by David Garrow
First published 2017
Barack Obama delivers his breakout speech at the 2004 Democratic National Convention, transforming from an obscure Illinois state senator into a national figure. David Garrow chronicles Obama's journey across continents and decades, from his complex childhood in Honolulu and Jakarta to his work as a community organizer in Chicago's toughest neighborhoods. The biography follows Obama through Harvard Law School, where he became the first Black president of the Harvard Law Review, then back to Chicago where he built his political career. Garrow conducted over 1,000 interviews and extensive documentary research to reconstruct Obama's formative experiences. The book examines the people, places, and pivotal moments that shaped the future president's worldview and ambitions. Garrow reveals the personal struggles and calculated decisions behind Obama's meteoric rise from community activist to the Oval Office, providing readers with an intimate portrait of America's first Black president during his most crucial developmental years.
Genres: biography, american, african-american, political-science, politics, 21st-century
Vibes: intimate, suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: coming-of-age, fish-out-of-water
Setting: Chicago, Honolulu, Indonesia
Period: 2004, Harvard Law School
1460 pages · Hardcover · William Morrow