Loosely based on Porter Shreves critically acclaimed fiction, When the White House Was Ours will be a joy to anyone whose family has lived through ...
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reviews
Jun 30, 2011
Sharon
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For anyone either growing up in the 70's or who enjoyed some level of the hippie life, this book is for you! It is loosely based on the experiences of the author, Porter Shreve, whose parents once started an alternative school of their own.
The protagonist is a precocious twelve-year-old boy named Daniel. Having lost yet another school administrator's job, Daniel's father moves the whole family to Washington, D.C. to start an alternative school which has always been his dream. They More...
The protagonist is a precocious twelve-year-old boy named Daniel. Having lost yet another school administrator's job, Daniel's father moves the whole family to Washington, D.C. to start an alternative school which has always been his dream. They More...
Nov 30, 2008
Patsy
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Hmmmm. I liked this book for some of the same reasons I didn't like it. I was 12 in 1976 ... a year younger than the narrator. The year stands out for me, too, for many reasons. The book certainly evokes many of the feelings and events from the period (although a few things didn't ring true, most did). I realize that the point has more to do with optimism tinged with suspect, with a the upheaval and change in times, etc etc etc. But as a child of the 70s, the book spoke to me in a different way.
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Sep 03, 2008
Ally
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A charming work--at once quirky and philosophical--When the White House Was Ours is a genuine look at the idealism of the late 1970s: democratic education, living economically and off the land, students as teachers and teachers as students, the tail-end of the Bohemian lifestyle, the hope of a Democratic president in Jimmy Carter. At the same time, the novel is truly a study in the idealism of the Truitt family--sticking together through thick and thin, and through the improbable dream of erecti
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Oct 28, 2009
Abraham
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I was surprised by how much I liked this book. Despite its title, the book is more about people than politics (although politics plays an important role). As a teacher myself, it was both delicious and painful to watch these characters go about trying to start their own haphazard hippy school. I found myself enjoying the antics of these losers (most of them are kind of losers) and enjoying the anticipation of how it would all end up.
One thing I didn't find believable was how little More...
One thing I didn't find believable was how little More...
Jan 16, 2010
Rachael
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Surprisingly engaging! I read Shreve's last book and felt it was kind of so-so, where as this novel had such an earnest, truthfulness to it that I wasn't surprised to read in the acknowledgments that the framework for the novel -- although not the details -- were autobiographical. The ending was particularly poignant and the political stories about hope and trust seem all the more resonant today.
Jan 16, 2009
Skip
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Great story.
And early — stumbling look — at the sort of critical-thinking education we're seeing move into todays classrooms. But you definitely wanted to say, go get a job people....
Really liked all the Presidential trivia. It would be interesting to see what Daniel would dig up about Bush and now, Obama.
Also liked the reunion at the end. Takes the story full-circle.
So of the
And early — stumbling look — at the sort of critical-thinking education we're seeing move into todays classrooms. But you definitely wanted to say, go get a job people....
Really liked all the Presidential trivia. It would be interesting to see what Daniel would dig up about Bush and now, Obama.
Also liked the reunion at the end. Takes the story full-circle.
So of the
May 27, 2009
Pam
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Sometimes you want to read a good book that has no violence, no tragedy, no big romance, but that keeps your interest. Porter Shreve's book about a family trying to open and run a school in Washington, D.C. is just that kind of story. A gentle coming of age story, told by a boy, this book recreates the ambiance of the 1980's Washington.
Jan 08, 2009
Karen
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I recently discovered Porter Shreve when I read his first novel, "The Obituary Writer" and I now looking forward to reading more of him. This latest book was a trip down memory lane, as it was set in the 70's at the time of the bi-centennial and Jimmy Carter's election to office. The characters were interesting.
Jul 10, 2009
Chris
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An interesting concept: a boy and his family move to D.C. to start a nontraditional school, where students are encouraged to learn what they want to learn, to teach their own classes, and be equal with their teachers.
I guess my concern is that I didn't really like any of the characters. Oops.
I guess my concern is that I didn't really like any of the characters. Oops.
Jul 08, 2010
Marjanne
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It was fun to read a book set in D.C., with portions about the bicentennial, around the 4th of July. This story was interesting and a bit unusual. It was both entertaining and serious. The main character was easy to relate to. I was happy that the author kind of wrapped up the story at the end, though I think he could have just let it end too. Anyhow, I would probably read another book by this author.
May 21, 2009
Maureen
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Quirky, charming book about a family in the 1970s that moves to DC to start an alternative, "free-thinking" school. I think I liked it more because of the setting - it was fun to read about DC neighborhoods and think about how local areas have changed over the years.
Aug 15, 2011
Ngc
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I love Porter Shreve and this was a worthwhile read if for no other reason than to delight in this author's writing style & startlingly unique descriptive phrasing. However, my favorite book of his remains "The Obituary Writer".
Jan 29, 2010
Sarah
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Daniel moves to D.C. under strange circumstances. His father was fired as a school administrator and decides to start his own school. It's the mid-1970s and a hippie school is just what D.C. needs! Daniel is a history buff and loves living in D.C., but his family is just plain strange. Various adults filter through the school as "teachers" whose credentials are fudged to sound impressive. The school fakes projects to help the house (like winterizing the house to save money). This is on
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Feb 26, 2009
Mark
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Good, enjoyable, but not fantastic look at Washington, DC way back in the Bicentennial year of 1976. A "coming of age novel"?
Feb 16, 2009
Perrel
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An amusing fictionalized memoir based on the few years his erratic family ran a free school in D.C.
Nov 16, 2008
Bina
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It felt very timely to read this book as the country prepares for the inauguration of Barack Obama. As Jimmy Carter is elected president, the issues of the day are the economy and the energy crisis... Sound familiar? Anyway the quirky characters trying to make a better school made me think back to the idealism of the 60's and 70's--and also of the hippies aka refugees of the sixties. Shreve had great characters in Daniel and the enigmatic Quinn.
I read htis for my book group and we had gr More...
I read htis for my book group and we had gr More...
Oct 13, 2009
Cheryl
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Really more of a three and a half. I found it enjoyable and reminiscent of the times.
Jul 21, 2009
Liliane
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Wonderful story, funny as well as sad. Takes place in 1976--lots of nostalgia for me.
Sep 07, 2009
Tim
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Unusual book - vivid characters set in the 70's. Growing up with hippie parents. Well written but won't be of interest to all.
Nov 26, 2008
Sarah
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Fun, quick read about quirky family whose father after getting fired decides to open a free thinking school for children with little money and hippie drop outs for faculty in Washington DC during the Carter election.
May 03, 2010
Becky
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1970s book. Couldn't really get attached to any of the characters, and basically had to make myself finish it. Not "the one".
Jan 28, 2012
Marisa
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I enjoyed this story of a quirky, idealistic family who started an alternative school in DC in the 70s. The historical context was interesting, and the family's adventures (for lack of a better word) kept me turning the pages and entertained. The most fun part was to imagine the different DC locales they talked about, and how they've changed since that time. Definitely worth a read!
Aug 21, 2009
Laura
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This is a tale of a quirky, likable, dysfunctional family trying to live, survive, and run an alternative school in their home (a white house) in Washington, D.C. in 1976. It's funny, frustrating, tender, and enjoyable all the way to the end.
Nov 19, 2008
Tobi
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This was a quick fun interesting read but not quite as good as I had hoped. Not sure why but it was a nice read.
Sep 28, 2009
Alicia
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Next book for one of my bookclubs! Ok, but I got a little bored in the middle.
Mar 08, 2010
Amy
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Only 50 pages in, but I'm liking it a lot. He is a good writer; easy to read. I've also read his Obituary Writer which was also good.
Jan 03, 2012
