The Butler
A Witness to History
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Narrated by:
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Forest Whitaker
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Oprah Winfrey
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David Oyelowo
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Lee Daniels
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By:
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Wil Haygood
About this listen
The story that inspired the major motion picture...read by its stars David Oyelowo, Forest Whitaker, and Oprah Winfrey
When acclaimed Washington Post writer Wil Haygood had an early hunch that Obama would win the 2008 election, he thought he'd highlight the singular moment by exploring the life of someone who had come of age when segregation was so embedded in the culture as to make the very thought of a black president inconceivable. He struck gold when he tracked down Eugene Allen, a butler who had served eight presidents, from Harry Truman to Ronald Reagan.
Forest Whitaker narrates the story of this remarkable man who, while serving tea and supervising buffets, was also a witness to history as decisions about America's most momentous events were being made.
With a foreword by the Academy Award-nominated director Lee Daniels, The Butler also includes Wil Haygood's essay exploring the history of black images on celluloid and in Hollywood, read here by David Oyelowo and Oprah Winfrey.
©2013 Wil Haygood (P)2013 Simon & SchusterListeners also enjoyed...
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In the first full biography of actor Sidney Poitier, Aram Goudsouzian analyzes the life and career of a Hollywood legend, from his childhood in the Bahamas to his 2002 Oscar for lifetime achievement. Poitier is a gifted actor, a great American success story, an intriguing personality, and a political symbol; his life and career illuminate America's racial history.
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The Man, the Star, the Lightning Rod
- By Susie on 01-28-13
By: Aram Goudsouzian
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Lady Bird
- A Biography of Mrs. Johnson
- By: Jan Jarboe Russell
- Narrated by: Andrea Gallo
- Length: 16 hrs
- Unabridged
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A revealing biography of Lady Bird Johnson with startling new insights into her marriage to Lyndon Baines Johnson and her unexpectedly strong impact on his presidency. Long obscured by her husband's shadow, Claudia "Lady Bird" Johnson emerges in this first comprehensive biography as a figure of surprising influence and the centering force for LBJ, a man who suffered from extreme mood swings and desperately needed someone to help control his darker impulses.
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Do not waste an audible credit
- By Sandra B. on 10-15-23
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The Black Calhouns
- From Civil War to Civil Rights with One African American Family
- By: Gail Lumet Buckley
- Narrated by: Allyson Johnson
- Length: 11 hrs and 58 mins
- Unabridged
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In The Black Calhouns, Gail Lumet Buckley - daughter of actress Lena Horne - delves deep into her family history, detailing the experiences of an extraordinary African American family from Civil War to civil rights. Beginning with her great-great-grandfather, Moses Calhoun, a house slave who used the rare advantage of his education to become a successful businessman in postwar Atlanta, Buckley follows her family's two branches: one that stayed in the South and the other that settled in Brooklyn.
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The Black Calhouns
- By Marva on 10-15-24
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Wrapped in the Flag
- A Personal History of America’s Radical Right
- By: Claire Conner
- Narrated by: Elizabeth Evans
- Length: 10 hrs
- Unabridged
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Wrapped in the Flag chronicles the radical right-wing world of the 1960s, when conspiracy ruled and the John Birch Society made national headlines. The daughter of a John Birch Society leader, Claire Connor introduces us to the extreme ideas of a powerful political fringe group dispensing radical solutions to America's problems. Following in the footsteps of its hero, Senator Joseph McCarthy, the John Birch Society believed that an international Communist conspiracy was on the verge of taking over the government of the United States.
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Where the Tea Party got their crazy ideas
- By James Dew on 08-23-14
By: Claire Conner
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The Song and the Silence
- A Story About Family, Race, and What Was Revealed in a Small Town in the Mississippi Delta While Searching for Booker Wright
- By: Yvette Johnson
- Narrated by: Robin Miles
- Length: 9 hrs and 42 mins
- Unabridged
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"Have to keep that smile", said Booker Wright in the 1966 NBC documentary Mississippi: A Self-Portrait. At the time Wright was a waiter in a Whites-only restaurant and a local business owner who would become an unwitting icon of the civil rights movement. For he did the unthinkable: Before a national audience, he described what life was truly like for the Black people of Greenwood, Mississippi.
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Exceeded every expectation
- By ZeeJ84 on 05-23-21
By: Yvette Johnson
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Nevertheless
- A Memoir
- By: Alec Baldwin
- Narrated by: Alec Baldwin
- Length: 8 hrs and 25 mins
- Unabridged
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One of the most accomplished and outspoken actors today chronicles the highs and lows of his life in this beautifully written, candid memoir.
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Embarrassingly petty
- By Stacey Robinson on 09-20-18
By: Alec Baldwin
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The Mayor of Castro Street
- The Life and Times of Harvey Milk
- By: Randy Shilts
- Narrated by: Marc Vietor
- Length: 16 hrs and 10 mins
- Unabridged
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Known as The Mayor of Castro Street even before he was elected to the San Francisco Board of Supervisors, Harvey Milk's personal life, public career, and final assassination reflect the dramatic emergence of the gay community as a political power in America. It is a story full of personal tragedies and political intrigues, assassinations at City Hall, massive riots in the streets, the miscarriage of justice, and the consolidation of gay power and gay hope.
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Excellent historical perspective of an activist.
- By Chris on 04-14-15
By: Randy Shilts
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Killing Jesus
- A History
- By: Bill O'Reilly, Martin Dugard
- Narrated by: Bill O'Reilly
- Length: 6 hrs and 22 mins
- Unabridged
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Millions of people have thrilled to best-selling authors Bill O'Reilly and historian Martin Dugard's Killing Kennedy and Killing Lincoln, works of nonfiction that have changed the way we view history. Now the anchor of The O'Reilly Factor details the events leading up to the murder of the most influential man in history: Jesus of Nazareth. Nearly 2,000 years after this beloved and controversial young revolutionary was brutally killed by Roman soldiers, more than 2.2 billion human beings attempt to follow his teachings and believe he is God.
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The Jesus story in context
- By Kimberly on 10-01-13
By: Bill O'Reilly, and others
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The President's House
- A First Daughter Shares the History and Secrets of the World's Most Famous Home
- By: Margaret Truman
- Narrated by: Sandra Burr
- Length: 12 hrs and 12 mins
- Unabridged
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As Margaret Truman knows from firsthand experience, living in the White House can be exhilarating and maddening, alarming and exhausting, but it is certainly never dull. Part private residence, part goldfish bowl, and part national shrine, the White House is both the most important address in America and the most intensely scrutinized.
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Awesome History!
- By LisaB on 02-18-20
By: Margaret Truman
What listeners say about The Butler
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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- Mike in Tempe
- 09-24-13
Nothing like the movie
Would you recommend this book to a friend? Why or why not?
Not really. I tell them to see the movie.
What could Wil Haygood have done to make this a more enjoyable book for you?
detals historical details explain his life as it should have been told
If this book were a movie would you go see it?
Definately see the movie, a picture of history
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- Sher from Provo
- 01-27-16
A little disappointing
I guess I thought this book was going to be a story. It is actually made up of comments on the life of Eugene Allen and the civil rights issues throughout the history of this country, and a whole lot about the making of the movie Each of the narrators added a point of view and historical facts that contributed directly or indirectly to the success of Mr. Allen as a butler in the White House. It was interesting and all, just not what I was expecting. I wanted to hear a lot more about his relationship with the presidents and other interesting people he must have met in his tenure in the white house. Surely there is an untold story here. I guess I'll have to see the movie to find out.
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3 people found this helpful
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- Carolyn
- 08-08-13
The History of Civil Rights
Any additional comments?
Mr. Allen was as discreet in this book as he was in life. Very little was shared about the Presidents he served. The various presidents' relationship to the civil rights struggle were revealed by the author Wil Haygood. Mr. Haygood also wrote about the relationship the motion picture industry had/has to black actors and the behind the scenes people of color.
It is a well written book. I enjoyed listening. Do not buy the book if you are looking for a story of the Butler. Other than knowing Mr. Allen was a gentleman and had a deep and abiding loyalty to and pride in his race he remains a mystery to me.
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5 people found this helpful
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- RethaMae
- 09-17-13
Butler
Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?
Yes I would. Insight into those who were employed at the White House
What did you like best about this story?
The historical content. Professionalism of the Butler. Getting a view on how things worked behind the scenes, concerning people who might not otherwise be known.
What about the narrators’s performance did you like?
Giving personal insight to the Butler's life. Tone and diction.
Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?
Yes, I did.
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1 person found this helpful
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- Jean
- 08-03-13
A look into the black experience
This book is short but I wish there was more information about Eugene Allen and his wife Helene, I feel this book was provided was almost a teaser for the movie. I enjoyed Oprah Winifrey's part about the history of blacks in the entertainment business. I wish this book was longer and an in-depth story of Allen but guess I will have to wait for the movie. The book did convey the feelings of the black people in voting and seeing a black man in the white house. The narrators did an excellent job. I was surprised that it was the Reagan's that invited Allen and his wife as guest to a state dinner. Overall this was an interesting and enjoyable short story.
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10 people found this helpful
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- karen
- 09-03-13
The book is better than the film
What did you love best about The Butler?
The honest aging characters...
The man who loved his work ...
His wife's love and support was well noted ...
The dedication of son Charles...
The addition of history of Black actors in film.
What did you like best about this story?
It was a true story
What does the narrators bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?
Emotions
Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?
Yes
Any additional comments?
Recommend it to high school students of American History and all who saw the movie.
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- ada hathaway
- 08-01-13
It was OK but not what I expected
Would you recommend The Butler to your friends? Why or why not?
I am not sure? I bought the book because I thought I would hear what the butler thought about the different presidents he served under or maybe his take on different events that happened while he was a butler, but that isn't what the book is about. The book is more of a narrative on Africa American history in the United States than about the white house.
Any additional comments?
I feel as if this book was an expensive advertisement to get people to go see the film and it worked because I want to see the movie.
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17 people found this helpful
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- Lynn
- 10-08-13
Great Story!
What did you like best about The Butler? What did you like least?
I was pleasantly surprised that this is written from the perspective of the writer of the newspaper article about the Butler. So it is very different from the move. I really liked that. I didn't like the "history" of African Americans" at the end of the book. It seemed like it was just filler and unnecessary to the story. I would have preferred more history about butlers.
Who was your favorite character and why?
Eugene Allen is definitely the best character.
Which character – as performed by the narrators – was your favorite?
Eugene Allen, the Butler.
What else would you have wanted to know about Wil Haygood’s life?
I would have rather learned more about Will, than had a history lesson on African Americans in film, what did that have to do with a Butler in the White House?
Any additional comments?
The core story is GREAT. I also loved learning that the writer of the newspaper article kept in touch with his subject and really cared about him. It was heartwarming to learn that they developed such a close bond.
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- S. Hewitt
- 08-15-17
Not what I expected
More a book about the making of the film than about the life of the Butler.
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1 person found this helpful
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- djohns
- 09-22-20
Excellent Read
True story. Fun to hear. Easy to understand. Would really recommend this book. Excellent book.
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