the Obama White House

by Beck Dorey - Stein (Author)

Synopsis

The compulsively readable, behind-the-scenes memoir that takes readers inside the Obama White House, through the eyes of a young staffer learning the ropes, falling in love and finding her place in the world. 'Who knew the West Wing could be so sexy? Beck's unparalleled access is obvious on every page, along with her knife-sharp humour... Lots of books claim to give real insider glimpses, but this one actually delivers.' Lauren Weisberger, author of The Devil Wears Prada In 2012, Beck Dorey-Stein was just scraping by in Washington DC when a posting on Craigslist landed her, improbably, in the Oval Office as one of Barack Obama's stenographers. She joined the elite team who accompanied the president wherever he went, recorder and mic in hand. On whirlwind trips across time zones, Beck forged friendships with a tight group of fellow travellers - young men and women who, like her, left their real lives behind to hop aboard Air Force One in service of the president. But as she learned the ropes of protocol, Beck became romantically entangled with a colleague, and suddenly, the political became all too personal. Set against the backdrop of a White House full of glamour, drama and intrigue, this is the story of a young woman making unlikely friendships, getting her heart broken, learning what truly matters and discovering her voice in the process.

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More Information

Format: Hardcover
Pages: 352
Publisher: Bantam Press
Published: 12 Jul 2018

ISBN 10: 1787630870
ISBN 13: 9781787630871
Book Overview: The compulsively readable, behind-the-scenes memoir that takes readers inside the Obama White House, through the eyes of a young staffer learning the ropes, falling in love and finding her place in the world

Media Reviews
Who knew the West Wing could be so sexy? Beck's unparalleled access is obvious on every page, along with her knife-sharp humour... Lots of books claim to give real insider glimpses, but this one actually delivers. * Lauren Weisberger, author of The Devil Wears Prada *
If you've ever felt like you were out of your element, in over your head, or working without a net, you will love this book. Beck Dorey-Stein offers an endlessly fascinating perspective on power and history in the making. This memoir is funny, fast-paced, and so emotionally true that it hurts. *
Piper Kerman, author of Orange Is the New Black *
Sex, lies and the White House... Dorey-Stein details her extraordinary experiences at the side of the former leader of the free world. Incredible. * Telegraph *
Addictively readable... From the Corner of the Oval shatters the genre of the Washington memoir. Dorey-Stein writes with a fine eye for detail and conveys it with freshness, candor and humor. She takes her readers with her on a vertiginous tour of the world [...] and her sparkling, crackling prose had me cheering for her through each adventure. She never loses her starry-eyed optimism, her pinch-me wonderment, her Working Girl pluck. Which makes From the Corner of the Oval somehow, against the odds, a story of hope -- Paul Begala * New York Times *
A sassy, genuinely hilarious and poignant tale... This marvellously addictive read is worth the cover price for its insider account of Obama's presidency alone. -- Caroline Sanderson * Bookseller *
Love and heartbreak, ambition and jealousy, whirlwind travel to exotic locales and more page-turning drama than your favourite addictive novel. Consider yourself warned: this is not your father's White House memoir. *
Camille Perri, author of The Assistants *
An entertaining behind-the-scenes memoir of a young Obama White House staffer. -- Lorraine Candy * Sunday Times Style Magazine *
As someone who loves The West Wing, From the Corner of the Oval Office spoke to my geeky heart and gives great, sometimes surprising, insights into what it's like to work for one of the most powerful person on the planet. -- Sarah Shaffi * Stylist *
Bright pink and zinging with energy and sparkle...this book beautifully recaptures those vanished days of Obama's gentle wisdom. What makes it stand out among fly-on-the-wall accounts of the White House is Beck's honesty about the roller-coaster love affair she embarks on with a senior staffer, a grade-one, Jilly-Cooper-novel rotter. * Daily Mail *
This memoir is good and gossipy, will make you wish that you got to hang out with Barack and Michelle on a daily basis and is the missing link between The West Wing and Bridget Jones's Diary. * Red *
An entertaining, relatable and refreshingly frank guide to life in the orbit of the President... This lively, entertaining story offers a joyful nostalgia trip back to more hopeful times. * Express *
This memoir by a former Oval Office stenographer is equal parts racy, pacy and funny. From barely keeping her head above financial waters in Washington DC to hopping on board Air Force One with Barack Obama and his elite team, Dorey-Stein doesn't so much dish the dirt as mop up the mess left at her feet by the drama of politics and the heartbreak of romance. * Irish Independent *
An incredible story * GQ *
Hilarious . . . [Beck] Dorey-Stein writes with honesty and panache. * Publishers Weekly *
If you're like me and you pour yourself a cocktail and look at pictures of Obama and cry, you will adore From the Corner of the Oval. If you're a normal person who ever wanted to be a fly on the wall in a singularly historic place in time, you will find this book fascinating. Beck Dorey-Stein's warmth, humor, and keen view made me wistful, happy, hopeful, and only sad when the book ended. *
Julie Klam, author of The Stars in Our Eyes *
An insider account of Obama's presidency in this fascinating memoir by former White House staffer Beck Dorey-Stein * Good Housekeeping *
Intriguing and funny * Prima *
A White House story with shades of Bridget Jones... Dorey-Stein is perceptive and has made an unusually interesting contribution to the groaning shelves of presidential history. * Evening Standard *
Delightful... a bit Legally Blonde. What's most surprising about this isn't the hot pink cover, it's that we haven't had such a book before. Washington DC is famously a city of eager twentysomethings who work and date within the same pool. Where has the workplace relationship comedy been this whole time? * Mail on Sunday *
For five years Beck Dorey-Stein was a stenographer in the White House, giving her a front-row seat as US political history was made. * Observer *
Author Bio
A graduate of Wesleyan University in Connecticut, BECK DOREY-STEIN worked as a White House stenographer from 2012 to 2017. Previously she worked as a high school English teacher in Hightstown, New Jersey, Washington, DC, and Seoul, South Korea. This is her first book.