Don’t Tell the President: The Best, Worst, and Mostly Untold Stories from Presidential Advance

In this breezy account, Becker (Character Matters) and Collamore, former advance aides for President George H.W. Bush, recall consequential moments from their tenures preparing the president for public appearances and collect stories from other advance aides. The result is a blend of memoir and watercooler discussion, with the authors offering running commentary between often comedic dispatches. Andrew Friendly, who worked for Bill Clinton, recalls a 1993 teleprompter malfunctioning during a congressional address that forced Clinton to pull his speech from memory. Becker recalls apologizing to First Lady Barbara Bush for managing to position her in front of defecating cows during a speech at the Florida State Fair; her colleague Gordon James recounts failing to fetch the diminutive Queen Elizabeth a stepping stool in 1991, allowing the audience to see only her purple hat. These lighthearted passages are offset by the occasional somber one, including chilling accounts of the assassination attempts on Ronald Reagan and Gerald Ford, and subdued reflections on 9/11 and the Sandy Hook school shooting. Though most of the anecdotes are only a few paragraphs, they offer a tantalizing glimpse behind the presidential curtain. History buffs will relish the up-close perspective. (Feb.)