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Upstairs at the White House by J. B. West and Mary Lynn Kotz Review: A Rare, Insider View of Presidential Home Life
J. B. West's memoir of his decades as Chief Usher of the White House—written with Mary Lynn Kotz—offers an extraordinary ground-level account of five First Ladies and the private rhythms of the most famous residence in America, a book that earned a long run on the New York Times bestseller list upon its original publication in 1973 and remains a singular document of mid-twentieth-century American history.
LuvemBooks Verdict
Best for
Readers drawn to American political and women's history who want an intimate, scene-grounded account of the mid-twentieth-century White House told from the unique vantage point of the man who ran its household for nearly three decades.
Worth it if
You want unparalleled insider access to six First Ladies — Roosevelt through Nixon — rendered through sharp, specific character portraits by the one person who observed all of them at close range across a sweeping arc of American history.
Skip if
You're approaching this expecting political exposé or behind-the-scenes controversy, as West's defining discretion leaves deliberate gaps throughout, and the Nixon-era portrait is notably thin given his early departure from the role.
What readers & critics say
Kirkus Reviews placed the book decisively above comparable White House memoirs of its era, praising West's "shrewd ability to perceive and limn character with intelligence" while noting his discretion "leaves wide spaces between the lines." The New York Times, in its own 1973 review, identified what each First Lady leaves in the White House — and what the White House leaves in her — as the true substance of West's narrative.
“Several Truman-balconies above all those others — West has a shrewd ability to perceive and limn character with intelligence.”
— Kirkus Reviews“A discretion which leaves wide spaces between the lines.”
— Kirkus Reviews“What she leaves in the White House and what the White House leaves in her is the substance of West's book — no one who lived there left unchanged.”
— The New York Times4.7from 1,321 Amazon ratings— reader ratings, not a LuvemBooks score
Look inside the book
Preview the actual pages, via Google BooksIn This Review
- What Works & What Doesn't
- What the Book Actually Is
- Historical Significance and Reception
- Strengths: Character Portraiture and Insider Access
- Limitations and Points of Friction
- Who This Book Is For and How It Reads Today
What Works & What Doesn't
What Works
- A uniquely authoritative insider perspective: West's decades as Chief Usher gave him unparalleled access to the private lives of five First Ladies and their families
- Praised by Kirkus Reviews as standing well above comparable White House memoirs of its era, with sharp, intelligent character portraiture
- Endorsed in unusually personal terms by Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis herself, lending the book rare firsthand validation
- A New York Times bestseller that remained on the list for months, reflecting both popular and critical reach
- Covers a sweeping arc of American history — from the Roosevelt era through the Nixon administration — through a single, consistent observational lens
What Doesn't
- West's celebrated discretion means he 'leaves wide spaces between the lines' (Kirkus Reviews) — readers expecting political exposé will find restraint where they want revelation
- The portrait of Pat Nixon is notably thinner than those of earlier First Ladies, as West retired shortly after the Nixons arrived and by his own admission saw only her public face
- The circumstances of West's 1969 dismissal — connected to White House security concerns — are relevant context that readers must weigh when assessing his account of the Nixon period
This memoir by former White House Chief Usher J. B. West, written with Mary Lynn Kotz, is one of the most candid and closely observed accounts of life inside the executive residence ever published.
What the Book Actually Is
Upstairs at the White House: My Life with the First Ladies by J. B. West, Mary Lynn Kotz front cover
Upstairs at the White House is the memoir of J. B. West, who served as the White House's Chief Usher — effectively its majordomo, the senior administrator responsible for the day-to-day management of the residence — across the administrations of Franklin D. Roosevelt through Richard Nixon. Written with journalist Mary Lynn Kotz and first published in 1973 by Coward, McCann & Geoghegan, the book was reissued by Open Road Integrated Media in 2016. West's account is organized around the First Ladies he served: Eleanor Roosevelt, Bess Truman, Mamie Eisenhower, Jacqueline Kennedy, Lady Bird Johnson, and Pat Nixon. The New York Times noted that what each woman leaves in the White House — and what the White House leaves in her — is the true substance of West's narrative. The book argues, implicitly and explicitly, that First Ladies shape the character of the presidency in ways that go largely unrecognized, given their unelected and unpaid status.
Historical Significance and Reception
Upon publication, Upstairs at the White House remained on the New York Times bestseller list for months — a remarkable achievement for a memoir by a behind-the-scenes White House staffer. Kirkus Reviews, in its original 1973 notice, placed it decisively above comparable White House memoirs of the era, calling it "several Truman-balconies above all others." The book also earned an extraordinary endorsement from Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis herself, who wrote of West: "With infinite calm, humor, a passion for anonymity and the steel of a Napoleon he ran the White House… I think he is one of the most remarkable men I have ever met." That combination of popular success and elite validation cemented the book's standing as a primary source on mid-twentieth-century presidential domestic life.
Strengths: Character Portraiture and Insider Access
Kirkus Reviews praised West's "shrewd ability to perceive and limn character with intelligence," and the portraits he draws of each First Lady are the memoir's beating heart. The subtle, gritty humor of Bess Truman comes through in West's admiring account. Mamie Eisenhower emerges as an "uninhibited belle" with a taste for frills. West was, by his own telling, captivated by Jacqueline Kennedy — "imaginative, inventive, intelligent — and sometimes silly," in his words. Lady Bird Johnson, he recounts, ran the White House with the discipline of a corporate chairman of the board. These are not vague impressions but specific, scene-grounded portraits drawn from years of direct proximity. Barnes & Noble describes the book as "alive with anecdotes" covering a slice of American history that ordinarily remains behind closed doors, and that characterization is borne out by the range of material West covers: crises, state ceremonies, domestic routines, and the private silences that define a household.
Limitations and Points of Friction
West's celebrated discretion — the very quality Kennedy Onassis admired — is also the book's most consistent constraint. Kirkus noted that he "leaves wide spaces between the lines," and readers drawn to the memoir for political revelation or behind-the-scenes controversy will encounter those gaps repeatedly. His treatment of Pat Nixon is a notable example: West candidly acknowledges that he saw only her "First Lady Face" and retired shortly after the Nixons arrived, limiting the depth of that portrait compared to those of her predecessors. Additionally, the book's background carries a notable historical complication: West was dismissed from his position in 1969, reportedly because his knowledge of White House mementos and chinaware thefts made him a perceived security concern — a context that shapes how readers may weigh his account of the Nixon years in particular.
Who This Book Is For and How It Reads Today
The 2016 Open Road reissue brings a long-unavailable title back to general readers, and the book's appeal has not narrowed with time. It functions simultaneously as intimate biography of six remarkable women, as institutional history of a singular American household, and as a meditation — never self-congratulatory — on what it means to serve with both loyalty and clear eyes. Some readers approach it as history; educators have drawn on its treatment of themes such as the contributions of First Ladies to the presidency and the role of behind-the-scenes workers in public institutions. West's voice, as Kirkus described it, is "dignified but very readable" — the prose of a man who understood that discretion and observation are not opposites. For readers interested in American political history, women's history, or the hidden architecture of presidential life, Upstairs at the White House remains an essential and largely unmatched primary account.
Frequently Asked Questions
is Upstairs at the White House: My Life with the First Ladies by J. B. West, Mary Lynn Kotz worth reading
For anyone curious about American political or women's history, it's a genuinely essential read — Kirkus Reviews called it 'several Truman-balconies above all others' compared to White House memoirs of its era, and Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis herself praised West as 'one of the most remarkable men I have ever met.' The main caveat is that West's famous discretion means he 'leaves wide spaces between the lines,' so readers hunting for political bombshells may feel underserved.
what is Upstairs at the White House: My Life with the First Ladies by J. B. West, Mary Lynn Kotz actually about
It's the memoir of J. B. West, who served as White House Chief Usher — effectively the senior administrator of the residence — across the administrations of Franklin D. Roosevelt through Richard Nixon, organized around the six First Ladies he worked alongside: Eleanor Roosevelt, Bess Truman, Mamie Eisenhower, Jacqueline Kennedy, Lady Bird Johnson, and Pat Nixon. The book argues, implicitly and explicitly, that First Ladies shape the character of the presidency in ways that go largely unrecognized, given their unelected and unpaid status.
does Upstairs at the White House: My Life with the First Ladies by J. B. West, Mary Lynn Kotz have any juicy behind-the-scenes revelations
There are plenty of vivid, scene-grounded portraits — Lady Bird Johnson running the White House 'with the discipline of a corporate chairman of the board,' Mamie Eisenhower emerging as an 'uninhibited belle' with a taste for frills, and West describing Jacqueline Kennedy as 'imaginative, inventive, intelligent — and sometimes silly' — but West's celebrated discretion is also the book's consistent constraint. Kirkus noted he 'leaves wide spaces between the lines,' and his treatment of Pat Nixon is notably thin because he retired shortly after the Nixons arrived and candidly admits he only ever saw her 'First Lady Face.'
is Upstairs at the White House: My Life with the First Ladies by J. B. West, Mary Lynn Kotz good for readers interested in First Ladies specifically
It's arguably one of the best books available for that interest — the portraits of Eleanor Roosevelt, Bess Truman, Mamie Eisenhower, Jacqueline Kennedy, Lady Bird Johnson, and Pat Nixon are the memoir's 'beating heart,' drawn from years of direct daily proximity rather than secondhand reporting. Kirkus praised West's 'shrewd ability to perceive and limn character with intelligence,' and Barnes & Noble describes the book as 'alive with anecdotes' covering a slice of history that ordinarily remains behind closed doors.
is Upstairs at the White House: My Life with the First Ladies by J. B. West, Mary Lynn Kotz hard to read or too dry
Not at all — Kirkus described West's voice as 'dignified but very readable,' and the prose of a man who understood that discretion and observation are not opposites keeps things engaging throughout. Educators have even drawn on it for themes like the contributions of First Ladies and the role of behind-the-scenes workers in public institutions, which speaks to its accessibility across different kinds of readers.
is the 2016 reissue of Upstairs at the White House: My Life with the First Ladies by J. B. West, Mary Lynn Kotz any different from the original
The 2016 Open Road Integrated Media reissue is essentially a republication of the original 1973 Coward, McCann & Geoghegan edition, bringing a long-unavailable title back to general readers. The review notes the book's appeal 'has not narrowed with time,' so the reissue is the same core text rather than a revised or updated edition.
is there anything controversial or complicated about Upstairs at the White House: My Life with the First Ladies by J. B. West, Mary Lynn Kotz I should know before reading it
One notable historical wrinkle: West was reportedly dismissed from his position in 1969 because his knowledge of White House mementos and chinaware thefts made him a perceived security concern — a context the reviewer flags as shaping how readers may weigh his account of the Nixon years in particular. Combined with his acknowledged limited view of Pat Nixon, it's worth keeping that backstory in mind when reading the final section of the book.
Sources & Further Reading
The key facts and claims in this review are grounded in the retrieved, verified sources listed below.
- Cited in this review
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kirkusreviews.com
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- Further reading
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thriftbooks.com
- 7
teacherspayteachers.com
- 8
newbookrecommendation.com
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