From the Corner of the Oval Office: One Woman's True Story of her Accidental Career in the Obama White House, by Beck Dorey-Stein

Staff review by Chris Saliba

A funny, whip-smart, warts-and-all memoir from inside the Obama White House.

In 2012 Beck Dorey-Stein found her career in a bit of slump and didn’t know what to do. Answering an ad on Craigslist for a stenographer at a law firm, she halfheartedly applied. To her surprise, she soon found out the job was actually working for the Obama administration. Her job involved a jet set lifestyle, following the president and his entourage around the world, recording interviews and press conferences, then typing up the transcripts.

It was a dream job: meeting important people, travelling to amazing places, making great friends. But there was a down side when the private and professional became intertwined. Dorey-Stein started a romantic relationship with one of the male staffers. It would put her on an emotional roller coaster that didn’t let up for the five years she worked for Obama.

In this very confessional, warts-and-all memoir, Dorey-Stein lays it all bare: the mistakes she made in pursuing the wrong man, the hurts she suffered, the friends she betrayed. The book is also a fascinating, fly-on-the-wall peek into how a slick, well oiled presidential machine works. There are the hierarchies, the protocols, the career chess moves. At times, Dorey-Stein paints a bleak picture of  Washington DC culture, full of ambitious, successful people who are not particularly happy.

From the Corner of the Oval Office is written in a punchy, quick-witted style. It’s breezy and candid. Once opened, you won’t be able to put it down.

From the Corner of the Oval Office: One Woman's True Story of her Accidental Career in the Obama White House, by Beck Dorey-Stein. Published by Bantam. ISBN: 9781787630888 RRP: $35 

Release date: 16th July

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