West Wingers: Stories from the Dream Chasers, Change Makers, and Hope Creators Inside the Obama White House by Gautam Raghavan

West Wingers: Stories from the Dream Chasers, Change Makers, and Hope Creators Inside the Obama White House is a collection of stories by Gautam Raghavan highlighting the extraordinary people who worked in the Obama White House. Raghavan, who served as an appointee in the Obama White House, offers firsthand accounts of members of the White House staff who helped shape the Obama legacy.

West Wingers paints a vivid picture of life inside Obama’s White House–from its vibrant culture, to the daily routines of some of its most influential figures. Raghavan dives into the experiences of workers ranging from a senior adviser to the president to a military desk officer in the National Security Council, to a speechwriter and operations staff. In his recounting, Raghavan is able to capture the unique perspectives of the individuals who worked together to create the Obama legacy.

The collection showcases the stories of these “dream chasers, change makers, and hope creators” within the Obama White House. Together, they represent a diverse group that was integral to the Obama White House’s impact, from the election of Barack Obama to the passage of Obamacare. The experiences of these individuals showcases how each person brought a unique set of skills and perspective to their various roles within the Obama presidency and how these skills worked together to form the Obama legacy.

As Raghavan explains in the introduction of West Wingers, the individuals showcased in this book brought a special “sense of love, ambition, resilience, and idealism” to their roles in the Obama White House. This is exemplified in stories of the “Dream Team,” which was an initiative created by the administration to increase the diversity of the federal bureaucracy. These stories exemplify the power of diversity and how the wide range of perspectives of these individuals created success within Obama’s White House.

Overall, West Wingers captures an intimate, inspiring, and often humorous side of the Obama White House that few people were privy to. Raghavan’s stories expand beyond the major policies of the Obama years and transport readers into the unique experiences of the Dream Team, national security advisors, and speechwriters. Together, these stories act as a tribute and reminder of the impact the Obama legacy had during his two terms in the Oval Office.