When the White House Was Ours Book

For anyone either growing up in the 70's or who enjoyed some level of the hippie life, this book is for you! It is loosely based on the experiences of the author, Porter Shreve, whose parents once started an alternative school of their own.

The protagonist is a precocious twelve-year-old boy named Daniel. Having lost yet another school administrator's job, Daniel's father moves the whole family to Washington, D.C. to start an alternative school which has always been his dream. They rent a big, white, Victorian house in Washington from a college friend and set out to find students to attend their school. Feeling help is going to be needed, Daniel's mother contacts her brother, Linc, currently living on a commune in Washington, to come and help teach and organize the school. The brother arrives in short order, but with his hippie girlfriend and another questionable friend in tow.

Daniel's father, sporting the idealism of the time, believes perseverance will allow him to realize his dream. He dreams of the possibilities for a school which will allow the students to control their education. The motto he wants the students to operate under is, "Act first. Ask permission later." So, Pete Truitt has dreams, but no money and little community support. His wife is at the end of her rope with his inability to hold down a teaching position in education and the resulting upheaval for the family. As a result, the Truitt family's adventures ring as being both sad and humorous. Linc and his hippie friends with their questionable ethics and morals keep you turning the pages to find out what else they are going to find themselves getting into.

I enjoyed the various references to music and people of the 70's. Memories came flooding back for me of 1976 and the great hope people had as Jimmy Carter took over the Presidency of the United States. How well I remember hippies, bell bottoms, peace symbols, free love and Jesus freaks! I enjoyed the walk down memory lane and the pieces of nostalgia present in the story. When the White House was Ours is very well-written. I grew to care about the entire Truitt family -- particularly Danie -- and felt for them all as Pete's dream began to be realized and then to crumble. This isn't a heavy read, but instead a nice reminder of a time when people believed anything was possible. Thanks for the great read, Porter Shreve!