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Jodi Kantor

The Obamas Hardcover – January 10, 2012

by Jodi Kantor (Author)

260 ratings

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Award-winning reporter Jodi Kantor takes readers deep inside the White House in an "insightful and evocative" portrait of Barack and Michelle Obama (Chicago Tribune) that will surprise even readers who thought they knew the two icons.

When Barack Obama won the 2008 presidential election, he also won a long-running debate with his wife Michelle. Contrary to her fears, politics now seemed like a worthwhile, even noble pursuit. Together they planned a White House life that would be as normal and sane as possible.

Then they moved in.

In the Obamas, Jodi Kantor takes us deep inside the White House as they try to grapple with their new roles, change the country, raise children, maintain friendships, and figure out what it means to be the first black President and First Lady. The Obamas is filled with riveting detail and insight into their partnership, emotions and personalities, and written with a keen eye for the ironies of public life.

Print length

368 pages
Language

English
Publisher

Little, Brown and Company
Publication date

January 10, 2012
Dimensions

6.5 x 1.25 x 9.75 inches
ISBN-10

0316098752
ISBN-13

978-0316098755
See all details

Barack Obama
121,001
Hardcover
528 offers from $2.86

Editorial Reviews

Review

"'The strengths and challenges of our marriage don't change because we move to a different address,' Michelle Obama told Jodi Kantor early on. How though did those strengths and challenges evolve in the White House? What did they signal to the rest of the country and, how did they shape policy? An intimate, arresting view of a formidable couple and, especially, of a transformative First Lady, one who may have taught us more than we yet realize."
―Stacy Schiff, author of The Witches

"A meticulous reporter, Kantor is attuned to the nuance of small gestures, the import of unspoken truths. She knows that every strong marriage, including the one now in the White House, has its complexities and disappointments. Kantor also--and this is a key--has a high regard for women, which is why hers is the first book about the Obama presidency to give Michelle Obama her due. In the process we learn a great deal about the talented and introverted loner who married her, and how his wife has influenced him as a president...Kantor retires wooden stereotypes of the political wife as prop or a problem and instead explores what it means to be a modern first lady, one with her own opinions and an expectation that she will be heard."
―Connie Schultz, New York Times

"The Obamas is among the very best books on this White House. It's a serious, thoughtful book on the modern presidency in general."
―Ezra Klein

"Energetically reported.... Kantor nails her story.... We political gluttons will lick the spoon clean."
―David Remnick, The New Yorker

"A portrait of a remarkable marriage.... Kantor's writing is insightful and evocative, rich with detail...[and her] reporting rings true--and considering the administration's insistence on presenting a unified front, it is a considerable achievement."
―Kerry Luft, Chicago Tribune

About the Author

Jodi Kantor began her journalism career by dropping out of Harvard Law School to join Slate.com in 1998. Four years later, she became the Arts & Leisure editor of the New York Times. She has been covering the Obamas since 2007, and though she is a Washington correspondent for the newspaper, she lives in Brooklyn with her family. Jodi's reporting with Meghan Twohey on Harvey Weinstein won the Pulitzer Prize for Public Service. She can be followed at twitter.com/jodikantor.

Product details

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Little, Brown and Company; 1st edition (January 10, 2012)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 368 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0316098752
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0316098755
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.2 pounds
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6.5 x 1.25 x 9.75 inches

Best Sellers Rank: #2,289,424 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #1,789 in Public Affairs & Administration (Books)
- #3,155 in General Elections & Political Process
- #3,684 in United States Executive Government

Customer Reviews:
260 ratings

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Customer reviews

5 star		53%
4 star		20%
3 star		10%
2 star		7%
1 star		10%

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Top reviews from the United States

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Amazon Customer

Kudos to the author and the reporting.

Reviewed in the United States on June 5, 2016

Verified Purchase

I really enjoyed this book. Of course there were things said that I wasn't real happy to read, but for the most part I found it informative. I of course just love the Obamas, so reading about them interests me. If you are interested in these people, this would be a good purchase. Very well written and not at all boring.

9 people found this helpful

Helpful

D. C. Massie

and of this wonderful couple. How I will miss them

Reviewed in the United States on April 22, 2016

Verified Purchase

Interesting, well written portrayal of this fascinating woman...and of this wonderful couple. How I will miss them!

4 people found this helpful

Helpful

Ram

Inside look at the White House

Reviewed in the United States on November 11, 2012

Verified Purchase

Wonderful book, read it in a day. Superficially, it is a look into the life of a newly elected president as he moves into the White House. What makes the book so compelling is that unlike most of his predecessors, the Obamas were from the middle class, and not as part of the political establishment for too long. The book chronicles what we would find if we ended up in the White House some day. In a deeper sense, the book also conveys a lot of details about life as a president and first lady, as well as the decision making process and responsibility that weighs not only on the president but on all his aides and his family. The book is not very partisan, and paints a realistic picture of the story of President Obama and the First Lady, about their merits, their drive, and their failures, as well as their reconciliation with Washington politics. Nice book. Not too wonkish and perhaps with a bit of fiction mixed in to turn boring moments into more interesting narrative.

Helpful

toleforthee

loved it, and said that there was a lot ...

Reviewed in the United States on December 27, 2016

Verified Purchase

Christmas gift for my daughter who follows everything about the Obamas. She read the book in one day, loved it, and said that there was a lot of information in the book that she hadn't known.

6 people found this helpful

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Betty Sands

Much more valuable than expected

Reviewed in the United States on February 2, 2013

Verified Purchase

I expected this book to be an idealized view of the Obamas, a hagiography, spiced up by some alleged behind-the-scenes gossip from unnamed sources. Instead, this book is an enlightening portrait of the President and his wife's first year in the White House, both officially and personally. The author is a New York Times journalist assigned to the White House, who obviously has developed some key relationships with persons who surround the President and his family. It's funny, for example, to learn that the President has a personal valet (who also served his predecessors) who does the President's laundry -- but no one is assigned to do the laundry of the First Lady or the First family. This and similar tidbits, though, are not the book's subject, which is focussed on both "official" and "unofficial" events that occurred during the first year of the Obamas and their inner circle. Quite enlightening -- and a page turner, as it turns out.

Reviewed in the United States on February 17, 2013

Verified Purchase

You know, I'm sorry but I just really, really like these folks. Always have. I wanted to find a book about these guys that might give me a small idea of who they are. It's not fashionable these days to wonder about their humanity. They're just these mysterious, powerful people who may or may not be robots, or androids, or lizards, or even conspiracy theorists. Speculation aside, I prefer to direct my thoughts toward seeking the good in people. I find politics in general to be a nasty business, but I've just gotta believe that some of these guys really do have our best interests at heart. Call me Pollyanna. I read this toward the end of election campaigning, and stopped reading just before the last chapter so I could watch the next chapter in real time. It gave the book a different level of meaning for me, and allowed me to be part of the happy ending.

Reviewed in the United States on January 26, 2019

Verified Purchase

Great book that gives a glipse into the lives of the Obamas as they move into the whitehouse. The piont of viee seems to be a little biased at times and stories are sometimes scattered.

Reviewed in the United States on October 30, 2019

Verified Purchase

One fold between pgs.63-64 other than that it is in perfect condition

Helpful

Top reviews from other countries

Kindle Customer

Interesting and informative

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on October 3, 2016

Verified Purchase

When we have a massive change in our situation it can throw us a curved ball. Becoming the 1st family in the USA must be a change beyond normal expectations.

This, I feel, is as close as any of us are likely to get inside The White House and the workings of the President of, arguably, the most powerful country on the planet. I have enjoyed reading it and come to the end of it broader both in mind and education. I am also thankful that although our layers of the political system sometimes appear convoluted, our political leaders have a relatively straightforward system to navigate. My admiration for Mrs Obama has increased exponentially, finding your place in a situation you never thought you'd have to deal with and feeling that you are being sidelined cannot be easy to adjust to.

Brian40MK

The Obamas: A Mission, A Marriage

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on March 9, 2012

Verified Purchase

A facinating insight into the Obama White House by the author who has interviewed a range of various members of staff, family and friends, that highlight the frustration of the First Lady trying to carve out a meaningful role not taking on to many functions concentrating on the campaigns that matter to her mainly relating to the wellbeing of young people, and the tensions between the East and West Wing members of Staff and how she got into her stride and became more popular with the Americian public than her husband.

Along with the frustations of the President trying to get his policies through a gridlocked Congress who hated his policies such as health care and the stimulus, and his disconnection with the public.

Also very interesting highlights of meetings in the White House discussing policy and in the begining showing a very disfunctional operation with polarising figures such as Rahm Emmunuel and Valerie Jarrett.

All in all a very good read.

LLBH

Well worth a read!!

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on February 20, 2012

Verified Purchase

I have not finished this book as yet and will dread the day when I get to the end of it. The book gives an in depth insight on the workings of Obama's White House, while he is the incumbent. It gives a behind the headlines look at what Obama's presidency is really about. It was an eye opener to what the Obamas are really like away from the photos, tv interviews etc.

I have found it to be an interesting read, even though it was slanted in the US press for its depiction of Michelle Obama. It shows how lonely being the resident of the White House can be. The Obamas' adjustment to the Office of the POTUS, isn't as glamorous as we would imagine,but their love for US comes through loud and clear. I have been inspired by the Obamas and what they are striving to achieve. I really do hope he is allowed a second term to finish the job he has started. This book has left me thinking, was United States really ready for their first African American president?

One person found this helpful

Darqueone

Great insight.

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on December 2, 2017

Verified Purchase

Excellent insight, worth every penny (cent) spent, a must read.

Kindle Customer

Brilliant

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on January 6, 2013

Verified Purchase

This will put aside any romantic nostalgia you felt for the Obamas.....a real story about real people leading a country in difficult times.

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