Alyssa Mastromonaco

If your funny older sister were the former deputy chief of staff to President Barack Obama, her behind-the-scenes political memoir would look something like this. WHO THOUGHT THIS WAS A GOOD IDEA? is an intimate and admiring portrait of a president, a candid book of advice for young women, and a promising debut from a savvy political star.

And Other Questions You Should Have Answers to When You Work in the White House

Who Thought This Was a Good Idea?

Charlotte 

A book with a question in the title ✔️

evy 

When I first found out about this book, I was really interested in reading it mainly because "The West Wing" is my favorite show and it awakened an interest in the world of politics in me.
Simply put, I loved this book. As a teenage girl, it was important for me to read something like it. Alyssa Mastromonaco did not go to an Ivy league, didn't come from an old-money wealthy family, and didn't get a 4.0 GPA, and she still got one of the most important jobs in the West Wing by working hard for it.
This memoir isn't a boring, purified tale told by an old white man. Mastromonaco is funny, smart, and not afraid to get real about the issues she struggled with before and after leaving the White House.
I also LOVED reading about her relationship with Obama: it really was insightful to what the most powerful man in the world was like behind closed doors, and a comfort knowing he's just as cool as I thought he was.

Finally, this book just made me miss when good, honest people ran the White House and the US. Could we please go back to that?

Cindy Lieberman

An enjoyable, surprisingly honest, and often funny look at working in politics- first for John Kerry’s unsuccessful presidential run then for a junior Senator from Illinois who brought her with him to the Obama White House. The author describes how her superb organizational skills and list-making habits enabled many last-minute and/or overly ambitious multi-city and international trips, how she single-handedly saved women from embarrassment by requisitioning the first tampon dispenser in the West Wing, and scores of other accomplishments, dubious and impressive, all at a very young age. The author intends for this to also offer career advice for young women 18-40, drawing from her atypical background and standout success in a series of highly rewarding and stressful jobs that also came at great personal cost.

Lauren Oyler

'Always fascinating and very funny, Alyssa's book is full of juicy stories from one of the world's most glamorous jobs' Mindy Kaling If your funny older sister were the former deputy chief of staff to President Barack Obama, her behind-the-scenes political memoir would look something like this . . . Alyssa Mastromonaco worked for Barack Obama for almost a decade, and long before his run for president. From the then-senator's early days in Congress to his years in the Oval Office, she made Hope and Change happen through blood, sweat, tears and lots of briefing binders. But for every historic occasion - meeting the queen at Buckingham Palace, bursting in on secret climate talks, or nailing a campaign speech in a hailstorm - there were dozens of less-than-perfect moments when it was up to Alyssa to save the day. Like the time she learned the hard way that there aren't nearly enough bathrooms at the Vatican. Full of hilarious, never-before-told stories, Who Thought This Was a Good Idea? is an intimate portrait of a president, a book about how to get stuff done, and the story of how one woman challenged, again and again, what a 'White House official' is supposed to look like. Here Alyssa shares the strategies that made her successful in politics and beyond, including the importance of confidence, the value of not being a jerk, and why ultimately everything comes down to hard work (and always carrying a spare tampon). Told in a smart, original voice and topped off with a couple of really good cat stories, Who Thought This Was a Good Idea? is the brilliantly funny, frank and inspirational memoir from a savvy political star.

Marlee Stark

Manik

Alyssa Mastromonaco does a great job of balancing fascinating perspectives from high pressure situations and the fun & human side of elected officials that we rarely get to see (without spin). Highly recommended, even if you're no into politics.

laura

I listened to this audiobook and found this book to be such a informative read not only about life and job hunting and being a women in any field. I also thought that is covered such a unique take on a white house roll, that I never read before. I really loved both learning about her role in the WH and also how she got where she was. This was such a fun read and so informative. I hope to read more political reads in the future!

Brian Alderman

insightful, funny, and in the weeds in the best way possible.

Megan Parrott

Val B

Katie Williams

Amanda Sutter

Elliott Mower

Lindsey B

Amy Vicknair

Julius Gehrig

Mariane Ferrantino 

Sarah Goldberg

Shannon Arputharaj

New York Times bestseller! If your funny older sister were the former deputy chief of staff to President Barack Obama, her behind-the-scenes political memoir would look something like this... Alyssa Mastromonaco worked for Barack Obama for almost a decade, and long before his run for president. From the then-senator's early days in Congress to his years in the Oval Office, she made Hope and Change happen through blood, sweat, tears, and lots of briefing binders. But for every historic occasion-meeting the queen at Buckingham Palace, bursting in on secret climate talks, or nailing a campaign speech in a hailstorm-there were dozens of less-than-perfect moments when it was up to Alyssa to save the day. Like the time she learned the hard way that there aren't nearly enough bathrooms at the Vatican. Full of hilarious, never-before-told stories, WHO THOUGHT THIS WAS A GOOD IDEA? is an intimate portrait of a president, a book about how to get stuff done, and the story of how one woman challenged, again and again, what a "White House official" is supposed to look like. Here Alyssa shares the strategies that made her successful in politics and beyond, including the importance of confidence, the value of not being a jerk, and why ultimately everything comes down to hard work (and always carrying a spare tampon). Told in a smart, original voice and topped off with a couple of really good cat stories, WHO THOUGHT THIS WAS A GOOD IDEA? is a promising debut from a savvy political star.

Who Thought This Was a Good Idea? And Other Questions You Should Have Answers to When You Work in the White House

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