The new presidency of Democrat Thomas N. Tucker gets off to an auspicious start when outgoing President Ronald Reagan won't relinquish the Oval Office and step down on Inauguration Day. Herbert Wadlough, as Deputy Chief of Staff must do his best to work through every crisis, large and small, during the term in office of his good friend from Boise, Idaho. Wadlough and his family, son Herbert, Jr., wife Joan, and daughter Joan must adapt to the culture shock of life in Washington, DC.
Surrounded by allies and foes within the White House and on the outside as well, While Wadlough tirelessly toils for his boss, he suffers several dismissals and rehires as he bears the brunt of political snafus and blunders. At times in charge of the White House staff dining (mess) he uses his position to exact revenge upon rivals in the Executive branch. Demoted to Chief of Staff for the First Lady Jessica Tucker he makes the best of the situation and often acts more as a marriage counselor to the First Couple, even babysitting their young son nicknamed “Firecracker”. For the politically minded, Buckley can be equally hilarious and caustic in using his former insider knowledge of the workings of the presidency. | ||
Plot & Themes Tone of book? - humorous Time/era of story - 1980's-1999 Life of a profession: Is this an adult or child's book? - Adult or Young Adult Book Job/Profession/Status story Yes Main Character Gender - Male Profession/status: Age: - 40's-50's Ethnicity/Nationality Main Adversary Identity: - Male Age: - 40's-50's Profession/status: Intelligence - Smarter than most other characters Setting How much descriptions of surroundings? - 4 () United States Yes The US: - Southeast Island? Yes Island: - Caribbean Islands City? Yes City: - New York - Washington D.C. Misc setting Writing Style Sex in book? Yes Amount of dialog - significantly more dialog than descript |