Advanced
Error loading page.
Try refreshing the page. If that doesn't work, there may be a network issue, and you can use our self test page to see what's preventing the page from loading.
Learn more about possible network issues or contact support for more help.
Title details for The Butler by Wil Haygood - Available

The Butler

A Witness to History

by Wil Haygood
David Oyelowo
Audiobook
1 of 1 copy available
Borrow Listen to a sample Listen to a sample
1 of 1 copy available
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 widespread, 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 no fewer than eight presidents, from Harry Truman to Ronald Reagan. During his thirty-four years of service, Allen became what the Independent described as a "discreet stagehand who for three decades helped keep the show running in the most important political theatre of all." While serving tea and supervising buffets, Allen was also a witness to history as decisions about America's most momentous events were being made. Here he is at the White House while Kennedy contemplates the Cuban missile crisis; here he is again when Kennedy's widow returns from that fateful day in Dallas. Here he is when Johnson and his cabinet debate Vietnam, and here he is again when Ronald Reagan is finally forced to get tough on apartheid. Perhaps hitting closest to home was the civil rights legislation that was developed, often with passions flaring, right in front of his eyes even as his own community of neighbors, friends, and family were contending with Jim Crow America.

  • Creators

  • Publisher

  • Release date

    September 1, 2013

  • Formats

    • OverDrive Listen audiobook

      • ISBN: 9781490601762
      • File size: 73447 KB
      • Duration: 02:33:00

  • Languages

    • English

  • Reviews

    • AudioFile Magazine
      This book offers backstory and a "making-of" look at the movie THE BUTLER. But for all its star power, the tag-team approach to the narration doesn't work. David Oyelowo delivers the opening section, about the life of Eugene Allen, the butler on whom this story is based. Oyelowo's voice has the quiet grace and conviction of the man himself, as well as a slight accent and a soft tone. He uses his normal voice for journalist Wil Haygood. Oprah Winfrey reads a history of blacks and the cinema, but she hands off the reading when the material switches to the first person. Forest Whitaker picks up those parts. At that point, it seems odd to switch narrators. The story itself is compelling enough that the producers should have let Oyelowo read the entire work. R.C.G. (c) AudioFile 2013, Portland, Maine
    • Publisher's Weekly

      October 28, 2013
      A companion to Lee Daniel’s recent film, The Butler, Haygood provides a history of Eugene Allen in his role as butler to eight U.S. presidents. Coupled with this is Haygood’s account of how the original Washington Post article about Allen turned into a movie with an all-star cast. This audio edition features a skilled group of narrators—all with significant roles in the film. Forest Whitaker carries the weight of the production, providing voices for Haygood—the reporter who originally pursued the story—and Allen. Whitaker’s pacing easily keeps listener attention, and his tone, emphasis, and timing flesh out the characters. Winfrey and Oyelowo, both of who provide strong and clear narration, read additional essays. An Atria/37 Ink hardcover.

    • Publisher's Weekly

      October 7, 2013
      In 2008, journalist Haygood pitched a feature to The Washington Post following his hunch that Barack Obama would be elected president. Seeking an African-American who had worked in the White House during the Civil Rights era, Haygood found Eugene Al-len, a butler during eight presidential administrations. In this expansion of his original essay, Haygood chronicles Allen's eventful life: from his humble beginnings on a Virginia plantation, through his time comforting John F. Kennedy, and into old age, when he cast his vote for the first black president. In the essay "Moving Image," Haygood traces the history of blacks in cinema beginning with D.W. Griffith's Birth of a Nation to the career of Sidney Poitier and the blaxploitation films of the 1970s. He also reports from the set of The Butlerâthe film inspired by his articleâinterviewing a range of cast and crew members. Haygood notes major events that occurred during Allen's career, including Brown v Board of Education and the 1986 passing of the Comprehensive Anti-Apartheid Act. Upon Allen's death, the London Independent recalled him as "a discreet stage hand who for three decades helped keep the show running in the most important political theatre of all." Haygood has done well to preserve Allen's memory. Photos.

Formats

  • OverDrive Listen audiobook

subjects

Languages

  • English

Loading