Five Presidents: My Extraordinary Journey with Eisenhower, Kennedy, Johnson, Nixon, and Ford

Entertaining, educational and very well written. It's also a great Book Club book. The inside story of their personalities is very interesting.

I've read Clint Hill's other books and must say, we are fortunate that he decided to tell the story of his life and the important role he played in our history. He got to see firsthand, some really major events in our country by working directly with the presidents who served for 17 years , starting with Eisenhower through Ford . He tells his story honestly, and with precise detail, yet makes the story of human interest by adding some emotion to the story also : the humor and the heartbreak . I really enjoyed this book , as you get a first-hand look at what life as a secret service agent would be like , with the stress yet the rewards of the job. Mr. Hill writes a very classy book, by not trashing anyone , so it's not a tell-all type of book, it's just an honest assessment of each president , the job he did, and his personality . It seems to me that it would have been hard to adjust to some of these guys, but Mr Hill was always professional in the telling of his story . After finishing [book:Mrs. Kennedy and Me: An Intimate Memoir|13230263] , it sounded as if he hadn't ever really dealt with the day Kennedy was killed . He'd never went to talk to anyone about it , to get emotional help in dealing with it . I don't think anyone on the planet could fault the secret service agents that day. They did the best they could , but no man has the ability to prevent an event like that in an atmosphere like that. The odds are against them too heavily. At the end of this book, it seems as though he has finally come to some peace and resolution with this part of his life . A very well written memoir , highly recommended if you love presidential history .

As the first of three books by Clint Hill (the other two being "Mrs. Kennedy and Me" - 2012 and "Five Days in November" - 2013), all of which I have either read or plan to read, I know that I am reading them out of order. However, I wanted to read this book ("Five Presidents") first so that I could gain a better perspective of his overall career as a Secret Service agent before delving deeper into his [relatively brief] time with the Kennedys. This book is an easy read and I was able to finish it in just a couple of weeks of reading only a chapter or two at a time. Hill and his co-author Lisa McCubbin possess a narrative style of writing that helps readers stay interested and curious to find out what happened next and how "supporting characters" behaved, reacted, and responded. The anecdotes and stories that Hill chose to include in his memoir gives readers a good idea of what it was like to work in the White House and serve as a Secret Service agent for such powerful and interesting people. My only comment which could be perceived as negative (not my intention) is that with each subsequent chapter and/or section following the description of his time with the Kennedys and the tragic events of 11/22/63, he seems to refer back to those times/events with unnecessary frequency. Such as when describing his time serving as a member of Lyndon Johnson's detail...at the beginning of the chapter he might be telling a story about visiting the LBJ Ranch but then somewhat randomly starts recalling the events of 1963. As perhaps one of the more notable Secret Service agents in the history of the organization, Hill was made famous by his actions in Dallas. Being not only an eyewitness but also an active participant during such a tragic event obviously affected Hill greatly; and his honesty in describing how he coped with such emotional turmoil following that event should be lauded and admired. That said, Hill's description of the events on 11/22/63 should not be taken lightly, wherever he happens to include them within the narrative, because this book is still a very good read and provides a great historical account of our nation's Presidents, their families and administrations.

I enjoyed the book immensely. It kept my attention because it was so detailed and gave a view close up. Only thing that was curious was the details about some of the female proclivities of especially Johnson and Kennedy that were not disclosed in the narrative but certainly well rumored and maybe even documented in other places. Other than that, which could have been left out because he was guarding Jacqueline and not that close to JFK, but who knows. Took me back to many periods of history which were familiar and some not so much and gave me a view into what it took to protect the President and the effect it had on those who did that. His insight into JFK's assignation was grueling since he was so up close and personal, but that detail was needed to truly tell the horror of it all. I highly recommend this book which was recommended to me by a friend for anyone who wants to understand the innerworkings of the Office, and how the Secret Service works. Well done.

Great book and it was on sale with prime days

A very good read told in a very simple fashion. Interesting insights. Not a great fan of Nixon I imagine but gave a very positive review of Spiro Agnew as a person who was kind and amiable. Dedicated to his job. I would’ve liked to read more about his life from 1975 onwards, particularly how his relationship developed with his wife and family.

Très instructif

Um excelente testemunho de quem acompanhou de perto o governo de vários presidentes norte-americanos e, pela especial natureza de suas funções, deu o melhor de si para proteger ditos governantes e suas famílias.

Loved this detailed view of life with the Presidents . Different political views and life styles .....family commitment . Big decisions to make daily .....and long hard work ....Enjoy the authors style of writing , personal , but not intrusive .

Me gusta muchisimo! Muy interesante!