Product Description

The biography of America's hottest political superstar, Barack Obama—a man poised on the threshold of greatness.

Barack Obama's meteoric rise from Hawaii high schooler to exemplary Harvard Law School student to well-groomed politico to history-making presidential candidate is the stuff of legend. Since his headline-grabbing speech at the Democratic National Convention in 2004, Obama has come to represent the promise of unity among groups of all types of Americans—blacks and whites; Democrats, Republicans, and moderates; the young and the old; the upper, middle, and lower classes.

Veteran Chicago Tribune journalist David Mendell has covered Obama since the beginning of the candidate's campaign for the Senate. In Obama: From Promise to Power, the author offers a revealing, detailed portrait based on intensive research and exclusive interviews with Obama's closest aides, mentors, political adversaries, and family—most notably his charismatic wife, Michelle. It is an eye-opening look at the evolution of a brilliant politician whose name has become a catchphrase for hope in a politically jaded society.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #55055 in Books
• Published on: 2008-10-01
• Released on: 2008-09-30
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Mass Market Paperback
• 416 pages

From Booklist
*Starred Review* Since his speech at the Democratic National Convention in 2004, Obama has captured attention as reporters, politicos, and ordinary citizens have wondered if he might be the nation's first black president. Chicago Tribune reporter Mendell argues that although Obama's rise to the national stage might seem unplanned, it is the outcome of a carefully calculated strategy by an ambitious man. Mendell chronicles Obama's personal evolution, from Barry, a biracial adolescent growing up in Hawaii, to Barack, the Harvard law school graduate. Obama's complex background—white midwestern mother and Kenyan father—has been both an asset and a liability to his search for acceptance among African Americans and voters in general as they have had to assess who he is and what he stands for. Mendell tracks Obama's rise through the frustrations of community organizing and the rough-and-tumble world of Chicago politics to the rarefied, if no less brutal, world of the U.S. Senate. Mendell draws on interviews with Obama, his wife, family, friends, aides, and rivals, as well as his own extensive coverage since Obama's days in the Illinois Senate, to offer a nuanced, compelling look at a man of idealism and ambition intent on making history. Bush, Vanessa

About the Author

David Mendell, author of Obama: From Promise to Power, has been writing about politics and urban issues for the Chicago Tribune since 1998. Mr. Mendell lives in Oak Park, Illinois.

From AudioFile
This timely biography by a hard-bitten reporter from the generally conservative CHICAGO TRIBUNE covers the personal and political life of the man who may be president. The remarkable thing about Illinois Senator Barack Obama is--no doubt about it--charisma. People who encounter him react enthusiastically with statements such as: ÒI think he might be the one!Ó ObamaÕs main message, that people should come together for the common good, resonates with liberal and conservative alike, says the author. When quoting Obama, reader Dion Graham slips easily into a doppelganger-like vocal cadence and timbre, eerily accurate and compelling. In between quotes he reads with a measured, expressive intonation, sounding personally neutral and yet warm at the same time. D.R.W. © AudioFile 2008, Portland, Maine-- Copyright © AudioFile, Portland, Maine

Customer Reviews

For someone who is not an American, this is a great book to read.
I read the first few pages in the bookstore at the airport. I had to read more and ended up buying the book. I read almost the whole book thru out my flight. Very well written.

Fair and balanced, but positive overall
I just finished reading this book today. Although I've been drinking the Kool-Aid for some time now, it was great to read an objective biography that was fair, candid, and did a good job of recording what happened behind the scenes during Obama's sudden rise to the threshold of the presidency. Even though he tries to be objective and does a good job painting a fairly complete, believable picture of Obama the man as well as the politican, Mendell clearly admires Obama and the overall impression I came away with was very positive.

I'm giving the book four stars because Mendell has what I feel is an annoying tendency to interject himself into the story instead of being a strict chronicler. Also, the book stops right as Obama makes the announcement to run for the presidency. It feels like an unfinished work. I read another reviewer state Mendell is working on a follow-up. I sure hope so, because I'd love to find out the behind-the-scenes events that led to the debates, Iowa, and Super Tuesday.

Objective, Fair, and Useful
Watch Video Here: http://www.amazon.com/review/R11Q7UEY8OJ1OX Here's a mainstream media account of Obama that happens to be objective and fair. It contains the story of his life, and Mendell refuses to portray him as a savior even though he really likes the guy. It's definitely useful for conservatives as Mendell's liberal bonafides are unimpeachable. A fine read I thought overall.