Inside Obama's Brain [Hardcover]

Sasha Abramsky (Author)

Book Description

Release date: December 1, 2009

"Never has the world needed strong and wise American leadership more than it does now. Abramsky's eminently readable description of Obama's personal gifts makes it clear that he is remarkably suited to be the president the moment requires." -Former New York Governor Mario M. Cuomo

From the moment he burst onto the national political scene, Barack Obama has fascinated people more than any politician in decades. Many biographers have already retold his story, but no previous book truly explains how his mind works, what passions drive him, or what makes him such an effective leader.

This concise profile explores the ideas, inspirations, and experiences that have shaped the president. It quotes a wide network of sources, including many who broke long-standing vows of silence to offer their candid and surprising observations.

Award-winning journalist Sasha Abramsky interviewed close to one hundred of Obama's current and former friends, colleagues, classmates, teachers, staff, mentors, basketball buddies, fellow Chicago activists, media consultants, editors, and even his next-door neighbors from Hyde Park. These people each know a part of Obama's life and career, which the author blends the pieces into a uniquely detailed analysis.

Abramsky explains the origins of Obama's extraordinary poise, focus, and self-confidence; his powerful storytelling and speaking skills; and his empathetic listening style. He shows why Obama's experiences as a community organizer are widely misunderstood and more influential than many people realize. And he explores how Obama found a unique way to bridge America's racial divides.

No previous book has delved so deeply into the events and people that helped make Barack Obama the man he is today.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

This breezy, engaging book does not explicitly attempt biography; instead journalist Abramsky dissects the personality of Barack Obama, examining the qualities—focus, self-confidence and curiosity—that fueled his meteoric rise. The book, the fifth in this series, draws on an impressive number of interviews with Obama's friends and associates—though not one with the president himself—and includes illuminating anecdotes from every phase of the president's life. Case studies of the Iowa caucus, the Rev. Jeremiah Wright controversy and the appointment of Hillary Clinton as secretary of state bring the book's arguments into focus. Abramsky does little to conceal his enthusiasm for Obama, comparing him repeatedly to Lincoln and Kennedy and labeling him a potential once-in-a-generation leader. Skeptics are likely to find the author's praise off-putting (he includes dissenting views but generally dismisses them). None of the book's insights are revelatory—for example, Obama's poise and calm under pressure have been fodder for journalists and talking heads since the primaries began—but supporters are likely to enjoy the book's concision and fresh approach to familiar material. (Dec.)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist

What is it about Obama that has allowed him, a relative political neophyte and a black man, to achieve the pinnacle of world power? Political journalist Abramsky attempts to answer that question in this psychological profile of a man of polyglot cultural background and great intellect, oratorical skills, and charisma. Abramsky draws on Obama’s writings and speeches, as well as interviews with friends and colleagues, to offer a portrait of an idealistic, ambitious man driven to ever higher achievements. Abramsky focuses on Obama’s role as a community organizer and its impact on him and his ability to bridge differences and reach consensus. Interview subjects recount scenes of ambition tempered by idealism, liberal ideals tempered by pragmatism. The book begins with a look at the inner workings of Obama’s mind, his methods and motivations. Later chapters examine his political persona as affected by his life experiences. Finally, Abramsky takes a broader view of what Obama’s election says, not only because of his race but also because of the contours of his personality, about the U.S. at this point in its history. --Vanessa Bush

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 288 pages
• Publisher: Portfolio Hardcover; First Printing edition (December 1, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1591843022
• ISBN-13: 978-1591843023
• Product Dimensions: 5.2 x 1.2 x 7.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 2.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,921,712 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 2 people found the following review helpful

1.0 out of 5 stars Chicagocentric October 19, 2011

By Michael Haas

Format:Hardcover

The book attempts to explain influences on Barack Obama's thinking with anecdotes. A journalist, he interviews many persons acquainted with Obama to derive insights, but his remark that Obama was "confined by his many heritages" misses the essential role of multicultural Hawai`i in liberating him from stereotypic thinking of the kind that the author displays. Abramsky assumes that Obama's experience as a community organizer in Chicago is central to his demeanor and outlook, completely missing the fact that even Illinois friends and political mentors see him as primarily influenced by Hawai`i.

4 of 7 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars An Intimate Look Inside The Success Of Our 44th President January 16, 2010

By C. A. Webb TOP 1000 REVIEWERVINE™ VOICE

Format:Hardcover

Regardless of your political leanings, INSIDE OBAMA'S BRAIN is a fascinating window into what has shaped the personality and character of our 44th President. I approached the book with an open mind, not having read much about the life of Barack Obama. Author Sasha Abramsky seems to have written his book in a way that was for people like myself, incorporating writings from Obama as wel as conversations with those who seem to know him best.

The book highlights not just his rise to fame in the world of politics, but the journey he took to understand himself. Pres. Obama's mixed heritage may have been seem by some as just another obstacle for the young man to overcome, but Abramsky highlights it this way: "His very existence challenges social codes and prevailing orthodoxies. Obama is, in many ways, a walking one-man diaspora, a man who can't be defined, or rather confined by his many heritages... To a peculiar degree, he is, as a result, his own creation."

That sums up in many ways the 'out of the box' thinking that seems to lead the man who would become America's Commander-In-Chief. Through each challenge and difficulty, there seems to be a "glass half full" approach that kept him striving, achieving and overcoming.

INSIDE OBAMA'S BRAIN has all the ingredients needed for a worthwhile read. Above all it reminds us that no matter how dark things may appear around us at any given time, we have to always be on the hunt for the light within us all.

2 of 4 people found the following review helpful

3.0 out of 5 stars A little too much on the positive January 30, 2010

By J. Davis

Format:Hardcover

Inside Obama's Brain is a decent, if sympathetic, overview of the political/social career of the 44th president. I would have liked to have read a few more interviews with his political opponents. But, overall, the book does show some negative aspects of Obama's personality and career. Obama looks like a opportunist in more than a few instances; Abramsky discusses his cynical embrace of the Daley machine, the vote for a symbolic border fence he didn't really support, and his abandonment of campaign finance reform during the 2008 election. I classify the book in the category of not quite good enough to buy, but worth checking out at the library.