From the Corner of the Oval: A Memoir - Hardcover

Dorey-Stein, Beck

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0525509127 ISBN 13: 9780525509127

Publisher: Spiegel & Grau, 2018

Synopsis

The compulsively readable, behind-the-scenes memoir that takes readers inside the Obama White House, through the eyes of a young staffer learning the ropes, falling in love, and finding her place in the world.

In 2012, Beck Dorey-Stein was just scraping by in DC when a posting on Craigslist landed her, improbably, in the Oval Office as one of Barack Obama's stenographers. The ultimate DC outsider, she joined the elite team who accompanied the president wherever he went, recorder and mic in hand. On whirlwind trips across time zones, Beck forged friendships with a tight group of fellow travelers--young men and women who, like her, left their real lives behind to hop aboard Air Force One in service of the president. But as she learned the ropes of protocol, Beck became romantically entangled with a consummate DC insider, and suddenly, the political became all too personal. Set against the backdrop of a White House full of glamour, drama, and intrigue, this is the story of a young woman making unlikely friendships, getting her heart broken, learning what truly matters, and discovering her voice in the process.

About this title

Review

"[Beck Dorey-Stein's] breezy page turner is essentially Bridget Jones goes to the White House."--Peter Baker, The New York Times

"Obama administration memoirs are rolling in, but in a refreshing twist From the Corner of the Oval swaps policy for good old-fashioned workplace drama. . . . Readers won't find state secrets so much as they'll get a glimpse at what life was really like working for the most historical of administrations. There are countless flights on Air Force One, late nights at four-star hotel bars in far-flung locations, and a bravely honest retelling of her workplace affair."--Entertainment Weekly

"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 but is fully aware, too, of the pomposity and petty spite of official Washington. She's at her best and funniest when recalling the physically unhealthy and vaguely ridiculous work of following the president wherever he goes."--The Wall Street Journal

"Addictively readable . . . Dorey-Stein absorbs it all with a fine eye for detail and conveys it with freshness, candor and humor. . . . She may be a stenographer, but this is not typing; this is writing. . . . It is a testament to Dorey-Stein's charm and her writing chops that we root for her throughout. . . . From the Corner of the Oval has been aptly dubbed The West Wing meets Devil Wears Prada. I see it more as C-Span meets Sex and the City--but with more drinking and even more sex. . . . 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. Which makes From the Corner of the Oval somehow, against the odds, a story of hope."--Paul Begala, The New York Times Book Review (Editors' Choice)

"A few weeks ago, what I always fear will happen actually did happen. I'd been reading Beck Dorey-Stein's engrossing memoir, From the Corner of the Oval, out July 10, on my commute home. 'Huh, ' I thought, as I looked up from my book and saw a slightly unfamiliar landscape whir by. 'This train ride seems longer than usual.' And it was. I had been so absorbed in Dorey-Stein's insider recollections of the Obama White House that I'd missed my stop entirely."--Refinery29 (Best New Books For July 2018)

"Dorey-Stein brings readers along for romance, heartbreak, and growing up."--Bustle

"History lesson meets soap opera. In this poignant, brutally honest, and often-funny work of self-reflection, Dorey-Stein pulls no punches and tells all she learned from and about the president who 'taught me to look up.'"--Booklist

"Hilarious . . . Dorey-Stein writes with honesty and panache."--Publishers Weekly

About the Author

A graduate of Wesleyan University, BECK DOREY-STEIN worked as a White House stenographer from 2012 to 2017. Previously she worked as a high school English teacher in Hightstown, New Jersey, Washington, DC, and Seoul, South Korea. This is her first book.

About this edition

• Publisher: Spiegel & Grau
• Publication date: 2018
• ISBN 10: 0525509127
• ISBN 13: 9780525509127
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 352