From the Corner of the Oval

By Beck Dorey-Stein

From the Corner of the Oval - Beck Dorey-Stein
  • Release Date: 2018-07-10
  • Genre: Biographies & Memoirs
Score: 4.5
4.5
From 310 Ratings

Description

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • What if you lived out the drama of your twenties on Air Force One?
 
“[This] breezy page turner is essentially Bridget Jones goes to the White House.”—The New York Times
 
RECOMMENDED READING theSkimm • Today • Entertainment Weekly • Refinery29 • Bustle • PopSugar • Vanity Fair •  The New York Times Editors’ Choice • Paste

In 2012, Beck Dorey-Stein is working five part-time jobs and just scraping by when a posting on Craigslist lands her, improbably, in the Oval Office as one of Barack Obama’s stenographers. The ultimate D.C. outsider, she joins the elite team who accompany the president wherever he goes, recorder and mic in hand. On whirlwind trips across time zones, Beck forges friendships with a dynamic group of fellow travelers—young men and women who, like her, leave their real lives behind to hop aboard Air Force One in service of the president.
 
As she learns to navigate White House protocols and more than once runs afoul of the hierarchy, Beck becomes romantically entangled with a consummate D.C. insider, and suddenly the political becomes all too personal.

Against a backdrop of glamour, drama, and intrigue, this is the story of a young woman learning what truly matters, and, in the process, discovering her voice.

Praise for
From the Corner of the Oval

“Who knew the West Wing could be so sexy? Beck Dorey-Stein’s unparalleled access is obvious on every page, along with her knife-sharp humor. I tore through the entire book on a four-hour flight and loved reading all about the brilliant yet hard-partying people who once surrounded the leader of the free world. Lots of books claim to give real insider glimpses, but this one actually delivers.”—Lauren Weisberger, author of The Devil Wears Prada

“Dorey-Stein . . . writes with wit and self-deprecating humor.”The Wall Street Journal

“Addictively readable . . . Dorey-Stein’s spunk and her sparkling, crackling prose had me cheering for her through each adventure. . . . She never loses her starry-eyed optimism, her pinch-me wonderment, her Working Girl pluck.”—Paul Begala, The New York Times Book Review (Editors’ Choice)

Reviews

  • Amazing!

    5
    By sasha baron cohen
    This book made me appreciate my time in DC!
  • Print version of a Chick Flick

    1
    By Psymed
    If you’re interested in an insightful look into the Obama administration and Obama himself, you’ll not find that here. Instead, this book is merely a boring, melodramatic, monotonous, unrelenting, and sophomoric chronicle of the author’s love life while she was a White House stenographer, replete with boring recounting of endless text messages and emails involving her boyfriends.
  • From the corner of the oval

    5
    By Joanabake
    I loved every word. The author weaves her own life story together with her work story as stenographer to President Obama in a lively and personal accounting of her work at the White House. She was someone in a “lowly” position, someone who wielded little political power, yet who witnessed every day first hand the workings of the Obama administration and the charismatic man who led it.
  • I feel sorry for the author.

    1
    By PackagingChick
    I wish I could give this zero stars. A nobody gets the job of a lifetime and then craps on the people who actually deserved to be there. Have some respect BECK.
  • Why sell yourself short?

    2
    By TrapLibraryATL
    When the author is describing moments like her Marine One experience and the Newtown memorial, she shines. I loved the insight into arguably one of the coolest jobs in (unarguably?) the coolest administrations in history. But I can’t help wonder how much grander, more fun, more worthwhile her experience (and this book) would’ve been had she not allowed herself to be (let’s face it) swindled by a man who cared nothing about her (or other women, for that matter). In addition to her self described mood and feelings of worth, her writing greatly suffers when she’s blinded by these men (plural) who do not “see” her. Imagine if she’d gone in, flexed her intelligence and laughed in the face of these idiots, and focused solely on her job rather than being hustled. I give this 2 stars for the aforementioned moments of brilliance but I honestly hate the story.
  • Amazing read

    5
    By Iphoneuser2188
    Loved the book
  • The corner of the oval

    5
    By Corner of the oval
    A true story teller. This book feels like a hug. Thank you Beck Dory-Stein!
  • Excellent!!!

    5
    By Karatekid2005
    One of the top five books I have ever read!
  • From the Corner of the Oval

    4
    By BrittyMex
    I had expected this book to provide a sneak-peek into the behind-the-scenes lives and operations of President and Mrs. Obama. By the time I realized it wasn’t, I was already hooked into Beck’s storyline because I connected with her laid-bare soul. As I was reading, I felt myself riding alongside her emotional roller-coaster: empathizing with her insecurities, appreciating her sense of humor, celebrating her achievements, warning her of imminent dangers of the heart, chastising her for giving in to those dangers, judging her for courting and repeating the same mistake, recognizing that she is a good person trying to find the “right” path, rooting for her to overcome her vulnerability, and cheering for her success. By the end of the book, I admired her as a writer as well as a person. Beck, if by chance you read this review, all of your friends and family who have encouraged you to write are right: you are a talented writer, and I look forward to your next book.
  • A great read that I couldn't put down!

    5
    By KatieTravels
    As a 20-something female who has also lived in D.C., I found your book very relatable and so inspiring! I loved reading about your amazing experiences traveling the world and working for President Obama. Great job on your first book!