cover image The Obamas

The Obamas

Jodi Kantor. Little, Brown. $29.99 (360p) ISBN 978-0-316-09875-5

Barack Obama's rise from an unknown Illinois politician to President of the United States was nothing short of meteoric%E2%80%94an unprecedented career trajectory with equal amounts of unique opportunities and challenges. Here, New York Times correspondent Kantor mines her four-plus years of covering the President to craft a complex account of the Obamas' first years in the White House. Drawing from voluminous interviews with over two hundred staffers, friends, aides, cabinet members, and the Obamas themselves, Kantor deftly chronicles the public and private struggles of the First Family. Focusing more on the internal politics than a rote recital of policy changes and key events, her book examines how the couple navigated the Presidency, the White House, and Washington society. The Obamas' commitment to keeping things as normal as possible for their children was laudable, but as the couple soon found out, na%C3%AFve and riddled with unforeseen political implications. What's more, according to Kantor, the couple's marital dynamics%E2%80%94Barack as the calm, optimistic, focused leader who strove for collaboration, and Michelle as the skeptical perfectionist with little patience for political gamesmanship%E2%80%94also created internal and political tensions. This is a fascinating look at the intricate dynamics of an ordinary marriage, an unusual home, and an extraordinary presidency. B&W photos. (Jan.)