Government girl : young and female in the White House
(Book)

Book Cover
Average Rating
Published
New York, NY : Ecco, [2010].
ISBN
9780061672224, 006167222X
Status

Description

"A delightful page-turner…that will put the lucky reader within the feverish excitement of a hopeful and tragic time." -Andrei Codrescu, NPR commentator and author of The Posthuman Dada Guide: Tzara and Lenin Play Chess A memoir of being young and female in the Clinton White House Stacy Parker Aab was born in Detroit in 1974, the only daughter of a white Kansas farm girl and a young black Detroiter fresh from two tours of Vietnam. An excellent student, Aab gravitated toward public service and moved to Washington, D.C., for college in the hopeful days of 1992. Not only would Aab study political communication at The George Washington University, but she would also intern at the White House. For three years, she worked for George Stephanopoulos. In 1997 she became White House staff, serving as Paul Begala's special assistant. At first, life was charmed, with nurturing mentors, superstar politicos, and handsome Secret Service agents. In January 1998, the world of the Clinton White House changed radically. Monica Lewinsky became a household name, and Aab learned quickly that in Washington, protectors can become predators, investigators will chase you like prey, and if you make mistakes with a powerful man, the world will turn your name into mud. Government Girl is a window into the culture of the Clinton White House, as seen through the eyes of an idealistic young female aide. Stacy Parker Aab's intimate memoir tells of her coming-of-age in the lion's den. Her story provides a searing look at the dynamics between smart young women and the influential older men who often hold the keys to their dreams.

Copies

LocationCall NumberStatus
Blue Island Public Library - Stacks973.929 AABOn Shelf

Similar Titles From NoveList

NoveList provides detailed suggestions for titles you might like if you enjoyed this book. Suggestions are based on recommendations from librarians and other contributors.
These books have the genres "life stories -- politics" and "life stories -- politics -- politicians"; and the subjects "women and politics," "politicians," and "presidents."
These candid and engaging memoirs chronicle the authors' heady and difficult experiences as ambitious young women working among the powerful figures in Barack Obama's (Who Thought this Was a Good Idea?) and Bill Clinton's (Government Girl) White Houses. -- Melissa Gray
These books have the genre "life stories -- politics"; and the subjects "women and politics," "politicians," and "presidents."
These books have the genre "life stories -- politics"; and the subject "presidential staff."
These books have the genres "life stories -- politics" and "life stories -- politics -- politicians"; and the subjects "women and politics," "presidents," and "politics and government."
These books have the genres "autobiographies and memoirs" and "life stories -- politics"; and the subjects "women and politics" and "presidents' spouses."
These books have the subjects "politicians" and "politics and government."
These books have the genres "autobiographies and memoirs" and "life stories -- politics"; and the subjects "presidents" and "political consultants."
These books have the genre "life stories -- politics"; and the subjects "presidents" and "presidential staff."
These books have the genre "life stories -- politics"; and the subjects "politicians," "presidents," and "politics and government."
These books have the genres "life stories -- politics" and "life stories -- politics -- politicians"; and the subjects "women and politics," "politicians," and "presidents."
These books have the genre "life stories -- politics"; and the subjects "women and politics," "presidents," and "presidents' spouses."

Similar Authors From NoveList

NoveList provides detailed suggestions for other authors you might want to read if you enjoyed this book. Suggestions are based on recommendations from librarians and other contributors.
These authors' works have the subjects "women and politics," "presidents," and "presidents' spouses."
These authors' works have the genre "history writing"; and the subjects "politicians" and "politics and government."
These authors' works have the appeal factors candid, and they have the subjects "politicians," "politics and government," and "political science."
These authors' works have the subject "presidents."
These authors' works have the subject "presidential staff."
These authors' works have the subjects "presidents" and "presidential staff."
These authors' works have the subjects "women and politics," "politicians," and "presidents."
These authors' works have the subjects "politicians," "presidents," and "politics and government."
These authors' works have the subjects "women and politics," "politicians," and "presidents."
These authors' works have the subjects "politicians," "politics and government," and "political consultants."
These authors' works have the subjects "internship programs," "politicians," and "interns."
These authors' works have the subjects "politicians" and "politics and government."

More Details

Published
New York, NY : Ecco, [2010].
Format
Book
Physical Desc
294 pages ; 21 cm
Language
English
ISBN
9780061672224, 006167222X

Published Reviews

Publisher's Weekly Review

A young staffer in the Clinton White House when the Monica Lewinsky scandal broke, Parker Aab effectively re-creates the heady excitement of working among powerful personages in the upper echelons of government. A native of suburban Detroit and then an 18-year-old scholarship student at George Washington University, Aab nee Parker possessed sterling credentials in civil and community service when she was selected to intern during the summer of 1993 for George Stephanopoulos's press office in the Old Executive Office Building. She answered the reams of fan mail that poured in and trained the other interns; her job eventually led to a staff position, as well as work doing presidential advance planning, which entailed traveling with Clinton's team and booking overnight accommodations. Tall and attractive, Parker soon learned where the power resided, e.g., with men such as Vernon Jordan, who offered professional advice freely over meals. When the Lewinsky details erupted in January 1998, Parker and her office under Paul Begala felt betrayed, though somehow unsurprised. Her memoir is well polished, and despite a few suggestive anecdotes about Vernon and Clinton, is mercifully free of salacious revelations. (Jan.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved

(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Powered by Syndetics

Library Journal Review

Aab worked in the Clinton White House as an intern, first in the communications office run by George Stephanopoulos and later on the staff of consultant Paul Begala. She was fascinated by the powerful people surrounding her, and her writing indicates not just her confidence but her sense of vulnerability and need for recognition. Aab opens the book with a somewhat suggestive account of a "close encounter" with President Clinton while doing advance work for his 2000 G8 summit trip to Japan. Men in the Clinton circle did befriend her; Vernon Jordan occasionally invited her to dinner, and during the Kenneth Starr investigations, she was deposed about that relationship. Aab knew Monica Lewinsky only slightly, but her experiences provide insight into the Lewinsky scandal by showing how easily such young, ambitious women can be influenced by the powerful men they meet. VERDICT Aab's chronology is sometimes hard to follow, and her accounts of personal relationships can display a youthful naivete. However, her descriptions of the less-than-glamorous life of a White House intern/staffer are intriguing. Recommended for readers interested in this kind of view of White House operations, especially young women considering a similar career path.-Jill Ortner, SUNY at Buffalo Libs. (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Powered by Syndetics

Kirkus Book Review

This memoir by a first-time author aims to rescue the phrase "White House intern" from infamynot an easy task since Monica Lewinsky. Huffington Post contributor Aab largely succeeds by relating her experiences as an idealistic, ambitious young woman working and learning among the charismatic men (and women) at the highest levels of government. She honors the noble impulse toward public service, even as she is candid about the dangerously erotic charge of being in the presence of power. As an intern in the office of White House Communications Director George Stephanopoulos while studying political science at George Washington University, Aab knew the young woman at the center of the scandal that almost brought down the Clinton Administration. While nonsalaried staff held down the fort one night during the government shutdown of 1995, the president even brought the author a slice of the very pizza that started his trouble with that other intern. She tells of instances of unwanted attention she received from President Clinton and his friend Vernon Jordan, but she provides a nuanced portrait of these men, whom she still admires. "Like a row of TVs turned to different stations," she writes, "they could exude nurturing love as much as they did sexual desire, and there were times I chose to keep my eyes on the nurturing love show and ignore the others." She contrasts the complicated Clinton and Jordan with her bosses Stephanopoulos and, later, Paul Begala, whom she admires unreservedly for being "spiritual" and self-restrained. However, the book is not a paean to famous and powerful men, and Aab is an interesting subject in her own right: the driven daughter of a white nurse from Kansas and a black Army veteran from Detroit who died young from the effects of alcoholism, and an insightful observer of history-making atmosphere in which she worked. A nicely written, mildly spicy memoir of the Clinton White House. Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Powered by Syndetics

Reviews from GoodReads

Loading GoodReads Reviews.

Citations

APA Citation, 7th Edition (style guide)

Aab, S. P. (2010). Government girl: young and female in the White House (First edition.). Ecco.

Chicago / Turabian - Author Date Citation, 17th Edition (style guide)

Aab, Stacy Parker. 2010. Government Girl: Young and Female in the White House. New York, NY: Ecco.

Chicago / Turabian - Humanities (Notes and Bibliography) Citation, 17th Edition (style guide)

Aab, Stacy Parker. Government Girl: Young and Female in the White House New York, NY: Ecco, 2010.

Harvard Citation (style guide)

Aab, S. P. (2010). Government girl: young and female in the white house. First edn. New York, NY: Ecco.

MLA Citation, 9th Edition (style guide)

Aab, Stacy Parker. Government Girl: Young and Female in the White House First edition., Ecco, 2010.

Note! Citations contain only title, author, edition, publisher, and year published. Citations should be used as a guideline and should be double checked for accuracy. Citation formats are based on standards as of August 2021.

Syndetics Unbound

Staff View

Loading Staff View.