Combing Through the White House

Hair and Its Shocking Impact on the Politics, Private Lives, and Legacies of the Presidents

De: Theodore Pappas

Narrado por: Theodore Pappas

Read by the author.

Discover a fascinating and novel look at the U.S. presidents, the first families, and American history—all through the lens of hair. With meticulous detail and engaging storytelling, encyclopedia editor Theodore Pappas combs through American history, teasing out long-forgotten and little-known ways that hair has influenced the presidency and the public and private lives, personal scandals, and tragedies of the men and women who have occupied the White House.

Go deep into the history of such topics as:

• Abraham Lincoln's famously ridiculed appearance and the surprising role hair played in both his presidency and assassination
• John F. Kennedy's connection to James Bond and how hair factored into his vast image-making and infidelities
• The lush tradition of collecting hair as a way of honoring leaders, remembering our loved ones, and preserving their memories
• Scientific hair analysis and how DNA has been used to solve long-standing presidential mysteries
• The connection of hair to the lives, loves, scandals, and tragedies that shaped presidents, first ladies, and the nation at large

This unique window into the past shines entertaining new light on the decisions, relationships, and tragedies that have shaped the role of the president and the place of the U.S. in the world. Whether you're interested in presidential trivia or historical mysteries, Combing Through the White House personalizes the past through an element of life we can all relate to—hair—giving us new glimpses into our country and even ourselves.

PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying PDF will be available in your Audible Library along with the audio.

©2024 Theodore Pappas (P)2024 Harper Celebrate

Interesting stories, but lack of focus

I subscribe to The Washington Post. Every Sunday they have an entire section of book reviews of new books. I read the section each week and as a result sometimes buy books that I might not have otherwise bought. This was one such pick. It received an excellent review about a month ago. It does have some interesting stories in it, but it struggles to stay on topic. Some of the more interesting stories have absolutely nothing to do with the topic of the book. It does do a good job of explaining the phenomenon of hair collecting. I was slightly aware of this before reading it, but at one time people didn’t collect autographs or selfies with celebrities. They would ask for locks of hair. It was such a big deal that Washington in his will directed that certain people be given some of his hair. When Lincoln died it seemed everyone was clipping a little. When JFK passed, in her final private viewing Jackie asked for scissors to snip hair to keep. It’s was a short book. The stories were interesting even if some did stray from the topic at hand. Like with most political books, there was a lean. This one leaned right, but not enough that it was distracting. I enjoyed the book.

Fascinating stories!

I have read this book all the way through and then decided to listen here on audible. I even enjoyed listening more! The authors voice is so clear and calming. I really love this book!