Renegade: The Making of a President by Richard Wolffe
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Book Reviews of Renegade: The Making of a President
Book Review: Renegade is Illuminating
Summary: 5 Stars
For anyone who followed the 2008 election cycle (which extended back into most of 2007) with bated breath and more television news viewing than they care to acknowledge, Renegade: The Making of a President by Richard Wolffe is a way to bring back the interest and excitement without the living-on-the-edge tension. For those who are still wondering or unconvinced about the Obama phenomenon, Renegade is an explanation without hyperbole or sensation. Nevertheless, it is page turner; I read it in a single weekend. Somehow, when a nonfiction book is riveting, it seems more so than in the case of good fiction. Possibly that is because we know we are being drawn into and exposed to real life in a significant and meaningful way.
In Renegade, Wolffe maintains his customary calm and reasoned stance throughout the narrative. It is easy to match up the sensibilities and the perceived values of Wolffe with those of Democrats and liberals generally and conclude that he might be an Obama supporter, but he does not gush or fawn or promote. This book illuminates and reports rather than opines. Because of this, it will undoubtedly be a good read for Obama-maniacs as well as persons who are more objective and would like to know more about the facts behind the fanaticism. Renegade humanizes Obama and his family and his team without engaging in trivia and voyeurism, and it is simply good reading.
Book Review: 21st Century Odyssey
Summary: 5 Stars
In the days following the November elections, Newsweek ran an issue which told the behind the scenes story of Obama's two year long campaign that led to the historic victory full of details undisclosed to date. It was chock full of revealing bits and by far the most (or the only) consuming Newsweek issue that I had ever held in my hands. When I heard that Newsweek's Richard Wolffe, who partially penned that issue, and who was given extensive access to Obama (on his campaign plane, campaign bus, at a bar on the night he secured the nomination, backstage as he delivered his convention speech, and on and on...) had written an entire book on the topic, I was more than curious. Indeed, this rich, complex book has not failed to deliver. If you are interested in the fascinating details of a modern day political odyssey embarked on by an unlikely hero with a restless spirit and want to learn much about Obama (as well as about those around him like David Axelrod, Robert Gibbs, David Plouffe, Valerie Jarrett and Michelle Obama...) that is not covered in his own bestselling books, this fabulously written and hard to put down book won't disappoint. It is a joy to read this book and it is highly recommended.
Book Review: Full Court Press
Summary: 5 Stars
just a short note to add my voice to the chorus of praise for the wonderful book, "Renegade." It is a work of many pleasures; tiny nuggets of humanity in the eye of the cyclone missed by the media at the time; a wealth of biographical insight that fleshes out the candidate's story in surprising ways; superbly organized (very difficult given the almost overwhelming number of events and details), and remarkably clear-eyed, precise, sympathetic but not fawning-- cogent, fresh and endlessly fascinating. The chapters "Failure" and "Transition" mark my favorites; contained therein are the keys and clues to what really makes this new President potentially great, and a force for good in the ceaselessly shifting seas of our uncertain global world.
Richard Wolffe's immense achievement is in helping the reader to better understand some of the wider implications of the challenges the new President faces, and how his plea for change will be desperately hard to enforce in the constrained environment of the American system. The book is not simply a work of journalism, nor rote biography, but a necessary insider's guide to the real world of what governance means with all of its attendant responsibilities.
Book Review: A smoothly written account of Obama's campaign.
Summary: 5 Stars
First of all, Amazon should delete ALL the reviews (most of the one-star reviews) dealing solely with the pricing of this book by Kindle. They in no way address the writing in the book. It's totally unfair to Wolffe, who wrote an excellent book.
After Obama won the election, I basically decided not to waste my time reading accounts of his campaign. I wanted to read about Clinton's or McCain's campaigns - books brimming with "dirt" dished by campaign "insiders". But, I was so taken with Richard Wolffe's interviews about the book, mostly on MSNBC, that I waived my "rule" and bought the book. And, I'm glad I did. Wolffe writes a masterful account of a candidate - Barack Obama - certain he was going to win (and thankfully he did!) even though he knew he wasn't "conventional" American president "material".
Wolffe was given amazing access to Obama and his story reflects the insider access he was given. I cannot recommend any political junkie leaving Wolffe's book off their "need to read" list.
And, if you don't like Kindle, then buy the book or get it from the library!
Book Review: Details of a Moment
Summary: 5 Stars
Renegade by Richard Wolffe starts off fast -- and doesn't let go. Yes, I am partial to President Obama -- and having contributed, financially, to the President's winning campaign (far, far more than I would have ever thought possible), I was particularly interested in the focus of Renegade. And how it happened.
Wolffe is an excellent commentator on MSNBC: his views are often ironic but always on target and perceptive. Renegade reads the same way: it's clear and its offered intimacy is spell-binding.
Having lived in Indonesia (about the same time that President Obama was there), I felt Wolffe's writing of this particular period was reasonably accurate in terms of Obama's perceptions of the Indonesian peoples. And Wolffe's "coverage" of Palin -- and Obama's campaign team's take on it -- particularly riveting.
But mostly I find the intimate details, quotes from President Obama and Michelle, and the day-to-day goings-on of everyone involved, offers a clear glimpse of a President who has nothing to hide.
Seth J Hersh
NYC