Combing Through the White House
Hair and Its Shocking Impact on the Politics, Private Lives, and Legacies of the Presidents
- Publisher: Harper Celebrate (HarperCollins Focus)
- Published: 2024
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Publisher's Description
Enjoy a fascinating and novel look at the U.S. presidents, the first families, and American history—all through the lens of hair. In Combing Through the White House, you will explore American history in a whole new way, as you discover how hair has influenced the presidency and the public and private lives, personal scandals, and tragedies of the men and women who have occupied the White House. You will go deep into the history of fascinating topics like: Abraham Lincoln's famously ridiculed appearance and the surprising role hair played in both his presidency and assassination John F. Kennedy's connection to James Bond and how hair factored into his vast image-making and infidelities The lush tradition of collecting hair as a way of honoring leaders, remembering our loved ones, and preserving their memories Scientific hair analysis and how DNA has been used to solve long-standing presidential mysteries The connection of hair to the lives, loves, scandals, and tragedies that shaped presidents, first ladies, and the nation at large This unique window into the past shines entertaining new light on the decisions, relationships, and tragedies that have shaped the role of the president and the place of the U.S. in the world. Whether you're interested in presidential trivia or historical mysteries, Combing Through the White House personalizes the past through an element of life we can all relate to—hair—giving you new glimpses into your country and even yourself.
Endorsements (3)
“Theodore Pappas has written an erudite, witty, eminently charming book on a subject with surprising richness and depth. This is cultural history at its most entertaining, by turns moving and salacious. As Pappas ably demonstrates, a person’s hair—especially when that person happens to be the most powerful man in the free world—is the product of so much more than a comb and a cut.”
“Theodore Pappas’s book does two things brilliantly. First, you’ll learn surprising facts that will keep you busy at cocktail parties for the next century or two. Second, you’ll see the world through a clarifying new lens. Because hair is everywhere. Hair weaves (sorry) its way into everything from politics, religion, literature, and identity. You’ll never look at history—or the protein filaments on the top of people’s heads—the same way again.”
“Entrepreneurs see things that others miss. They leverage the past for a better tomorrow—and with his entrepreneurial approach to history, Theodore Pappas will help you see our country clearer, like wiping hair away from your eyes.”
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