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Wondery and William Morrow. You may think

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you know what goes on inside the

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White House, but did you know that

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we've already had our first female president?

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Not officially, but when Woodrow Wilson had

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a stroke, his wife, Edith, served as

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a shadow president during the final months

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of his administration. You might also be

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surprised to learn that Lyndon B. Johnson

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liked to take naked swims in the

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White House pool with visiting dignitaries, or

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that when Harry Truman took office, the

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White House had fallen into such disrepair

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that his daughter's piano fell through the

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floor. In the hidden history of the

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White House, you'll hear these and other

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remarkable tales from inside the walls of

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our nation's most iconic residents, all told

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in the accessible, immersive style of American

1:13

history tellers. We'll put you in the

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shoes of presidents, first ladies, senators, and

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the everyday Americans who work inside the

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White House, from cooks and valets to

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telegraph operators and national security advisors. This

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is your invitation to join us in

1:25

the House Where It Happened. Check out

1:27

a link in the show notes to

1:30

pre-order the hidden history of the White House,

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available June 4th wherever you get your books.

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And now, here's a preview from my introduction

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to the audiobook. The

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White House. Few buildings

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in the world are more famous or

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more enduring than this structure in Washington,

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D.C. that stands as the ultimate symbol

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of the United States. It

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has also served as the stage for some of the most

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dramatic scenes in the world. scenes in American history.

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Through victory and catastrophe, what happens inside

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the White House has driven the narrative

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of our country for more than two

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hundred years. Its walls

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and portraits have witnessed fierce

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power struggles, world-altering decisions, shocking

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scandals and unforgettable meetings, from

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the momentous to the absurd.

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Every corner and hallway has a tale to

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tell. But

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what goes on within those walls has too

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often been a source of mystery or speculation.

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And while today any American can

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take a free tour, for much

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of our nation's history, access to

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the People's House was closed off

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to all but a select privileged

2:39

few. This book was inspired by

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American historytellers, the long-running podcast produced

2:43

by Wondery. On that show,

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we like to say that we take listeners

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to the events, the times, and the people

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that have shaped America and Americans. Few

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places can claim more influence than the

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White House, which stands as a living

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monument to the towering figures, hair-breath moments

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of crisis and euphoric triumphs that have

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defined our country. While

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researching these stories, it became clear that

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not only has the building itself changed

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over time, morphing to adapt to the

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needs of each era, but the history

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of the White House also serves as

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a kind of mirror of the presidency

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itself, and of all the

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ways the power of that office has

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stretched and broadened over the past two

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centuries as America has evolved, expanded, and

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taken an increasingly prominent place on the

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global stage. As

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a result, this book is organized into three

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sections. In

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Part 1, Laying the Foundation, we bring

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you stories of the House itself and

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the designers, builders, and laborers who first

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raised the building on the banks of

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the Potomac. We explore how

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the mansion has been damaged, renovated, and

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expanded over the years, and how its

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buildings and grounds have been shaped by

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the individual desires and needs of the

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men who have occupied the Oval Office,

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as well as the changing nature of

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the presidency itself. In

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Part 2, the People's House, we

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delve into the struggles and controversies

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over who has been allowed to

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visit the White House's hallowed halls,

4:07

how has access expanded over time, and

4:09

how do those shifts reflect broader

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social changes in American culture? How

4:14

have presidents and power brokers responded to

4:16

the needs and demands of the nation's

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most oppressed members? Finally,

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in Part 3, Halls of Power,

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we address America's emergence in the early

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20th century as a global

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superpower, and how the White House has served

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as a backdrop for some of our nation's

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most consequential turning points. How

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have the nation's chief executives guided

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the nation through two world wars,

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major social upheavals, and a 21st

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century war on terror? This

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book aims to bring to life the people and

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moments that have shaped the White House, some

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known, some not so known, as history

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was being made. My

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hope is that, as you read,

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you will discover something new or

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surprising that shifts your perspective, like

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the tale of Kate Warren, America's

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first female Pinkerton detective, who helped

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foil an assassination plot against Abraham

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Lincoln, or the remarkable

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friendship between President Ulysses S. Grant

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and E.E.S. Parker, a Native American

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who became Grant's most trusted consultant

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on Indian affairs, or

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the heroics of Paul Jennings, an

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enslaved teenage valet who helped evacuate

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First Lady Dolly Madison from the

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White House as the British advanced

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on Washington. You'll

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step into moments like the raucous

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inauguration festivities for Andrew Jackson, the

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nation's first populist president, or the

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boundary-breaking dinner party Theodore Roosevelt, then

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America's youngest chief executive, held for

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the renowned author and educator Booker

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T. Washington, the first black

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man to dine at the White House, or

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the tense decision-making behind the daring midnight

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raid by U.S. Navy SEALs that ended

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in the death of Osama bin Laden.

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As on the American Historytellers podcast, to

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bring those moments to life, we sometimes

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include invented or embellished details, such as

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dialogue. But the events themselves

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are all true and based on extensive research.

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And wherever possible, we've drawn everything from

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the historical record, including what

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people said. On

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American History Tellers, we invite listeners to slip

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into the shoes of everyday people as history

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is being made. In this

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book, we invite you, too, to imagine yourself

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as one of the ordinary citizens or iconic

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personalities who have shaped our country, to be

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a fly on the wall for our country's

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most pivotal moments. In our

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current fraught and divided political climate, understanding

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the past is essential to understanding a

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future in which all of our nation's

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inhabitants can thrive. This

6:38

is your invitation to join us in the

6:40

house where it happened. Check

6:43

out the link in the show notes and pre-order the

6:45

audiobook, The Hidden History of the White House, wherever you

6:47

get your books. And for a

6:49

preview of some of the stories featured in

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the book, join us June 5th for a

6:53

special interview episode with authors Corey Mead and

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Kate Anderson-Brouwer.