“Garrow is a demon for research. ... Eminently solid. ... Consistently readable -- an impressive work.” - Kirkus Reviews
“Revealing. ... Probing. ... [Garrow] tells us how Obama lived, and explores the calculations he made in the decades leading up to his winning the presidency.” - Washington Post
“Impressive. ... [A] deeply reported work of biography.” - New York Times Book Review
“A prodigious work. ... Each page crackles with the strength of [Garrow’s] research.” - USA Today
“One of the most impressive presidential biographies... [and] a look at the social construction of race.” - Bloomberg (a Must-Read of 2017)
“Groundbreaking. ... A candid examination of the former president’s life before the White House.” - Daily Nebraskan
“Breathtaking. ... With depth and meticulousness, David Garrow’s new book pulls back the curtain on Obama’s family, upbringing, college years, personal reinventions, mentors, romances, career choices, law school accomplishments, marriage and rise in Illinois politics.” - New York Law Journal
“Phenomenal. ... One of the most impressive and important books of the year. ... A masterwork of historical and journalistic research, Robert Caro-like in its exhaustiveness, and easily the most authoritative account of Obama’s pre-presidential life we’ve seen or are likely to see. It’s also a terrific read. ... Essential for anyone who wants to understand [Obama].” - David Greenberg, Politico
“Phenomenal… Essential. … Persuasive. … Authoritative. … A stunning and indispensable work of history. … A masterwork of historical and journalistic research… [and] a terrific read.” - David Greenberg, Politico
“Definitive. ... Fascinating. ... So interesting, you’ll be hard-pressed to put it down.” - Paul Lisnek, WGN Chicago
“Comprehensive. ... Contains many insights to Obama’s life and character. ... Will be the defining work on Obama’s early life for years to come.” - The Federalist
“Immensely informative. ... Reveals Mr. Obama in all his complexity.” - Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
“You definitely want to pick it up. ... Very thorough, very well-researched.” - Roland Martin, NEWS ONE NOW
“Rigorous. ... Thorough. ... Meticulously researched. ... Delivers insight and clarity on Obama’s enigmatic personality.” - Christian Science Monitor
“A tour de force. ... An epic triumph of personal and political biography. - Paul Street, New York Journal of Books
“Extremely well-done. ... Garrow slices the fat of fiction away from fact. ... [A book] equally as valuable for what it is saying about the present and the future as well as the past.” - Atlanta Black Star
“Important. ... Engages, absorbs and mesmerises.” - Literary Review (London)
“The authoritative biography of Barack Obama’s prepresidential years. ... Illuminating. ... Impressively researched. ... Readers will be richly rewarded.” - Library Journal (starred review)
“A convincing and exceptionally detailed portrait. ... Political history buffs will be fascinated.” - Publishers Weekly (starred review)
“Gripping. ... [A] compelling read [that] should appeal to political junkies and insiders. ... Foundational.” - Washington Independent Review of Books
“Learned. ... May endure in the American presidential canon.” - Globe and Mail (Toronto)
Ask most anyone to name all 44 United State presidents, and the odds are good they’ll stall after a dozen or two. Which is totally understandable—between guys who were president for only a few weeks, toa few who were president twice non-consecutively, the numbering gets a little wonky (not to mention there are more than […]