Description

“The author of one of my favorite books, Call the Briefing, is back with another memoir about life as the press secretary to two Presidents. Marlin Fitzwater is a master storyteller — you can’t believe all that he’s witnessed, and we’re blessed that he’s willing to share his private writings and memories with us.”
—Dana Perino, Fox News & White House Press Secretary, President George W. Bush

“There was no one better at the job of working with the White House press corps than Marlin Fitzwater, a farm boy from Kansas who made it to the top as Spokesman for two Presidents. You’ll find the stories Marlin tells fascinating (an inside look reporters didn’t see) but also a welcome remainder of a time when Presidents and their Press Secretary tried to do their jobs with integrity, honesty and civility.”
—Sam Donaldson, ABC News White House Correspondent

“There was no one better at the job of White House press secretary than Marlin Fitzwater — a farm boy from Kansas tells his remarkable story and includes his diary entries offering first-hand, accounts of some of the truly historic events he lived.”
—Andy Card, White House Chef of Staff, President George W. Bush

“This book reads just like Marlin: it’s keenly observed, brutally honest, clear-eyed, plain-spoken and sometimes really funny . . . proof of why he was appointed White House press secretary by two presidents — and was one of the very best.”
—Dee Dee Myers, White House Press Secretary, President William J. Clinton

As Press Secretary to Presidents Ronald Reagan and George H. W. Bush, Marlin Fitzwater’s role was to record and present the official events of the Presidency. In Calm Before the Storm, Fitzwater recounts his private discussions and observations while serving those two Presidents.

When Saddam Hussein invaded Kuwait in August 1990, Fitzwater started a diary in which to record the events of Operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm. Calm Before the Storm features a collection of the author’s private views inside President Bush’s White House during the Persian Gulf Crisis.

Fitzwater, as writer and storyteller, shares anecdotes and insights from his Kansas upbringing to his career in Washington, D.C., as a key member of two White House administrations. His engaging writing provides behind-the-scenes accounts of important events in modern American history.

The memoir, which is dedicated to the memory of George and Barbara Bush, is rounded out with anecdotes that give readers glimpses at other historic events during his Washington career as well as the author’s Kansas upbringing.

His diary entries are written in a way that not only give a play-by-play to pivotal events of the day but recount personal interactions with the most influential people in the country and provide insights to the states of mind of people in power when responsible for making monumental life-and-death situations.

About The Author

Marlin Fitzwater is an American writer who served as White House Press Secretary for two US Presidents making him one of the longest-serving U.S. Press Secretaries in history.
Fitzwater was awarded the Presidential Citizens Medal in 1992. He is the founder of Marlin Fitzwater Center for Communication located at Franklin Pierce University in Rindge, New Hampshire. He is married and lives in Maryland, in a village on the Chesapeake Bay