The Butler: A Witness to History

This mesmerizing companion book to the award-winning film The Butler traces the Civil Rights Movement and explores crucial moments of twentieth century American history through the eyes of Eugene Allen - a White House butler who served eight presidents over the course of thirty-four years.

During the presidencies of Harry Truman to Ronald Reagan, Eugene Allen was a butler in the most famous of residences: the White House. An African American who came of age during the era of Jim Crow, Allen served tea and supervised buffets while also witnessing some of the most momentous decisions made during the second half of the twentieth century, including Lyndon’s Johnson’s work during the Civil Rights Movement and Ronald Reagan getting tough on apartheid.