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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Who Thought This Was a Good Idea?
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Narrated by:
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Alyssa Mastromonaco
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Lauren Oyler
About this listen
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.
PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying reference material will be available in your Library section along with the audio on our desktop site.
©2017 Alyssa Mastromonaco (P)2017 Little Brown Book GroupListeners also enjoyed...
What listeners say about Who Thought This Was a Good Idea?
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Overall3 out of 5 stars
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Performance1 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Sally
- 20-05-20
Interesting perspective for up & coming dreamers - shame about the narration
I found this well-written and interesting, an insightful look into life in US politics from a VERY different perspective. But the narration almost made me stop several times. Alyssa is a writer & clearly many, many other things, but she is not an actress or a speaker. Such a shame that decision was taken. One I wish I had read instead.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Michelle M. Whalen
- 15-09-18
Very Enjoyable, Not an Obama Story
I listened to this book because my best friend recommended it. Mastromonaco does an amazing job as a storyteller and narrator. I found it wonderful to picture my government run by people like myself, not just old, suited Gentlemen wearing monocles on golf courses. It occurs to me that since I was worried I'd be listening to a hard hitting political book, I was happily surprised. And then I read the other reviews and realized that this book really suffers from a failure of expectations. I can see that.
But I find I'm really hoping that Mastomonaco writes another book. I don't expect the next one to be about politics either, but I will buy it regardless of topic.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- simon allison
- 08-11-19
A wonderful treat
Alyssa’s humble and frank sharing of her experiences is both fascinating and humbling. The lessons one can learn from her will inspire, amuse and even make you cry. I’m glad I listened.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Susie
- 25-08-17
Great book!
Thanks Alyssa, what a great insight into Life at the White House! You are an inspiration!
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Overall1 out of 5 stars
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Performance1 out of 5 stars
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Story2 out of 5 stars
- Duncan Mackechnie
- 30-08-17
Maybe Alyssa thought this was a good idea.....
What disappointed you about Who Thought This Was a Good Idea??
The author comes across as a 16 year old that cant quite believe that she worked in the White House and I have difficulty in believing it too ! Her obsession with personal detail - Tampax machines, IBS , her toilet habits are cringeworthy - she appears totally self obsessed - I am no prude but her continual use of the F work and Shit become totally tiresome. The result is that that you know nothing more about the main events of the presidency than before.
Has Who Thought This Was a Good Idea? put you off other books in this genre?
No
How could the performance have been better?
The book is clearly pretty awful , but, the listening experience would have been better if we did not have to listen to Alyssa.
What reaction did this book spark in you? Anger, sadness, disappointment?
Nothing as positive as that - its 5 hours of my life I wont get back.
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3 people found this helpful