Rating: 
Summary: In-depth White House history
Review: 200 years of daily life at the White House are revealed in an involving pictorial history of the home lives of each presidency. Real Life at the White House is more than just a probe of presidential families; it provides in-depth White House history and examines the role of the First Lady as it's changed over the decades. An intriguing presentation.
Rating:
Summary: Real Life in the White House
Review: Excellent book about the First Families, history of the building itself and just good old fashioned American History. As a history buff, I found this excellent reading and extremely informative. Interestingly enough, Mr. Clinton was not the only soundrel who lived there and the election of Dec 2000 was not the first. The similarity of that and the past is downright spooky.
Rating:
Summary: Charming and educational: nonfiction that you can't put down
Review: Father-daughter team John and Claire Whitcomb have woven a tapestry of American history from the perspective of the White House and the nation's first families. Their command of detail is impressive: not only the familiar trivia about decorations and furniture that you can find in other White House histories, but how each first family related to the staff, how each president financed the home's operation (paying until modern times out of his own pocket for the staff, public entertainment, and refurbishing), and how the White House has both changed and changed with the nation's concept of the connection between the people, their leaders, and their house.I have been reading about American history and presidential trivia for three decades and, instead of running into the same familiar overused anecdotes on which so many books draw, this book contained educational and entertaining surprises on every page. The book portrays our presidents as human beings, and tells a story not only about their habits and routines, but about their emotions and their lives in and out of the public eye. The image that struck me the most was President Pierce--mourning his son's recent death--spending his first night as president nearly alone in the White House, sleeping "on a mattress on the floor, wrapped in his coat to keep warm," because his belongings were still packed, his grieving wife had not yet arrived in Washington, the Fillmores had not quite moved out, and the furniture was in disarray from the inaugural celebration. The book is full of such human anecdotes. I could hardly put it down.
Rating:
Summary: Charming and educational: nonfiction that you can't put down
Review: Father-daughter team John and Claire Whitcomb have woven a tapestry of American history from the perspective of the White House and the nation's first families. Their command of detail is impressive: not only the familiar trivia about decorations and furniture that you can find in other White House histories, but how each first family related to the staff, how each president financed the home's operation (paying until modern times out of his own pocket for the staff, public entertainment, and refurbishing), and how the White House has both changed and changed with the nation's concept of the connection between the people, their leaders, and their house. I have been reading about American history and presidential trivia for three decades and, instead of running into the same familiar overused anecdotes on which so many books draw, this book contained educational and entertaining surprises on every page. The book portrays our presidents as human beings, and tells a story not only about their habits and routines, but about their emotions and their lives in and out of the public eye. The image that struck me the most was President Pierce--mourning his son's recent death--spending his first night as president nearly alone in the White House, sleeping "on a mattress on the floor, wrapped in his coat to keep warm," because his belongings were still packed, his grieving wife had not yet arrived in Washington, the Fillmores had not quite moved out, and the furniture was in disarray from the inaugural celebration. The book is full of such human anecdotes. I could hardly put it down.
Rating:
Summary: Great research; fascinating stories
Review: Former White House curator Clement Conger calls this one of the best White House books he's read. White House scholar William Seale also endorses it. I found it full of fasincating stories that really show what it was like for forty families to live in one house over 200 years.
Rating: 
Summary: An Interesting Account of Our Presidents
Review: I found this book full of information about the different Presidents and their families and how they adjusted to living in the White House. There is a lot of information about earlier, less known Presidents, and I enjoyed reading those chapters. I was also interested to read about all the pets over the years.
Every family seemed to have all sorts of animals. It was interesting to read about the First Ladies and their "quirks". Mary Todd Lincoln ran up clothing bills that she tried to hide---just like Jackie. Other stories that I found amusing were that Nixon would not allow guards or policemen to speak to him or Mrs. Nixon. Betty Ford couldn't understand why they ignored her greetings until this was explained to her. Ronald Reagan served tea to Prince Charles who did not touch it because, as he explained later, he didn't know what to do with the little bag! Many such amusing stories made this a truly enjoyable book. I recommend to anyone wanting to know about living in the White House.
Rating:
Summary: A winner!
Review: I read almost every book on the White House and First Families and this truly is one of the best! A wonderful history of how our First families lived and worked in that most historic home! So very many pictures in this book are never before seen! The authors have truly done homework, talked to all the right people and have made a volume sure to be a reference book for all time! Great work! Great book!
Rating: 
Summary: nasty gossip
Review: I thought this book was a bit on the nasty side. I read the chapter on the Clintons first and they repeat hearsay on Mrs Clinton expecting Secret service to carry her bags and the nasty things she said and it goes down hill from there. I read the other modern president's chapters and those were also a bit on the catty side. I did get a bit disturbed by the tone and didn't finish the book. If you want unsubstantiated catty gossip, this is the book for you. (Or you could just read the National Enquirer.)
Rating:
Summary: Inside Look at the White House
Review: I was fascinated by the way forty families lived in one house. Real Life at the White House is filled with wonderful anecdotes, many of them unknown to me, and I'm quite a history buff. I agree with White House curator Clement Conger that this is "the best" of the genre.
Rating:
Summary: Inside View of the White House
Review: I was just fascinated to see how forty families lived in one house. Real Life at the White House is full of wonderful anecdotes-many of them I hadn't heard before-and it really gives you a sense of how history happened, all in one place. It's well written and charming. I agree with curator Clement Conger, who calls this book "the best" of the genre.
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