Customer Reviews

The Rise of Barack Obama

5 star:		(19)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I took time out after lunch today from my efforts to be "productive" to find something unexpected, something to pump a little energy into my waning self.

The first thing I saw was a bookstore, and I stepped in. It didn't take me long to find photographer and writer Pete Souza's book, The Rise of Barack Obama. It's kind of a "coffee table book" or a photography-lover's book. The reproductions aren't the best I've ever seen (and I'm a "stickler," as I collect fine art and journalistic photography books regularly), but they are pretty good on the whole.

What's a more important matter than that is "How good is the book?" Well, it's very good.

I shed tears every week or every other week, often while watching movies (but elsewhere, too), and I like doing that. It's part of living - both crying tears of sadness and joy - and I'm not embarrassed to come to tears, not even in public.

Souza's book brought me to watery eyes in just a few minutes. There's a lot of beautiful pictures in this book, especially when seen by those who admire Senator Obama the way I do.

This first picture that got me is on pages 20-21, taken during a town hall meeting in Illinois, where Obama is cheek-to-cheek in embrace with a white woman (her face is dominant as it's on the side of their hug that's closer to the camera). She is radiant in her smile. And then you look throughout the photograph and see that everyone there - a mix of the races we are - all seem to have sparkle in their eyes and a glow in their spirits.

Another white woman at a rally - named in the caption as "student Lauren McGill" - who holds a Time magazine with Obama on the cover that reads "Why Barack Obama Could Be the Next President," again, glows with hopefulness and happiness (pages 118-119).

There are touching pictures of the Senator with his daughters. My favorite was a beautiful candid of him with the younger Sasha, cheek-to-cheek. She is smiling; he is seriously tender, his head pressing tightly against his girl.

Another family picture I admire shows Michelle's number one priority in life - being "Mom" - as she sits casually on some riser steps in the back area of a rally with her daughters at Iowa State University in Ames, Iowa (pages 128-129).

A sea of Kenyan men - almost all in the photograph with the same intense look of expectancy, curiosity and subdued excitement in seeing the African American Senator in their country - is a magnificent work of photojournalism. The particulars of the emotion of the moment are captured in these faces, and, structurally-speaking, the picture shows the men all looking boldly in the same direction with not an eye blinking. It makes for an exciting, intense image.

Maybe the strongest photograph of all is on pages 156-157, one of a young African-American woman with tightly pursed lips smiling, her eyes both smiling and crying, at a Pennsylvania State University rally in March of this year. Tears have been flowing down her face freely. The picture holds, for me, all of these: bursting joy, pride, rightness, gladness, equity, happiness, hope, and even love.

This is a movement.

It could be said that Souza's book is a highly-edited version of Obama, the man, as well as the public's reaction to him. So be it - it is. But, I dare anyone to find me another person living today that you can find a cache of positive photos this size that could create an equally moving book on anyone else in modern public life. If you look at the book, you just know it's rare for this to happen.

One thing about Souza's collection that history will note, if we do not, is that Obama is clearly a minority among white men (and sometimes women) in the photographs of him "at work" in Washington. I sense that it takes a lot of courage, wherewithal, and an unwavering sense of purpose for someone to endure this. A lot of people do such things, a lot of people can, but more of us aren't willing to put ourselves out there in various uncomfortable situations where we might not "fit in." For Obama to do this as well as he does, without succumbing to feelings or thoughts of alienation or frustration, and to be so charismatic and positive a figure as he is while doing so, you have to admit the candidacy of this man - as it careens through the hearts of so many of us - is very likely what we have to call "a movement."

The photographs by Pete Souza in the fascinating collection "The Rise of Barack Obama" tell us much about Obama, more than what is expressed in the depth of his expressions: his wisdom, compassion, concern, dilemmas, and his hope. These poignant, spontaneous photos portray how he is viewed by those who come in contact with him - friends, colleagues, supporters, and his family, especially his two young daughters, who show us, in their expressions of joy and love for their father, the meaning of family values. Souza's images of Obama over the years he spent with him are the classic pictures of an American during his ascendency.

Pete Souza's book is impressive on many levels, beginning with the amazing photographs he so expertly produced over the years he followed Senator Obama. I was brought to tears several times by the powerful images of the senator with his family, in congress, in our country, and in the world, giving me the sense that I have had a privileged window into the life of a hard-working, committed, capable statesman. Souza's work is photojournalism at its most impressive, perfectly rendering the day-to-day life of an icon from up close and from a distance. One shot may be through the window blinds of a crowded office, another is a closeup of a furrowed brow. The coming together of art, life, and politics, right there in your hand. This book is a treasure!

I purchased three copies for my family. The book includes images from the very beginning of Obama's national political career. I encourage others to purchase the book while you still can get it. If you like history you will want one or more for your library. If Obama is elected president this will be a collector's item.

This is a must get book for the historical document that it is. Pete Souza gives us a view of Senator Obama that will never be the same. Since running for president, win or loss, Senator Obama's life can never be the same as when these images were made. Souza's photography is a gift to any historian looking into this man before his historic run for the presidency.

This book is also a must read for any photo-journalist wishing to see a true master at work with his camera. Souza does not miss a moment that holds great meaning.

An assistant professor of photojournalism at Ohio University's School of Visual Journalism in Athens, Ohio, and one of the nation's most renowned photographers, Pete Souza has produced an impressive album documenting the meteoric ascendancy of the U.S. Senator from Illinois,

Souza's candid photographs of Barack Obama provide an intimate view of a charismatic leader, who has been described as "a once-in-a-generation politician." Journalists have compared Obama's inspiring oratory and vision of hope and change to the leadership qualities of Robert and John F. Kennedy.

We see the presumptive Democratic nominee for President on his trips to various countries, such as Russia, Azerbaijan, Chad, Kenya, and South Africa; his appearances at various universities, behind-the-scenes conferences with friends and colleagues; as well as endearing snapshots of him with his family: Michelle, Malia, and Sasha.

"The Rise of Barack Obama" is an excellent pictorial complement to Obama's own work, "The Audacity of Hope." This reviewer agrees with and is inspired by Obama's signature mantra: "Dream big dreams!"

Pete Souza's photographs of Barack Obama have been recognized during the past three years with prestigious awards from Pictures of the Year, the Best of Photojournalism and the White House News Photographers Association's Eyes of History. He has worked as an official White House photographer for President Ronald Reagan and was also the official photographer for the President's June 2004 funeral. He is the author of two celebrated photographic books of President Reagan's term in office, Unguarded Moments: Behind-the-Scenes Photographs of President Reagan (1992) and Images of Greatness: An Intimate Look at the Presidency of Ronald Reagan by Triumph Books. Souza's photographs have also appeared as photo spreads or covers in renowned magazines as National Geographic, Life, Fortune, Newsweek, and U.S. News & World Report. His photographs have also been part of group exhibits at the National Archives, Smithsonian Museum of American History, and Corcoran Gallery of Art.

Stunningly beautiful, thought-provoking, and engaging photographs.

The range of photos shows such emotion. The personal moments give you pause. You will find yourself lost in contemplation. I don't remember seeing such a powerful collection of photographs of a person since JFK.

If you know anyone who finds inspiration from our new President, buy this coffee table book for a daily dose of hope.

You can sense how this man is through the pictures taken before his entry into the frenzied national stage. But even more so, the pictures reveal how others, who were photographed with him, felt about him. Great pictorial essay.

A beautiful book. Mr. Souza has captured Obama's character perfectly through the lens. Very interesting to see "the rise of Barack Obama" in pictures...the photos make you smile and are guaranteed to give you chills.
Five stars.

Barack Obama - Junior senator from Illinois in January 2005, U.S. President in November 2008. Pete Souza has hit the 'sweet spot' with his photos and observations about Obama's meteoric rise to the Presidency. Souza is no stranger to Washington - he worked there for 25 years; or Presidents - for more than five of those years he was Official White House Photographer for President Ronald Reagan. ("Unguarded Moments: Behind-the-Scenes Photographs of President Reagan,"- 1992; "Images of Greatness: An Intimate Look at the Presidency of Ronald Reagan" 2004). But covering Obama was entirely different. Souza was The Chicago Tribune's Washington-based national photographer when the paper set out to cover the new Illinois senator's first year. Instead of the usual pack of photographers jostling for position, Souza often had Obama all to himself. Instead of slam-bang stage-managed, less than real but all you can get photo moments in Washington, he was given both access and time, which led to photos of many quiet and honest moments. He learned in the process something about the man. Midway through the assignment, which took Souza and a Trib reporter to seven countries, Souza came to believe that Obama was "truly one of a kind" who might someday become President. Souza made a photo moments before Obama would announce that he'd be a candidate for President at the Old State Capitol in Springfield, Il., in February 2007, with Obama staring, expressionless, as his wife, Michelle, their two daughters alongside, encoourages him with a pat on the shoulder. It's the sort of intimate and poignant - and now historic - moment that Souza's so good at. The timing of his book could not have been more fortuitious. "Someday" is now.

Gary Haynes (author, "Picture This! - the story and classic photos of United Press International" (2006)