In this nuanced and complex portrait of Barack Obama, Pulitzer Prize-winner David Remnick offers a thorough, intricate, and riveting account of the unique experiences that shaped our nation’s first African American president.
Through extensive on-the-record interviews with friends and teachers, mentors and disparagers, family members and Obama himself, Remnick explores the elite institutions that first exposed Obama to social tensions, and the intellectual currents that contributed to his identity. Using America’s racial history as a backdrop for Obama’s own story, Remnick further reveals how an initially rootless and confused young man built on the experiences of an earlier generation of black leaders to become one of the central figures of our time.
Masterfully written and eminently readable, The Bridge is destined to be a lasting and illuminating work for years to come, by a writer with an unparalleled gift for revealing the historical significance of our present moment.
The Bridge: The Life and Rise of Barack Obama
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Editorial Reviews
From Publishers Weekly
Remnick (Lenin's Tomb), editor of the New Yorker, offers a detailed but lusterless account of Barack Obama's historic ascent. As a piece of "biographical journalism," the book succeeds ably enough and offers familiar commentary on Obama's cosmopolitan childhood with strains of isolation and abandonment straight out of David Copperfield-rootless, fatherless, with a loving but naïve and absent mother, he suffered racial taunts and humiliations at the hands of his schoolmates. We read how Obama's famous composure was hard-won, how he constructed his personality in opposition to his father's grandiose self-regard, his transformation from "Barry" to "Barack," the drug use, the burgeoning racial and political consciousness-rehashing events that the subject himself has covered in his frank memoirs. But for the scope (and size) of the book, Remnick's interest is ultimately limited to a study of Obama's relationship with blackness, and Obama as the student and fulfillment of the civil rights movement-it's a rich vein but impersonal, and in the author's handling, slightly repetitive. Remnick is in deeply respectful court scribe mode, but he does shine in his treatment of more peripheral characters such as Jesse Jackson and Hillary Clinton, both of whom emerge as figures of Shakespearian psychological complexity. A well-researched biography that pulls many trends of Obama-ology under its umbrella but stints on fresh interpretations.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
From Bookmarks Magazine
Most reviewers were pleasantly surprised to find that anyone could find anything new to say about the president, since he is one of the most scrutinized people on the planet and has already written two memoirs. But Remnick pulls off The Bridge, in part, through innovative and exhaustive research. Several critics remarked how Remnick's reporting expanded their views of the Obama of Dreams From my Father; others were grateful for the author's elucidation of the president's crucial years in Chicago. But the book's key trait, and what may even find it some readers among skeptics of the president, is Remnick's nuanced reading of how Obama discovered an identity in the struggles of African American history--before he went on to be a part of that history.
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
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More About the Author
David Remnick was a reporter for The Washington Post for ten years, including four in Moscow. He joined The New Yorker in 1992 and has been the magazine's editor since 1998. His book King of the World, a biography of Ali, was picked by Time Magazine as the top nonfiction book of 1998. Lenin's Tomb received the Pulitzer Prize for nonfiction in 1994.
Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
140 of 167 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase
Despite the fact that President Obama might be the best known living human, only two general categories of books have previously appeared about him. The first type has been shoddily whipped together by journalists and is usually little more than a 300 page magazine article providing the general outline of the election. While entertaining, the de minimus research means that beyond one or two added details (probably about Reille Hunter), these works are usually little more than unoriginal and unsourced recapitulations of a tale that has been told hundreds of times on the front pages of every newspaper in the country. The other sort has been written by supporters or opponents of Obama; the strong bias of these works usually makes them appealing only to close-minded partisans.
Dreams From My Father, while a more revealing book than most, clearly falls into the category of a pro-Obama work. While it certainly included many of the warts of the President's early life, the ones that found their way into the story were usually carefully chosen anecdotes designed to shape the narrative he has sold to the public.
The Bridge is the first book that moves beyond this and can be called a "history." It relies heavily on Dreams, but doesn't take what was written as gospel. Scores of interviews with former classmates or colleagues are included, corroborating or refuting the tales that were told in this memoir. When the Robert Caros and Edmund Morrises of the next century write the "defining" Obama biographies, these primary sources will be heavily cited.
This work does a fantastic job of pointing out Obama's key role in American civil rights history while still maintaining a reasonable air of detachment as to the man and his policies. No matter what your politics are, you should be able to get something from this. Several conservatives have written one sentence reviews attacking the book simply because it is about an individual they despise; they should be aware that this is the most balanced book that has yet to be written about this age in American history. If you want to read only books written on people you lionize, there are plenty of stories about George Washington and his cherry tree; if you want to read a balanced, well-researched work on a major historical figure, I'd highly recommend The Bridge.
Dreams From My Father, while a more revealing book than most, clearly falls into the category of a pro-Obama work. While it certainly included many of the warts of the President's early life, the ones that found their way into the story were usually carefully chosen anecdotes designed to shape the narrative he has sold to the public.
The Bridge is the first book that moves beyond this and can be called a "history." It relies heavily on Dreams, but doesn't take what was written as gospel. Scores of interviews with former classmates or colleagues are included, corroborating or refuting the tales that were told in this memoir. When the Robert Caros and Edmund Morrises of the next century write the "defining" Obama biographies, these primary sources will be heavily cited.
This work does a fantastic job of pointing out Obama's key role in American civil rights history while still maintaining a reasonable air of detachment as to the man and his policies. No matter what your politics are, you should be able to get something from this. Several conservatives have written one sentence reviews attacking the book simply because it is about an individual they despise; they should be aware that this is the most balanced book that has yet to be written about this age in American history. If you want to read only books written on people you lionize, there are plenty of stories about George Washington and his cherry tree; if you want to read a balanced, well-researched work on a major historical figure, I'd highly recommend The Bridge.
157 of 190 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
Ideal for Obama fans, history buffs (especially the history of civil rights) and political junkies, The Bridge tells the story about how Barack Obama became the link from the past to the future.
In a literal sense, the bridge is the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma, Alabama, site of the "Bloody Sunday" march in 1965. In a more spiritual sense, Obama is the bridge himself. Author David Remnick's book gives Obama's political rise context, by analyzing the setting in which his rise occurred. Examined in vivid detail: the civil rights battles in the south before he was born; the volatile mix of race and politics in Chicago, where Obama first ran for office; his successes and failures in the Illinois State Senate; skirmishes with older black politicians; and the bitter presidential campaign--in particular the primary fight against Hillary Clinton.
Included are many quotes from Obama's friends, family and associates, and powerful recollections of events from his life. A childhood classmate remembers an incident when Obama's skin was deemed too "dirty" to touch a draw sheet before a tennis tournament: "the implication was absolutely clear: Barry's hands weren't grubby; the message was that his darker skin would somehow soil the draw." Obama's former college roommate recalls the party-time atmosphere in the dorm, even listing the some of the music pounding out of the future chief executive's room: the B-52s, Talking Heads, Bob Marley, Billie Holiday. Remnick gives indelible accounts of Obama's wife Michelle--including her insistence that he do his share of grocery shopping and car-pool duties--and his closely fought duel with Hillary Clinton over the nomination.
Richly detailed and full of life, The Bridge will not disappoint.
Included: 16 pages of photos, some color, some black and white historical images.
Here's the chapter list:
Prologue: The Joshua Generation
Part One
1. A Complex Fate
2. Surface and Undertow
3. Nobody Knows My Name
Part Two
4. Black Metroplex
5. Ambition
6. A Narrative of Ascent
Part Three
7. Somebody Nobody Sent
8. Black Enough
9. The Wilderness Campaign
10. Reconstruction
11. A Righteous Wind
Part Four
12. A Slight Madness
13. The Sleeping Giant
14. In the Racial Funhouse
15. The Book of Jeremiah
Part Five
16. "How Long? Not Long"
17. To the White House
Epilogue
In a literal sense, the bridge is the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma, Alabama, site of the "Bloody Sunday" march in 1965. In a more spiritual sense, Obama is the bridge himself. Author David Remnick's book gives Obama's political rise context, by analyzing the setting in which his rise occurred. Examined in vivid detail: the civil rights battles in the south before he was born; the volatile mix of race and politics in Chicago, where Obama first ran for office; his successes and failures in the Illinois State Senate; skirmishes with older black politicians; and the bitter presidential campaign--in particular the primary fight against Hillary Clinton.
Included are many quotes from Obama's friends, family and associates, and powerful recollections of events from his life. A childhood classmate remembers an incident when Obama's skin was deemed too "dirty" to touch a draw sheet before a tennis tournament: "the implication was absolutely clear: Barry's hands weren't grubby; the message was that his darker skin would somehow soil the draw." Obama's former college roommate recalls the party-time atmosphere in the dorm, even listing the some of the music pounding out of the future chief executive's room: the B-52s, Talking Heads, Bob Marley, Billie Holiday. Remnick gives indelible accounts of Obama's wife Michelle--including her insistence that he do his share of grocery shopping and car-pool duties--and his closely fought duel with Hillary Clinton over the nomination.
Richly detailed and full of life, The Bridge will not disappoint.
Included: 16 pages of photos, some color, some black and white historical images.
Here's the chapter list:
Prologue: The Joshua Generation
Part One
1. A Complex Fate
2. Surface and Undertow
3. Nobody Knows My Name
Part Two
4. Black Metroplex
5. Ambition
6. A Narrative of Ascent
Part Three
7. Somebody Nobody Sent
8. Black Enough
9. The Wilderness Campaign
10. Reconstruction
11. A Righteous Wind
Part Four
12. A Slight Madness
13. The Sleeping Giant
14. In the Racial Funhouse
15. The Book of Jeremiah
Part Five
16. "How Long? Not Long"
17. To the White House
Epilogue
25 of 28 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
Barack Obama's been pretty well covered and I would have passed over this book as another tome praising or debasing the man's stature and accomplishments. But I saw David Remnick was authoring it. In addition to being editor of The New Yorker, Remnick authored one of the best biographies on another transcendental figure- Muhammad Ali in "King of the World." So I gave this book a chance and found a thoroughly engaging work that details Obama's background, the different stages of his life in Hawaii, Chicago as a community organizer, Harvard law school, Chicago redux and his meteoric rise in national politics.
What makes this book worth reading and a book that will be referred to long after Obama has left office, is Remnick's ability to weave the person Barack Obama into a larger cultural context. In this case, the post-civil rights era and the new generation politics recently arisen. This skill of Remnick's is what struck me in "King of the World."
This is done by detailing important external components beyond Obama. In particular, the civil rights movement, social organizers, the political climate in Chicago pre- and post- Mayor Harold Washington, and the Clinton machine are all explored. The divergences to explicate these things are never too long-winded. The focus of the book remains Obama. But the attention paid to creating a full picture makes the book successful in rendering how improbable and significant Obama's rise was. Thus, Remnick illustrates that Obama's rise is both a consequence of his own volition and the perfect socio-political climate. In other words, the stars were perfectly aligned for this all to take place.
Obama's human nature is revealed through consistent anecdotes. From how he handled being the editor of The Harvard Law Review, to his reactions to harassment on the floor as a state senator, to questioning his role and future in politics when dealing with a loss to Congressman Bobby Rush in 2000. The stories often add levity to counterbalance the historical aspects.
The book also clarifies a lot of the blurred facts of his life that both sides of the media have distorted. For instance, the non-relationship with Bill Ayers is explained. So is his seemingly muddled upbringing in regards to his relationship with his mother and grandparents (his father was nearly non-existent).
Now, the book is not perfect. Remnick gives fairly thorough introductions to the major players surrounding Obama, including Valerie Jarrett, Bobby Rush, David Axelrod, and especially his parents. These passages can come across as too tangential. A large portion of the first section focuses solely on the lives of his father and mother when both figures were often out of his life. Most other minor characters who enter Obama's orbit also receive seemingly excessive, though not as extensive, attention. If you have read "Dreams From My Father", the elongated summary will drag. Thus, Remnick's willingness to be more thorough than ever before results in occasional excess that diverges from Obama's Rise.
But the result is still the best book out on Obama, for now and likely for the foreseeable future. The Bridge provides the facts of his life, makes a compelling case for how significant it relates to civil rights, and even serves as a well executed bildungsroman as the book ends with Obama's election to the White House.
What makes this book worth reading and a book that will be referred to long after Obama has left office, is Remnick's ability to weave the person Barack Obama into a larger cultural context. In this case, the post-civil rights era and the new generation politics recently arisen. This skill of Remnick's is what struck me in "King of the World."
This is done by detailing important external components beyond Obama. In particular, the civil rights movement, social organizers, the political climate in Chicago pre- and post- Mayor Harold Washington, and the Clinton machine are all explored. The divergences to explicate these things are never too long-winded. The focus of the book remains Obama. But the attention paid to creating a full picture makes the book successful in rendering how improbable and significant Obama's rise was. Thus, Remnick illustrates that Obama's rise is both a consequence of his own volition and the perfect socio-political climate. In other words, the stars were perfectly aligned for this all to take place.
Obama's human nature is revealed through consistent anecdotes. From how he handled being the editor of The Harvard Law Review, to his reactions to harassment on the floor as a state senator, to questioning his role and future in politics when dealing with a loss to Congressman Bobby Rush in 2000. The stories often add levity to counterbalance the historical aspects.
The book also clarifies a lot of the blurred facts of his life that both sides of the media have distorted. For instance, the non-relationship with Bill Ayers is explained. So is his seemingly muddled upbringing in regards to his relationship with his mother and grandparents (his father was nearly non-existent).
Now, the book is not perfect. Remnick gives fairly thorough introductions to the major players surrounding Obama, including Valerie Jarrett, Bobby Rush, David Axelrod, and especially his parents. These passages can come across as too tangential. A large portion of the first section focuses solely on the lives of his father and mother when both figures were often out of his life. Most other minor characters who enter Obama's orbit also receive seemingly excessive, though not as extensive, attention. If you have read "Dreams From My Father", the elongated summary will drag. Thus, Remnick's willingness to be more thorough than ever before results in occasional excess that diverges from Obama's Rise.
But the result is still the best book out on Obama, for now and likely for the foreseeable future. The Bridge provides the facts of his life, makes a compelling case for how significant it relates to civil rights, and even serves as a well executed bildungsroman as the book ends with Obama's election to the White House.
Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
Most dangerous man in America
If all voters had read this book, Barack Obama would not have been elected president and would still be a neighborhood organizer.
Published 1 month ago by Robert C. Maginnis
3.0 out of 5 stars
well-written but too hagiographic for my tastes
I had very mixed feelings about this book. Remnick writes well and he did a lot of research, adding far more depth to many things in Obama's autobiography, and many other things... Read more
Published 2 months ago by weissliv
5.0 out of 5 stars
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Published 4 months ago by Albert Timpauer
1.0 out of 5 stars
A key in the history of civil rights?
This book is political pap by a leftist. Other reviewers see it as serious history but it is too obviously biased to be taken seriously. Read more
Published 5 months ago by Rick Mathews
5.0 out of 5 stars
The Bridge
A superbly written book. Obama's heritage, formative years and political rise have been deeply researched by Remnick. Read more
Published 7 months ago by Tony Galvin
5.0 out of 5 stars
I couldn't put it down
This book tells the story of how Barack Obama came to be president, beginning with the March 7, 1965 Civil Rights "Bloody Sunday" March. Read more
Published 7 months ago by Joyce
4.0 out of 5 stars
unbiased
The author does a very in-depth job at researching and presenting the facts. Obama might be getting a bum rap and I wanted to get to know our President better before the next... Read more
Published 11 months ago by cat
3.0 out of 5 stars
Well Researched but Provides No New Facts (as of June 2012) or...
This biography of President Obama is a very well researched. The Pulitzer prize winning author, David Remnick, has interviewed hundreds of persons for this book, from those who... Read more
Published 11 months ago by Yoda
4.0 out of 5 stars
Pulls off a difficult task
David Remnick is a gifted writer. But he's also got to be an extremely confident if not cocky writer. He wrote the book despite an avalanche of biographies on Obama. Read more
Published 17 months ago by Frederick Martin
3.0 out of 5 stars
Misses the Essence of the Man
The longest, most thoroughly indexed and referenced of all the biographies. Remnick, after interviewing hundreds of persons to find out about Obama, decides to organize the book... Read more
Published 19 months ago by Michael Haas
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