Synopses & Reviews
andlt;Bandgt;From the author of andlt;Iandgt;First in His Classandlt;/Iandgt;, the definitive biography of Bill Clinton, this andlt;Iandgt;New York Timesandlt;/Iandgt; bestseller was hailed by critics as a groundbreaking multigenerational biography, a richly textured account of President Obama and the forces that shaped him and sustain him. andlt;/Bandgt;andlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;In andlt;Iandgt;Barack Obama: The Storyandlt;/Iandgt;, David Maraniss has written a deeply reported generational biography teeming with fresh insights and revealing information, a masterly narrative drawn from hundreds of interviews, including with President Obama in the Oval Office, and a trove of letters, journals, diaries, and other documents.andlt;BRandgt; andlt;BRandgt;The book unfolds in the small towns of Kansas and the remote villages of western Kenya, following the personal struggles of Obamaand#8217;s white and black ancestors through the swirl of the twentieth century. It is a roots story on a global scale, a saga of constant movement, frustration and accomplishment, strong women and weak men, hopes lost and deferred, people leaving and being left. Disparate family threads converge in the climactic chapters as Obama reaches adulthood and travels from Honolulu to Los Angeles to New York to Chicago, trying to make sense of his past, establish his own identity, and prepare for his political future.andlt;BRandgt; andlt;BRandgt;andlt;Iandgt;Barack Obama: The Storyandlt;/Iandgt; chronicles as never before the forces that shaped the first black president of the United States and explains why he thinks and acts as he does. Much like the authorand#8217;s classic study of Bill Clinton, andlt;Iandgt;First in His Classandlt;/Iandgt;, this promises to become a seminal book that will redefine a president.
Review
“…this is a revelatory book, which anyone interested in modern politics will want to read, and which will certainly shape our understanding of President Obama’s strengths, weaknesses and inscrutabilities. Every few pages Maraniss offers a factual nugget that changes or enlarges the prevailing lore….a richer view of the man we have become familiar with, without really knowing…. after this book we know one public figure much better.” —The New York Times Book Review
Review
and#8220;Remarkable . . . Maraniss captures Obamaand#8217;s search for purpose and the kindling of his ambition with an intimacy unlike that of other biographersand#8212;including Obamaand#8230;.[The book] offers the rawest account of his early life and a deeper understanding of his origins. Three and a half years and countless publications after Obamaand#8217;s Inauguration, that is a remarkable feat.and#8221;
Review
“Book is full of riveting stories, shrewd observations, and fascinating details. It’s like reading Michener….There is something quite searching and wonderful about seeing much of history as a chaos of chance.” — The New Yorker
Review
and#8220;andlt;iandgt;Barack Obama andlt;/iandgt;is biography at its best. A prodigiously researched and exquisitely written multigenerational accountand#8230;. With subtlety and sophistication, Maraniss captures and conveys Obama's sensibilities and sensitivities.and#8221;
Review
“This biography possesses a richness and scope that cannot be captured in short-form journalism, magazine excerpts or a mere review. Maraniss has written a global, multigenerational saga that culminates in the emergence of a young man who is knowable, recognizable and real....Maraniss approaches the task with deep research, crisp, clean writing and judicious reflection that never seems intrusive. He not only succeeds, he makes it look easy.” —The Washington Post
Review
"It's not often that a book has the potential to change the course of political history, which is why this one is probably the most eagerly anticipated American book of the year." —NPR.org
Review
“By showing us the young Barack Obama—breathing, moving across the world, traversing the bloodknot of race in America alongside family, relationships, and the hurly-burly of Chicago—David Maraniss has shown us a human soul growing almost inch by inch. This is a work of literature, and it possesses the kind of brilliance and verve that would have made James Baldwin himself proud.”
—Wil Haygood, author of King of the Cats: The Life and Times of Adam Clayton Powell, Jr.
Review
“The books of David Maraniss are like majestic rivers rolling to the sea, gathering in all the other confluences as they go, gaining their incredible subsurface force. But here, in a multigenerational portrait of a young man owning the most improbable history, Maraniss has outdone himself. Finally, you can understand the man who became the 44th president.”
—Paul Hendrickson, author of Hemingway’s Boat: Everything He Loved, and Lost, 1934-1961
Review
“Maraniss offers not just a beautifully written book, but a real insight into what goes on behind the veil.”
—The Hill
Review
“This is a highly textured and intimate look at the family stories behind Obama …A thoroughly fascinating, multigenerational biography that explores broader social and political changes even as it highlights the elements that shaped one man’s life.”—Booklist, starred review
Review
and#8220;This is a revelatory book . . . which will certainly shape our understanding of President Obamaand#8217;s strengths, weaknesses and inscrutabilities. Every few pages Maraniss offers a factual nugget that changes or enlarges the prevailing lore.and#8221;
Review
and#8220;[This] book is full of riveting stories, shrewd observations, and fascinating details.and#8221;
Review
“Barack Obama is biography at its best. A prodigiously researched and exquisitely written multigenerational account…. With subtlety and sophistication, Maraniss captures and conveys Obama's sensibilities and sensitivities.” < -="" b="" -=""> - < -="" i="" -=""> - San Francisco Chronicle - < -="" -=""> - < -="" -="">
Review
“Remarkable . . . Maraniss captures Obama’s search for purpose and the kindling of his ambition with an intimacy unlike that of other biographers—including Obama….[The book] offers the rawest account of his early life and a deeper understanding of his origins. Three and a half years and countless publications after Obama’s Inauguration, that is a remarkable feat.” < -="" b="" -=""> - < -="" i="" -=""> - Time - < -="" -=""> - < -="" -="">
Review
and#8220;andlt;iandgt;Barack Obamaandlt;/iandgt; is a work of monumental ambition. and#8230;Maranissand#8217; exhaustive research and lucid writing expands exponentially our knowledge of the presidentand#8217;s history.and#8221;
Review
and#8220;There's far more to this revealing and deeply reported coming-of-age story, a term usually applied to novelsand#8230;.[It] reads like a novel filled with stories too unlikely for fiction . . . which makes it the best kind of political biography.and#8221;
Review
andlt;divandgt;"Impeccably researched.... Stunning in its detail...
Review
and#8220;Impeccably researchedand#8230;. Stunning in its detailand#8230; Maranissand#8230; gets out of the way and lets his first-rate reporting tell the story. . . . It is like watching a magician at workand#8221;
Synopsis
From the author of First in His Class, the definitive biography of Bill Clinton, this New York Times bestseller was hailed by critics as a groundbreaking multigenerational biography, a richly textured account of President Obama and the forces that shaped him and sustain him.
In Barack Obama: The Story, David Maraniss has written a deeply reported generational biography teeming with fresh insights and revealing information, a masterly narrative drawn from hundreds of interviews, including with President Obama in the Oval Office, and a trove of letters, journals, diaries, and other documents.
The book unfolds in the small towns of Kansas and the remote villages of western Kenya, following the personal struggles of Obama's white and black ancestors through the swirl of the twentieth century. It is a roots story on a global scale, a saga of constant movement, frustration and accomplishment, strong women and weak men, hopes lost and deferred, people leaving and being left. Disparate family threads converge in the climactic chapters as Obama reaches adulthood and travels from Honolulu to Los Angeles to New York to Chicago, trying to make sense of his past, establish his own identity, and prepare for his political future.
Barack Obama: The Story chronicles as never before the forces that shaped the first black president of the United States and explains why he thinks and acts as he does. Much like the author's classic study of Bill Clinton, First in His Class, this promises to become a seminal book that will redefine a president.
Synopsis
The groundbreaking multigenerational biography, a richly textured account of President Obama and the forces that shaped him and sustain him, from Pulitzer Prize-winning reporter, political commentator, and acclaimed biographer David Maraniss. In Barack Obama: The Story, David Maraniss has written a deeply reported generational biography teeming with fresh insights and revealing information, a masterly narrative drawn from hundreds of interviews, including with President Obama in the Oval Office, and a trove of letters, journals, diaries, and other documents.
The book unfolds in the small towns of Kansas and the remote villages of western Kenya, following the personal struggles of Obama's white and black ancestors through the swirl of the twentieth century. It is a roots story on a global scale, a saga of constant movement, frustration and accomplishment, strong women and weak men, hopes lost and deferred, people leaving and being left. Disparate family threads converge in the climactic chapters as Obama reaches adulthood and travels from Honolulu to Los Angeles to New York to Chicago, trying to make sense of his past, establish his own identity, and prepare for his political future.
Barack Obama: The Story chronicles as never before the forces that shaped the first black president of the United States and explains why he thinks and acts as he does. Much like the author's classic study of Bill Clinton, First in His Class, this promises to become a seminal book that will redefine a president.
Synopsis
From the author of First in His Class, the definitive biography of Bill Clinton, a groundbreaking multigenerational biography, a richly textured account of President Obama and the forces that shaped him. In a seamless narrative, Maraniss explores the difficult and colorful lives of the president’s forebears and follows the young Barack from Hawaii to Indonesia to Los Angeles to New York to Chicago as he struggles with self-identity and searches for home.
About the Author
Born in Detroit, David Maraniss is an associate editor at andlt;Iandgt;The Washington Postandlt;/Iandgt;. Maraniss is a Pulitzer Prizeandndash;winning journalist and bestselling author of andlt;Iandgt;First in His Class: A Biography of Bill Clintonandlt;/Iandgt;; andlt;Iandgt;Rome 1960: The Olympics that Stirred the World;andlt;/Iandgt; andlt;Iandgt;Barack Obama: The Storyandlt;/Iandgt;; andlt;Iandgt;Clemente: The Passion and Grace of Baseballandrsquo;s Last Heroandlt;/Iandgt;; andlt;Iandgt;They Marched into Sunlight: War and Peace, Vietnam and America, October 1967andlt;/Iandgt;; andandlt;Iandgt; When Pride Still Mattered: A Life of Vince Lombardiandlt;/Iandgt;, which was hailed by andlt;Iandgt;Sports Illustratedandlt;/Iandgt; as andldquo;maybe the best sports biography ever published.andrdquo; He lives in Washington, DC and Madison, Wisconsin.