From the mystique of the glamorous Kennedys to the tumult that surrounded Bill and Hillary Clinton during the president’s impeachment to the historic tenure of Barack and Michelle Obama, each new administration brings a unique set of personalities to the White House-and a new set of challenges to the fiercely loyal and hardworking people who serve them: the White House residence staff.

In the bestselling chronicle The Residence, former White House correspondent Kate Andersen Brower pulls back the curtain on the world’s most famous address-through the residence staffers’ stories of fifty years, ten administrations, and countless crises, large and small. Drawing on hundreds of hours of interviews with butlers, maids, chefs, florists, doormen, and other staffers-as well as former first ladies and first family members-Brower offers a group portrait of the dedicated professionals who orchestrate lavish state dinners; stand ready during meetings with foreign dignitaries; care for the president and first lady’s young children; and cater to every need the first couple may have, however sublime or, on occasion, ridiculous.