Summary: Shortly after the 2008 election of Barack Obama Wil Haywood wrote an article called A Butler Well Served By This Election. The article focused on Eugene Allen, a black man who served as a White House butler over 34 years for 8 presidents. The reason Eugene's story is so compelling is because he witnessed the changes which happened during the civil rights movement. From the article a 2013 movie was made, called The Butler staring Oprah Winfrey and Forest Whitaker.
Presumably, this book was to be the story of Eugene Allen in greater detail than a short article could cover. Instead, this book is the story of Wil Haywood and how he came to meet Eugene and write the article. It is also the story of Eugene attending Obama's inauguration. The second part of the book is a history of black cinema which leads into the story of how The Butler was filmed and produced.
What I Liked: It was interesting to hear the story of Eugene Allen, Wil Haywood and black cinema.
What I Didn't Like: We had expected there to be a more in depth look into Eugene's life, instead the book focused more on how the author was inspired by Eugene's story. It felt a lot like an infomercial for The Butler movie. It would probably be better to just watch the movie.
Rating: Skip it.
Also Read By This Author: None.
Reviewed by: Nick
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