Standing Next to History : An Agent's Life Inside the Secret Service

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Summary: Standing Next to History : An Agent's Life Inside the Secret
Review: While this book may be a good read, I do not suggest using it for reference in an essay. Some of the facts seem to be missing. After all, we are not going to learn anything the secret service doesn't want us to know, and the facts may be changed, barely mentioned, or not even mentioned so that the reader doesn't hold any impression the secret service does not want them to have.
Furthermore THE PRIOR review sounds too much like a "I'm selling it on the behalf of the publisher" kind of review. Not a simpler note, it imparts knowledge of the book, but has no commentary beyond what a typical "must buy" review would be like.

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Summary: An excellent read
Review: I could not put this book down. Petro's stories are compelling and beautifully told. One doesn't quite realize the incredible amount of planning involved with a public figure's every move. This really opens up a whole world that has, up until now, been kept away from the public. A wonderful exploration of the Secret Service.

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Summary: Reads Like A Movie
Review: It's not often that non-fiction reads like a movie, but this does and like any great movie, this has it all. There is the high drama of protecting a high value target like Pope John Paul II, and the down to earth humor that came along with being part of the private enourage of Ronald Reagan. But when it comes to a spine chilling scene, none can beat the moment where Petro, armed with an Uzi submachine is riding in the Vice President's motorcade and spots an arm come out of the crowd with a gun. In the flash of a millisecond, he aims his weapon. As he says about Secret Service agents, when they fire they do not miss. In the flash of that same millisecond, he realizes that the gun is red. The color of the pistol, combined with years of concentrated training stops Petro from firing. Thank God, as it turned out to be a water pistol in the hand of a child. If that person reads this, he will understand how close he came to getting killed. For the rest of us, "Standing Next to History" beats most movies any day.

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Summary: Great...now we need a book by Bobby DeProspero :-)
Review: Joe Petro has written a fascinating account of life in the Secret Service---especially protecting President Reagan---in "Standing Next To History." If the Secret Service were embarrassed (and they WERE) by fellow agent Dennis V.N. McCarthy's "Protecting The President," not to mention Marty Venker's "Confessions Of An Ex-Secret Service Agent," they won't be with Petro's tome. It reads like Petro was careful not to make waves with his colleagues. Still, a great read. And, as I am the leading civilian authority on the U.S. Secret Service, I hope and pray Petro's colleague, the highly respected Robert DeProspero (SAIC of Reagan's Detail), will write a book of his own (perhaps fellow former agent John Simpson can be co-author?).

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Summary: Seeing a world that few ever notice
Review: Joseph Petro worked for the Secret Service for 23 years. During that time he was the agent in charge of President Reagan's protection and also was responsible for Pope John Paul II's security while in the US on tour in 1987. He also did stints with Vice President Quayle and Vice President Gerald Ford.

This is not a comprehensive review of the Secret Service's history, mission, or place in society. Petro delivers, with ghost writer Jeff Robinson, a highly readable yet never schmaltzy account of his many years as an active Secret Service agent protecting some of the highest-profile people in modern history and, moreover, occupying a "fly on the wall" position during such famous negotiations as Reagan and Gorbuchevs' in Geneva that eventually led to the Berlin Wall coming down. Even then-Secretary of State George Schultz was not present at some of these negotiations!

Petro dispels a few myths, including the old adage that Secret Service agents are supposed to take a bullet for the President, and really shows us how methodical and determined agents are at serving their protectees, such as when Petro alters the Popemobile to make it easier for the agent seated in front to craw into the bubblespace behind.

He also shows us a side of the people he has protected without seeming like a prying paparazzi or that he is passing judgment. For example, he was assigned to Nelson Rockefeller when he was VP to Gerald Ford. Petro tells an amusing anecdote of Rockefeller trying to dial the White House switchboard and telling them "It's the Vice President, please put me through to the President" but subsequently the phone is cut off. Petro informs poor Rockefeller that he has a direct line to the President, he does not need to use the public telephone network!

Petro was also there when Dan Quayle did his famous spelling of "potato" with an "e" on the end. Apparently the cards that Quayle was using with the children were incorrect and Quayle simply wasn't paying attention, he copied the spelling on to the children's blackboard. The media hyped this as Quayle not knowing how to spell whereas in reality he probably doubted his own ability to spell - a crucial difference. That doesn't make Quayle wasn't the sharpest knife in the drawer but Petro's ability to offer up such at-odds views of well-known figures makes for a pleasant diversion.

Overall, I recommend this book to anyone interested in what life is like behind the curtains of the White House. If you're a fan of the West Wing as I am, you'll love this book.

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Summary: A Clear, Well-Written Portrait of the Secret Service
Review: The Secret Service is one of the most well-known but mysterious organizations in the federal government. We see them almost everyday on television alongside the president as he works the ropes somewhere. In "Standing Next to History: An Agent's Life Inside the Secret Service", retired Special Agent Joseph Petro paints a wonderful picture of the protective bubble surrounding the American presidency. With fascinating stories from his years guarding the Reagans, the Fords, the Quayles, the Rockefellers, and even the pope, we receive a glimpse of what the world's leaders are truly like. We learn that the pope was one of those people who when he was hungry would begin digging through a pantry and we discover that Nancy Reagan was truly not the monster she was portrayed to be. With humorous anecdotes and occassional commentary on the Secret Service today, Joseph Petro has written a masterpiece and is perhaps the best book ever written on the United States Secret Service. "Standing Next to History" is a book that you can't put down once you pick it up and is certainly a must-read. Five stars are easily given here.

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Summary: The Best Book Ever Written About the Secret Service
Review: This is almost certainly the best book ever written (or likely to be written) about the Secret Service. It is also one of the best books ever written about Ronald Reagan. Special Agent Petro goes into terrific detail about how the Service protects the President, and how he and others protected Reagan. From practicing assassination attempts to battling with the French, the Japanese and the Canadians about how far the Service must go to keep the President safe, this book is both a credit to the Secret Service and a must read for anyone who wants to know how one vital component of the White House functions.

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Summary: A wonderful private look at the Reagans
Review: Whether you loved the Reagans or not, Joseph Petro's wonderful private look at two people who helped to shape late-20th century America is a terrific read. It is, also, arguably, the best insight into the world of the Secret Service that we are ever going to get. I also loved the chapters about protecting His Holiness Pope John Paul II during his historic 1987 visit to the US. This book is already high on my "best of 2005" list.