Product Description

In a natural follow-up to her national bestseller Front Row at the White House, the dean of the White House press corps presents a vivid and personal presidential chronicle. Currently a columnist for Hearst and a former White House bureau chief for UPI, Helen Thomas has covered an unprecedented nine presidential administrations, endearing herself with her trademark "Thank you, Mr. President," at the conclusion of White House press conferences. Thomas has amassed many wonderful tales about her personal interactions with and observations of the presidents and their families that can all be found in Thanks for the Memories, Mr. President.

In nine riveting chapters -- one for each administration -- Thomas delights, informs, spins yarns, and offers opinions on the commanders in chief, from Kennedy through George W. Bush. In these accounts, Thomas reveals Kennedy's love of sparring with the press, the unique invitation LBJ extended to Hubert Humphrey to become his running mate, and Reagan's down-home ways of avoiding the press's tougher questions. This book is as entertaining and compelling as Helen Thomas herself.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #2481275 in Books
• Published on: 2002-05-17
• Format: Bargain Price
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 240 pages

Amazon.com Review
Helen Thomas, until her resignation in May 2000, had served as White House bureau chief for United Press International since the Kennedy administration. Thanks for the Memories, Mr. President is a chronological collection of observations and anecdotes gleaned from four decades of work. The short tales and one- and two-liners are meant to be humorous, or at least lighthearted. Occasionally they are. The book is thick with repetitions of the familiar (George W. Bush's malapropisms and Kennedy's quip, after receiving honors from Yale University, about having the best of two worlds: a Harvard education and a Yale degree.) or variations on tired jokes ("I'm no lady, I'm a reporter.") All too often, the inclusions are downright not funny: Jacqueline Kennedy, Thomas says, once chided an annoying U.S. Navy aide to "shape up or ship out." In the end, this is an unedifying and meager compilation. --H. O'Billovich

From Publishers Weekly
Just as it ain't over till the fat lady sings, a presidential press conference isn't finished until Helen Thomas delivers her ubiquitous "Thank you, Mr. President." The phrase has saved presidents struggling with difficult questions from reporters, frustrated viewers who would have liked a longer appearance by the president and has even inspired jokes from presidents. Having served as UPI's White House bureau chief for an unprecedented nine administrations (she was long known as dean of the White House press corps), Thomas is certainly qualified to write a book compiling presidential anecdotes. Introducing each president's chapter with a summary of what she found that particular man to be like, Thomas seems to find something nice to say about everyone. LBJ was an expert raconteur, Nixon was best in small groups, Ford had a great laugh, Reagan was master of the one-liner and Bush Sr. was "quick on his feet" (though, she admits, a champion of "disjointed communication"). Thomas's memories (which range from 50 to 500 words) of these men are indeed telling. She acknowledges that no president has ever liked the press, yet does offer a few glimpses into the camaraderie between leader and reporter, especially present with Kennedy. Readers will laugh at Clinton's self-deprecating remarks (stricken with laryngitis, he announced, "My doctor ordered me to shut up, which will make everyone in America happy") and sigh at George W.'s "Bushisms" ("Rarely is the question asked: Is our children learning?"). Thomas's "all in good fun" attitude and breadth of experience make this a light but entertaining follow-up to her recent memoir, Front Row at the White House.
Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal
The First Lady of the White House press corps follows up her engaging memoir, Front Row at the White House, with a collection of humorous and sometimes touching stories about the nine presidents--John Kennedy through George W. Bush--she covered for UPI and as a columnist for Hearst. She reveals the human side of the presidents by reminding the reader that they "are people, too. They just get to live rent-free and have someone else pick up the dry cleaning." Presidents Ford, Reagan, and George W. Bush endeared themselves to the public by knowing how to laugh at themselves, while Nixon's and Carter's humor was twinged with bitterness. President Clinton turned to gallows humor as he careened from one crisis to another. Thomas is especially fond of Kennedy and Johnson, and in addition to her anecdotes she includes tales about them contributed by other reporters. Thomas here provides some good laughs for these serious times. Strongly recommended for public libraries. Karl Helicher, Upper Merion Twp. Lib., King of Prussia, PA
Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

Customer Reviews

Mostly fluff, but tidbits are interesting
I think it may have taken Helen Thomas less than ten days to throw this book together. It is mostly fluff, not worth a large sum of money, but has interesting tidbits in it. A fast reader can digest this in one sitting and not feel a bit mentally fatigued. If you have money to spend, want a little something for your personal library, get it. You'll only read it once.

The Side of Important men Few Get to See
Helen Thomas shares the lighter side of nine presidents and their wives with the people whom do not know them so well. She re-tells jokes and conversations held between herself and nine presidents in her time of being "dean of the White House Press Corps".
She implies that not all presidents are alike. Every one of them is different. While the chapter on Kennedy was quite humorous, that of Reagan's was less humorous and more about how he handled the press. There are many examples of humor in chpt 1. On page 19 it tells of how on the way to one of the campaign trials, Kennedy had to wear a dark blue suit with brown shoes because black shoes were not packed. After finding out that nobody had an extra pair to lend him and he would have to attend like so, he took it very lightly. He laughed when made a joke out of and found it quite amusing himself.
Helen Thomas also implies that no matter how serious the job of being president is, they are just regular human beings. Just because they are president does not mean they do not have characteristics of an average man. By giving each and every president a sense of humor with their own little edge added to it, we see that they are regular people who like to laugh and make others laugh here and there. It makes the president's more familiar and relatable to the average man. Everyone can appreciate a little humor and by showing this average man quality in every one of these nine presidents the people find them to be more real, more life-like. Humans are the only animals who can be humorous or have a sense of humor. Dogs cannot laugh at your jokes, and kangaroos do not tell them. Therefore when this trait is put in the spotlight as the defining traits of people whom appear to be larger than life, it humanizes them.
The author's thesis can be argued. One could easily argue that the presidents are nothing like an average human being and they deserve to be held up to a high standard, and are to be considered the very highest of flawless humans. A big deal was made of President Clinton's flaw, therefore showing that as average people, we have much higher standards for presidents and do not see them as being capable of having characteristics of our friends. Therefore it can be argued that Presidents are not like the rest of us.It can also be argued that maybe the humor that is portrayed is a tool in trying to convince the people that they are their friends. Like the method of campaigning, "I am just like you", they might be trying to make themselves seem to have the same characteristics as the people, but in reality do not. It may be a ploy for support.
I would recommend this book for the humor and the side of a president's life that we as people critiquing the government hardly ever see. The book was fast paced and very entertaining.

Threw it away
This is a compilation of anecdotes from lots of sources--not just Helen Thomas' personal memories. I did read the entire book, hoping it would get better (like eating pretzels).

She opens the book by saying that, in response to a request to write the more humorous things presidents have done, the book would be thin. She didn't know how true that remark would be.

I threw it away so that someone wouldn't unwittingly pull it from my bookshelves and read it.