Kirsten Ogden

This book is at its best when Hutchinson writes about her childhood and family, and especially her troubling relationship with her father, though her point of view on these relationships and their impact is distant. Her details on her time in the whitehouse are all interesting but lack the reflective voice of the opening chapters and overall miss an opportunity to contextualize a lot of what she’s witnessed from a seasoned voice of experience. She describes herself as a moderate, but there’s no real commentary on the outlandish behaviors of those around her, nor any indication she found those things troubling. The idea that a 22 year old would have such access is astonishing. I admired her courage in the January 6 hearings and consider her a hero and an exceptional young woman— and I hope for good things for her in the future.