Obama: From Promise to Power

David Mendell

Harper Collins, Sep 30, 2008 - Biography & Autobiography - 416 pages

Barack Obama is arguably the most dynamic political figure to grace the American stage since John F. Kennedy. His meteoric rise from promise to power has stunned even the cynics and inspired a legion of devout followers.

 

For anyone who wants to know more about the man, David Mendell's Obama is essential reading. Mendell, who covered Obama for the Chicago Tribune, had far-reaching access to the Chicago politician as Obama climbed the ladder to the White House, the details of which he shares in this compelling biography. Positioning Obama as the savior of a fumbling Democratic party, Mendell reveals how Obama conquered Illinois politics and paved the way brick by brick for a galvanizing, historic presidential run.

 

With a new afterword by the author, which includes a fresh perspective on Barack Obama following his two historic terms as the first African-American president, and with exclusive interviews with family members and top advisers, and details on Obama's voting record, David Mendell offers a complete, complex, and revealing portrait. This book is a must-read for anyone interested in American politics in general and President Barack Obama in particular.

Contents

• The Ascent: 1
• Dreams from His Mother: 14
• Just Call Me Barry: 32
• The Mainland: 50
• The Organizer: 64
• Harvard: 80
• Sweet Home Chicago: 93
• Politics: 107
• The Legislator: 121
• The New Rochelle Train: 140
• The Candidate: 150
• The Consultant: 163
• The Race Factor: 180
• The Real Deal: 192
• Hull on Wheels: 206
• The Small Screen: 219
• A Victory Lap: 235
• A Dash to the Center: 247
• The Ryan Files: 260
• The Speech: 272
• Back to Illinois: 286
• The Senator: 303
• South Africa: 321
• Nairobi: 338
• A Fathers Home: 355
• LeBron Revisited: 375
• Notes: 388

About the author

David Mendell, a native of Cincinnati, Ohio, wrote about urban issues and politics for the Chicago Tribune from 1998 to 2007. He is now a Chicago-based freelance writer and an adjunct instructor at Northwestern University's Medill School of Journalism. His writing has appeared in The New Yorker, GQ, the Washington Post and other places.

Bibliographic information

• Title: Obama: From Promise to Power
• Author: David Mendell
• Edition: reprint
• Publisher: Harper Collins, 2008
• ISBN: 006173666X, 9780061736667
• Length: 416 pages
• Subjects: Biography & Autobiography / Cultural, Ethnic & Regional / African American & Black; Biography & Autobiography / General; Biography & Autobiography / Historical; Biography & Autobiography / Political; Biography & Autobiography / Presidents & Heads of State; History / United States / 21st Century; Political Science / American Government / Executive Branch; Political Science / American Government / General; Political Science / Political Process / Campaigns & Elections; Social Science / Biracial & Multiracial Studies; Social Science / Ethnic Studies / American / African American & Black Studies