First ladies, first children, first siblings, and even first dogs have served as frequent grist for the mill in the (often bloated) presidential-journalistic-industrial complex, but to the best of Gary Ginsberg’s knowledge, no one has yet systematically explored first friends: those close White House companions who furnished counsel, support, and constructive criticism before, during, and after the presidency.
A longtime journalist, lawyer, and political strategist, and a veteran of the Clinton White House, Ginsberg sets out to chronicle “how a First Friendship — one of the most intimate relationships in a very public life — can provide insight into the president himself” and to explore “how and where these friendships have helped shape, for better or worse, not only presidencies and their legacies, but our country.” Put differently, the lens of friendship both reflects and refracts the light that presidents and their friends emit.
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