Death in the White House

Death in the White House
Author: Mirsad Causevic
Publisher:
Total Pages: 288
Release: 2017-08-20
Genre: Genocide
ISBN: 9781975610388

In May 1992, as Serb forces closed in on their village of Hambarine, the three Causevic brothers made the fateful decision to split up and go separate ways in the hope that at least one of them would survive. One brother, Mufid, perished in unknown circumstances, and his human remains have still not been identified. Another brother, Mesa, made it to Travnik, and perished fighting in the armed resistance against international aggression and genocide. The third brother, Mirsad, endured months of daily beatings and torture at the infamous White House in the Omarska concentration camp, as well as hardships at the Manjaca concentration camp, before his release was finally arranged by the International Red Cross. Mirsad Causevic survived the impossible conditions imposed by the Serb aggression by virtue of his fierce determination, and that same iron will has enabled him to find the courage to share his story of suffering and unlikely survival with the world in his book, Death in the White House. It is a story that must be told, as new details about the truth about the genocide in Bosnia and Herzegovina are still coming out after twenty-five years. Now, through Mirsad's authentic witness account, the English speaking world will be able, in turn, to bear witness to the atrocities committed in Bosnia and Herzegovina by the Serb forces, particularly in the villages and concentration camps in the area of Prijedor. Mirsad's book also tells of his struggles to help others survive the atrocities, and of his love and support for his parents, then as their only surviving son, when they were reunited in Croatia, and when they later decided to settle in Chicago as refugees. Again, Mirsad applied his indomitable will to the task of surviving and flourishing in Chicago, where he succeeded as an entrepreneur and has been able to provide support for his extended family as well as support for advocacy and activist groups in the community.Mirsad, among many other Bosnians of his generation, has kept his heart open to the hope that telling the truth about the genocide will lead to justice. He has dedicated every fiber of his being to bearing witness to that truth so that the world will know what happened in the Prijedor area and elsewhere. Mirsad's bearing witness is also, he tells us, a way to remember and to honor the memory of his brothers. In this way, his book is an act of resistance to genocide denial in Republika Srpska. The Bosnian Serbs routinely and cruelly deny their crimes and they have prohibited or actively discouraged the establishment of memorials for the victims while memorials for the perpetrators have been installed, for example, near the very site of the Trnopolje concentration camp. For Mirsad, this book is itself a memorial to his brothers and he has dedicated himself to seeing that there will be memorials erected to other victims, including 102 children who perished in the Prijedor area.Like Elie Wiesel, Mirsad writes that he harbors no hatred. And like Elie Wiesel, Mirsad writes that he only seeks justice: to achieve justice through memory. Mirsad's book, which honors the memory of his brothers and the memory of all the victims, is a profoundly important act of justice. We can only thank him for having the courage to tell his story. Now, when nationalist rhetoric continues to be on the rise in Republika Srpska, we must meet our obligation to read Mirsad's book and work together to fulfill its message of hope for justice: for achieving justice through remembering and honoring the memory of the victims.Prof. Dr. David Pettigrew, Professor of Philosophy and Holocaust and Genocide Studies, Southern Connecticut State University;Board Member, Bosnian-American Genocide Institute and Education Center, Chicago, IL.Steering Committee, Yale University Genocide Studies ProgramInternational Team of Experts, Institute for Research of Genocide CanadaNew Haven, August 18, 2017.

Grant's Tomb

Grant's Tomb
Author: Louis L. Picone
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
Total Pages: 384
Release: 2021-02-16
Genre: Biography & Autobiography
ISBN: 1951627555

The moving story of Ulysses S. Grant's final battle, and the definitive account of the national memorial honoring him as one of America's most enduring heroes The final resting place of Ulysses S. Grant, the victorious general in the Civil War and the eighteenth president of the United States, is a colossal neoclassical tomb located in the most dynamic city in the country. It is larger than the final resting place of any other president or any other person in America. Since its creation, the popularity and condition of this monument, built to honor the man and what he represented to a grateful nation at the time of his death, a mere twenty years after the end of the Civil War, have reflected not only Grant's legacy in the public mind but also the state of New York City and of the Union. In this fascinating, deeply researched book, presidential historian Louis L. Picone recounts the full story. He begins with Grant's heroic final battle during the last year of his life, to complete his memoirs in order to secure his family's financial future while contending with painful, incurable cancer. Grant accomplished this just days before his death, and his memoirs, published by Mark Twain, became a bestseller. Accompanying his account with numerous period photographs, Picone narrates the national response to Grant's passing and how his tomb came to be: the intense competition to be the resting place for Grant's remains, the origins of the memorial and its design, the struggle to finance and build it over the course of twelve years, and the vicissitudes of its afterlife in the history of the nation up to recent times.

The Death of a President

The Death of a President
Author: William Manchester
Publisher: Little, Brown
Total Pages: 736
Release: 2013-10-08
Genre: Biography & Autobiography
ISBN: 031637072X

William Manchester's epic and definitive account of President John F. Kennedy's assassination--now restored to print in a new paperback edition. As the world still reeled from the tragic and historic events of November 22, 1963, William Manchester set out, at the request of the Kennedy family, to create a detailed, authoritative record of the days immediately preceding and following President John F. Kennedy's death. Through hundreds of interviews, abundant travel and firsthand observation, and with unique access to the proceedings of the Warren Commission, Manchester conducted an exhaustive historical investigation, accumulating forty-five volumes of documents, exhibits, and transcribed tapes. His ultimate objective -- to set down as a whole the national and personal tragedy that was JFK's assassination -- is brilliantly achieved in this galvanizing narrative, a book universally acclaimed as a landmark work of modern history.

Real Life at the White House

Real Life at the White House
Author: John Whitcomb
Publisher: Psychology Press
Total Pages: 540
Release: 2002
Genre: Presidents
ISBN: 9780415939515

An irresistible chronological overview of daily life in the presidential residence. Divided into 42 chapters representing each succeeding administration, this survey is brimming with fun facts, tantalizing tidbits, and memorable anecdotes detailing two centuries of domestic bliss and strife in the White House. From George Washington, who chose the sight and initiated work on the presidential mansion, to Bill Clinton, whose well-documented White House escapades titillated and scandalized the nation, each individual president has contributed to the mystique of the most readily recognized home in the U.S. Together with scores of drawings, portraits, and photographs, the breezy text chronicles the significant physical, social, and emotional changes wrought by each First Family as they sought to personalize daily life in the White House.

Hidden Illness in the White House

Hidden Illness in the White House
Author: Kenneth R. Crispell
Publisher: Duke University Press
Total Pages: 285
Release: 1988-09-30
Genre: Political Science
ISBN: 0822382326

The serious illness of three presidents—Woodrow Wilson, Franklin Delano Roosevelt, and John F. Kennedy—as well as the injury Ronald Reagan received in the assassination attempt upon him have revealed our woefully inadequate system for handling presidential incapacity. The authors believe that this flawed system poses a major threat to the nation, and they provide sobering reports on how the government functioned (or failed to function) during times of presidential impairment. The public was kept in the dark regarding the gravity of the presidential condition, often unaware that critical decisions were being made while the president was suffering from a severe illness. Hidden Illness in the White House contains startling new information on the severity of Roosevelt’s illness during the crucial Yalta negotiations and the fact that Kennedy suffered from Addison’s disease, a life-threatening illness, long before he was elected to the presidency. In each case the authors demonstrate that a largely successful effort was made to conceal the president’s true medical condition from the public.

Nightmare Scenario

Nightmare Scenario
Author: Yasmeen Abutaleb
Publisher: HarperCollins
Total Pages: 496
Release: 2021-06-29
Genre: Political Science
ISBN: 0063066076

Instant #1 New York Times and Wall Street Journal bestseller From the Washington Post journalists Yasmeen Abutaleb and Damian Paletta—the definitive account of the Trump administration’s tragic mismanagement of the COVID-19 pandemic, and the chaos, incompetence, and craven politicization that has led to more than a half million American deaths and counting. Since the day Donald Trump was elected, his critics warned that an unexpected crisis would test the former reality-television host—and they predicted that the president would prove unable to meet the moment. In 2020, that crisis came to pass, with the outcomes more devastating and consequential than anyone dared to imagine. Nightmare Scenario is the complete story of Donald Trump’s handling—and mishandling—of the COVID-19 catastrophe, during the period of January 2020 up to Election Day that year. Yasmeen Abutaleb and Damian Paletta take us deep inside the White House, from the Situation Room to the Oval Office, to show how the members of the administration launched an all-out war against the health agencies, doctors, and scientific communities, all in their futile attempts to wish away the worst global pandemic in a century. From the initial discovery of this new coronavirus, President Trump refused to take responsibility, disputed the recommendations of his own pandemic task force, claimed the virus would “just disappear,” mocked advocates for safe-health practices, and encouraged his base and the entire GOP to ignore or rescind public health safety measures. Abutaleb and Paletta reveal the numerous times officials tried to dissuade Trump from following his worst impulses as he defied recommendations from the experts and even members of his own administration. And they show how the petty backstabbing and rivalries among cabinet members, staff, and aides created a toxic environment of blame, sycophancy, and political pressure that did profound damage to the public health institutions that Americans needed the most during this time. Even after an outbreak in the fall that swept through the White House and infected Trump himself, he remained defiant in his approach to the virus, very likely costing him his own reelection. Based on exhaustive reporting and hundreds of hours of interviews from inside the disaster zone at all levels of authority, Nightmare Scenario is a riveting account of how the United States government failed its people as never before, a tragedy whose devastating aftershocks will linger and be felt by generations to come.

Designing Camelot

Designing Camelot
Author: James Archer Abbott
Publisher: International Thomson Publishing Services
Total Pages: 282
Release: 1998
Genre: Architecture
ISBN:

This exquisite book documents the extensive restoration of the White House under the Kennedy administration. It examines the physical transformation of America's premier residence from "home of the President" to house-museum". Kennedy enthusiasts, architects, interior designers, collectors, history buffs, preservationists, and White House watchers alike will covet this book. Full color throughout.

Upstairs at the White House

Upstairs at the White House
Author: J. B. West
Publisher: Open Road Media
Total Pages: 536
Release: 2013-10-01
Genre: Biography & Autobiography
ISBN: 1480449385

In this New York Times bestseller, the White House chief usher for nearly three decades offers a behind-the-scenes look at America’s first families. J. B. West, chief usher of the White House, directed the operations and maintenance of 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue—and coordinated its daily life—at the request of the president and his family. He directed state functions; planned parties, weddings and funerals, gardens and playgrounds, and extensive renovations; and, with a large staff, supervised every activity in the presidential home. For twenty-eight years, first as assistant to the chief usher, then as chief usher, he witnessed national crises and triumphs, and interacted daily with six consecutive presidents and first ladies, as well as their parents, children and grandchildren, and houseguests—including friends, relatives, and heads of state. J. B. West, whom Jackie Kennedy called “one of the most extraordinary men I have ever met,” provides an absorbing, one-of-a-kind history of life among the first ladies. Alive with anecdotes ranging from Eleanor Roosevelt’s fascinating political strategies to Jackie Kennedy’s tragic loss and the personal struggles of Pat Nixon, Upstairs at the White House is a rich account of a slice of American history that usually remains behind closed doors.

Edith and Woodrow

Edith and Woodrow
Author: Phyllis Lee Levin
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
Total Pages: 609
Release: 2002-03-03
Genre: Biography & Autobiography
ISBN: 074321756X

Elegantly written, tirelessly researched, full of shocking revelations, Edith and Woodrow offers the definitive examination of the controversial role Woodrow Wilson's second wife played in running the country. "The story of Wilson's second marriage, and of the large events on which its shadow was cast, is darker and more devious, and more astonishing, than previously recorded." -- from the Preface Constructing a thrilling, tightly contained narrative around a trove of previously undisclosed documents, medical diagnoses, White House memoranda, and internal documents, acclaimed journalist and historian Phyllis Lee Levin sheds new light on the central role of Edith Bolling Galt in Woodrow Wilson's administration. Shortly after Ellen Wilson's death on the eve of World War I in 1914, President Wilson was swept off his feet by Edith Bolling Galt. They were married in December 1915, and, Levin shows, Edith Wilson set out immediately to consolidate her influence on him and tried to destroy his relationships with Colonel House, his closest friend and adviser, and with Joe Tumulty, his longtime secretary. Wilson resisted these efforts, but Edith was persistent and eventually succeeded. With the quick ending of World War I following America's entry in 1918, Wilson left for the Paris Peace Conference, where he pushed for the establishment of the League of Nations. Congress, led by Senator Henry Cabot Lodge, resisted the idea of an international body that would require one country to go to the defense of another and blocked ratification. Defiant, Wilson set out on a cross-country tour to convince the American people to support him. It was during the middle of this tour, in the fall of 1919, that he suffered a devastating stroke and was rushed back to Washington. Although there has always been controversy regarding Edith Wilson's role in the eighteen months remaining of Wilson's second term, it is clear now from newly released medical records that the stroke had totally incapacitated him. Citing this information and numerous specific memoranda, journals, and diaries, Levin makes a powerfully persuasive case that Mrs. Wilson all but singlehandedly ran the country during this time. Ten years in the making, Edith and Woodrow is a magnificent, dramatic, and deeply rewarding work of history.

The Black History of the White House

The Black History of the White House
Author: Clarence Lusane
Publisher: City Lights Books
Total Pages: 662
Release: 2013-01-23
Genre: History
ISBN: 0872866114

The Black History of the White House presents the untold history, racial politics, and shifting significance of the White House as experienced by African Americans, from the generations of enslaved people who helped to build it or were forced to work there to its first black First Family, the Obamas. Clarence Lusane juxtaposes significant events in White House history with the ongoing struggle for democratic, civil, and human rights by black Americans and demonstrates that only during crises have presidents used their authority to advance racial justice. He describes how in 1901 the building was officially named the “White House” amidst a furious backlash against President Roosevelt for inviting Booker T. Washington to dinner, and how that same year that saw the consolidation of white power with the departure of the last black Congressmember elected after the Civil War. Lusane explores how, from its construction in 1792 to its becoming the home of the first black president, the White House has been a prism through which to view the progress and struggles of black Americans seeking full citizenship and justice. “Clarence Lusane is one of America’s most thoughtful and critical thinkers on issues of race, class and power.”—Manning Marable "Barack Obama may be the first black president in the White House, but he's far from the first black person to work in it. In this fascinating history of all the enslaved people, workers and entertainers who spent time in the president's official residence over the years, Clarence Lusane restores the White House to its true colors."—Barbara Ehrenreich "Reading The Black History of the White House shows us how much we DON'T know about our history, politics, and culture. In a very accessible and polished style, Clarence Lusane takes us inside the key national events of the American past and present. He reveals new dimensions of the black presence in the US from revolutionary days to the Obama campaign. Yes, 'black hands built the White House'—enslaved black hands—but they also built this country's economy, political system, and culture, in ways Lusane shows us in great detail. A particularly important feature of this book its personal storytelling: we see black political history through the experiences and insights of little-known participants in great American events. The detailed lives of Washington's slaves seeking freedom, or the complexities of Duke Ellington's relationships with the Truman and Eisenhower White House, show us American racism, and also black America's fierce hunger for freedom, in brand new and very exciting ways. This book would be a great addition to many courses in history, sociology, or ethnic studies courses. Highly recommended!"—Howard Winant "The White House was built with slave labor and at least six US presidents owned slaves during their time in office. With these facts, Clarence Lusane, a political science professor at American University, opens The Black History of the White House(City Lights), a fascinating story of race relations that plays out both on the domestic front and the international stage. As Lusane writes, 'The Lincoln White House resolved the issue of slavery, but not that of racism.' Along with the political calculations surrounding who gets invited to the White House are matters of musical tastes and opinionated first ladies, ingredients that make for good storytelling."—Boston Globe Dr. Clarence Lusane has published in The Washington Post, The Miami Herald, The Baltimore Sun, Oakland Tribune, Black Scholar, and Race and Class. He often appears on PBS, BET, C-SPAN, and other national media.