Rating: 
Summary: Straight-forward and insightful
Review: As a big fan of Helen Thomas, I could hardly wait for this book to be published. My only regret is that she left so many telling details out. Of course, if she had included all that she had learned while covering eight presidents, the book would have been to heavy to even pick up. I loved this book and it should be required reading in every college communications course in this country.
Rating:
Summary: Entertaining and insightful
Review: As I read this book I felt that Ms. Thomas was sitting in an easy chair across the room from me telling me an interesting story of her life covering the White House. The book gives an indepth, behind the scenes, view of covering the the White House, presidents, first ladies and families. Ms. Thomas explains many of the feelings and emotions that were not necessarily the stories but went along with the events. This is a very enjoyable book to read. I felt as though Ms. Thomas made me part of those exciting times.
Rating: 
Summary: Seconds out, round eight!
Review: As the first (and perhaps last) woman to "beat up" no fewer than eight US presidents in succession - figuratively speaking, of course -Helen Thomas certainly could not be accused of pulling any punches. Her book gives us a fascinating insight into the relationship between the elite White House press corps and the President, which comes across as rather like that between prison guard and prisoner: a certain affection develops, but at the end of the day it's still very much adversarial. Helen Thomas comes across as someone with very strong values of truth, honesty and public service, who has not shied away from asking the awkward questions of errant Presidents over many years. Indeed, you might even get the impression she enjoys being perceived as unrelenting and at times blunt in her attempts to present the truth to the public. Her book is a little disjointed in the early chapters, but soon settles into a (perhaps better-edited) chronological pattern, giving excellent insight into the Presidents, their wives, and the various White House staffers whose job it is to manage the news, but who rarely - if ever - manage to control people like Helen Thomas. This book is an excellent read, not too self-centred, but creating a strong impression of a dedicated reporter with a determination to get to the heart of the truth.
Rating:
Summary: An Outstanding Contribution to Herstory
Review: Helen Thomas has written a real page-turner. I bought the book two nights ago at an event where she spoke and started reading that night! She is as witty in person as in print! It's an excellent book, but what else would we expect from Helen Thomas?!?!
Rating:
Summary: Sometimes Acerbic but Insightful Read
Review: Helen Thomas often sounds like a curmudgeon which can probably be excused as it is probably a prerequisite for being a journalist. However, her account and opinions about the characters and events at the White House, her opinions about her compatriots in the media, and her perspective of the last seven administrations from the front row make for a terrific read.
Rating:
Summary: A revealing look into our recent Presidents
Review: Helen Thomas shots from the hip, and holds back no punches when it comes to evaluating the presidents she's covered.
Rating:
Summary: Great read! Interesting insights on 8 presidencies.
Review: Helen Thomas tells her story of nearly 40 years at the White House with a great balance of history, personal experiences, and humor.Ms. Thomas is a fine writer who keeps the reader engaged in wanting to learn more about the office of the presidency from a behind the scenes view, the role of the media, the presidents' family life, and Ms. Thomas' own experience in becoming a Washington institution. It has altered how I view certain presidents, especially LBJ. I have also gained a new perspective on the media's role as a check and balance on our government (well, at least the responsible journalists). I was surprised at how quickly I finished the book. Well done!!
Rating:
Summary: Pro in the Know
Review: Helen Thomas was intimidated by Franklin Roosevelt. But, eventually, she became well known for asking John Kennedy tough questions about women's issues. He often laughed at her queries, and I guess we now know why. My favorite quote from Thomas was about Ronald Reagan: "That man should never have gotten into the White House."
Rating:
Summary: A Truly Unique Witness to History!
Review: I believe it is near impossible to read this fascinating book and not come away with a tremendous admiration for Helen Thomas. Approaching 80 years young, Thomas continues to cover the White House as Dean of the White House Press Corps, and Chief White House Correspondent for United Press International (UPI). Thomas has covered the White House since the early days of the Kennedy administration. She has been daily witness to history in the making through her daily presence at the White House, or on travels with the President of the United States.Over the terms of eight U.S. Presidents, Thomas has clearly proven herself to be a fair, credible, and objective representative of the news media. Although "news" has increasingly become a cut-throat, opportunistic, money grubbing industry, Helen Thomas seems to have maintained perspective. She seems to be a principled, fair, yet uncompromising human being in an arena that is generally more interested in "scoops," "ratings" and "sensationalism." In her faithfulness to the finest tenets of her vocation, Thomas works hard to report "without a personal spin." While she has reported everything from the most boring and mundane -- to some of the most critical events in history -- Thomas appears to have done so in all fairness and with a minimum of personal bias. Titled in reference to the front row seat she occupies at the White House during press briefings, Thomas, despite often unflattering reports; albeit fairly represented, appears to have earned the respect of almost every President she has ever covered. In this retrospective, she is able to acknowledge her own flaws and limitations. As a woman who has earned the esteem she has, Helen somehow has remained at heart, a fair and humble reporter. "What you see is who she is" to turn a phrase. Yet, it is equally important to note that Thomas' objectivity and fairmindedness has never made her a soft reporter or a pushover. Thomas is indeed a feisty, hardworking, often impatient and intolerant human being. She is not satisfied with lies and attempts to obfuscate the truth. She can quite obviously be annoyingly in her singleminded quest for the the bottom line of a story. In addition, Thomas possesses an innate nose for anything less than full disclosure. She will pursue a story until she has a true read on it -- without a thought to whose nose she may put out of joint in the process.In "Front Row", Thomas puts aside her usual objectivity and shares many of her long held personal views of the men who have occupied the Office of the President of the United States, their spouses and the staff who have surrounded them. Her account is a fascinating portrait of the strengths and weaknesses of each administration she has witnessed. I indeed hope that some of those whom Thomas has mentored -- directly or indirectly -- have taken her lessons to heart and brought their learnings into their work. In an era when the news media is often -- justifiably -- under attack, it would serve the entire industry well to read Thomas' book and to study her career more closely. If there were more reporters practicing their calling with the level of integrity which Thomas has consistently demonstrated, the American people would have far more faith in the the news media. I hope Helen Thomas carries on, and that her colleagues and the Presidents she reports on, learn a few more lessons from her. An outstanding read!Daniel J. Maloney
Rating: 
Summary: Gossipy and self-promoting; devoid of analytic insight
Review: I found this disappointing, having hoped for genuine insight into the role and experience of the press and the White House. Instead it is crammed with random and often pointless anecdotes, in which the author's purpose seems more to assure the reader that her colleagues and those she covered valued her and paid attention to her. She portrays herself as a tough questionner, but this book can only make one wonder how effective a journalist she really was.
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