I admit I wasn’t very familiar with Alyssa Mastromonaco prior to 2017. After Obama left office, I began to hear her on one of my two favorite podcasts, Pod Save America, from time to time. I loved hearing her stories about her time working for Barack Obama and her commentary about the current state of American politics, so I was pleased to receive a copy of Who Thought This Was a Good Idea? And Other Questions You Should Have Answers to When You Work in the White House, her personal/political memoir, in return for my honest review (thanks to Twelve Books and NetGalley).

Ms. Mastromonaco worked for Barack Obama for nearly ten years, following her times spent on John Kerry’s losin Presidential campaign. Ironically, one reason she went to work for Obama was that she didn’t want to be part of another Presidential campaign. She truly admired him, and ran herself ragged in an adviser position that defies definition, but basically she ran the White House, overseeing personnel, logistics/travel/events, and anything else that required organizational skills and commitment. I think part of her success is summed by her quote “Preparation is protection you can create for yourself; for some people, the hard part may be balancing precautions with paranoia, but in my experience, you can never be too prepared.”

Personally, she is aware of her vulnerability, and the book is filled with her honest assessment of fears and discomfort (which she worked hard to overcome): “For some people (like me), gathering the courage to speak up in meetings is a skill that requires practice. There are always the normal fears—that you’ll sound stupid, that everyone else has already thought of what you’re about to say and has moved on…then there are the fears that you develop when your meetings are with the most important and powerful policy makes in the country.”

I admit I am a fanatic about the Crooked Media podcasts (especially PSA), and tend to agree with her political stance. But what I really enjoyed about this book was its self-deprecating humor, willingness to reveal all kinds of personal experiences and quirks – in fact, some of the online comments trashing the book were from people turned off by her stories about the White House bathrooms not have tampon dispensers when she arrived, and her IBS that required her to make constant adjustments to her routines, diet, etc.

A fun read, and just what I wanted: a book ABOUT national politics and recent history told through the perspective of a modern, honest woman. Four solid stars.