First published 2010
Barack Obama's rise to the presidency represents the most significant American political story of the early 21st century. David Remnick investigates the experiences and circumstances that shaped Obama's life and fueled his ambition to become the first African-American president. The book examines Obama's tragic father, a brilliant economist who abandoned his family and died broken, and his teenage mother Stanley Ann Dunham, who became an anthropologist working in Indonesia. Remnick traces how Obama transformed from a rootless and unaccomplished young man into a community organizer in Chicago, an experience that gave him both a home and political purpose. The narrative follows his journey through Harvard Law School and into politics, including his clashes with established black politicians, his failed 2000 congressional challenge against Bobby Rush, and the scandals that cleared his path to the Senate in 2004. Remnick places Obama's story within Chicago's complex racial history and the broader American struggle with race from slavery through civil rights, showing how his quest reflects a nation where individuals strive to create futures different from their present circumstances.
Genres: african-american, political-science, biography-memoir, 21st-century, american-history
Vibes: intimate, suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: coming-of-age, underdog
Setting: Chicago, Indonesia
Period: Early 21st Century
656 pages · Hardcover · Knopf