Government Girl
Stacy Parker Aab, Government Girl: Young and Female in the White House New York, NY: CCCO, 2010. 292pgs.
Summary: 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.
Comments: This was the first book I picked up to read after ALA. I thought it was going to be PERFECT for me. I also was a Clinton intern, I also was (am) an ambitious ‘government girl,’ I also am liberal, the goat is from outside of Detroit -- the description seemed like this book had it all.
I HATED this book. And I rarely say that. It started out on a bad note and just never got better. Where to start with my problem with this book? It comes off as a memoir along the lines of ‘oh I’m a poor innocent girl who was thrust into the company of all these ambitious, scary men who all want me.’ And that would be enough to make me dislike it. But there was more. Likely because she’s young and still hoping to have influence, she doesn’t say a bad word about ANYONE in the book. Everyone was great, even when exposing their flaws - fabulous people, there was just this one moment where I felt he looked at me inappropriately. Actually the only group of people that a bad word is allowed to stand about is people from Grosse Pointe. I have friends in Grosse Pointe, and enjoy my time there every year, so I’m not amused that every time she needed to illustrate that someone was a snooty rich boy the way she made that known to the reader was along the lines of ‘he reminded me of those awful boys from Grosse Pointe. Oh yeah, I knew the type…and so I stayed away from him.’
And look, I don’t think any woman should be put in a spot where they feel uncomfortable or threatened by work colleagues. I am not criticizing the validity of her feelings in any of the situations. I just don’t think it needs to be a book. The book was essentially details of uncomfortable situation with Clinton, transition, transition, background, details of uncomfortable situation with Vernon Jordan, transition, transition, background, details of uncomfortable situation with security guards, repeat, throw in a scandal or two.
I didn’t like that she started the book with details of an interaction with Clinton that wasn’t given any context later in the book. I didn’t like that she talked about meeting her husband twice but never showed us that part of said anything about him. I didn’t like that she wrote with clarity about what she was thinking at the time to justify every decision she made. I didn’t like the tone of how she talked about her work, which was both lofty and derisive at the same time. Maybe if I didn’t work in the government, or hadn’t interned myself, I wouldn’t care as much about that. I didn’t like the way she describes Lewinsky, or the scandal, or her reaction to it (‘immediately knew it was true’), or… anything by that point of the book. I didn’t like the Obama section - where she dreamt of joining his staff. Oh never mind, I didn’t like anything.
The reviews for her book talk about how vulnerable and candid she is in telling her story; how she delves into the transformation to successful woman. I can appreciate that. But it felt fake to me. And I’m sure it’s not, but I just didn’t read authentic. And that’s part of what made me so annoyed - because I really wanted to read that. And I just wasn’t convinced it was here.
Notes: mine, softcover, ALA
Subject: politics, memoirs, non-fiction, DC
Rating: 2/10 - I’m never going to get that week of reading back.
Summary: 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.
Comments: This was the first book I picked up to read after ALA. I thought it was going to be PERFECT for me. I also was a Clinton intern, I also was (am) an ambitious ‘government girl,’ I also am liberal, the goat is from outside of Detroit -- the description seemed like this book had it all.
I HATED this book. And I rarely say that. It started out on a bad note and just never got better. Where to start with my problem with this book? It comes off as a memoir along the lines of ‘oh I’m a poor innocent girl who was thrust into the company of all these ambitious, scary men who all want me.’ And that would be enough to make me dislike it. But there was more. Likely because she’s young and still hoping to have influence, she doesn’t say a bad word about ANYONE in the book. Everyone was great, even when exposing their flaws - fabulous people, there was just this one moment where I felt he looked at me inappropriately. Actually the only group of people that a bad word is allowed to stand about is people from Grosse Pointe. I have friends in Grosse Pointe, and enjoy my time there every year, so I’m not amused that every time she needed to illustrate that someone was a snooty rich boy the way she made that known to the reader was along the lines of ‘he reminded me of those awful boys from Grosse Pointe. Oh yeah, I knew the type…and so I stayed away from him.’
And look, I don’t think any woman should be put in a spot where they feel uncomfortable or threatened by work colleagues. I am not criticizing the validity of her feelings in any of the situations. I just don’t think it needs to be a book. The book was essentially details of uncomfortable situation with Clinton, transition, transition, background, details of uncomfortable situation with Vernon Jordan, transition, transition, background, details of uncomfortable situation with security guards, repeat, throw in a scandal or two.
I didn’t like that she started the book with details of an interaction with Clinton that wasn’t given any context later in the book. I didn’t like that she talked about meeting her husband twice but never showed us that part of said anything about him. I didn’t like that she wrote with clarity about what she was thinking at the time to justify every decision she made. I didn’t like the tone of how she talked about her work, which was both lofty and derisive at the same time. Maybe if I didn’t work in the government, or hadn’t interned myself, I wouldn’t care as much about that. I didn’t like the way she describes Lewinsky, or the scandal, or her reaction to it (‘immediately knew it was true’), or… anything by that point of the book. I didn’t like the Obama section - where she dreamt of joining his staff. Oh never mind, I didn’t like anything.
The reviews for her book talk about how vulnerable and candid she is in telling her story; how she delves into the transformation to successful woman. I can appreciate that. But it felt fake to me. And I’m sure it’s not, but I just didn’t read authentic. And that’s part of what made me so annoyed - because I really wanted to read that. And I just wasn’t convinced it was here.
Notes: mine, softcover, ALA
Subject: politics, memoirs, non-fiction, DC
Rating: 2/10 - I’m never going to get that week of reading back.