Black Man, White House: An Oral History of the Obama Years

by D. L. Hughley, Michael Malice

Overview

New York Times Bestseller (Humor)

"The book everyone is laughing about!"--Joe Scarborough, Morning Joe

From legendary comedian D.L. Hughley comes a bitingly funny send-up of the Obama years, as “told” by the key political players on both sides of the aisle.

What do the Clintons, Republicans, fellow Democrats, and Obama’s own family really think of President Barack Obama? Finally, the truth is revealed in this raucously funny “oral history” parody.

There is no more astute—and hilarious—critic of politics, entertainment, and race in America than D. L. Hughley, famed comedian, radio star, and original member of the “Kings of Comedy.” In the vein of Jon Stewart’s America: The Book, Black Man, White House is an acerbic and witty take on Obama’s two terms, looking at the president’s accomplishments and foibles through the imagined eyes of those who saw history unfold.

Hughley draws upon satirical interviews with the most notorious public figures of our day: Mitt Romney (“What’s ‘poverty’? Is that some sort of rap jargon?”); Nancy Pelosi (“I play F**k/Marry/Kill, and there’s a lot more kills than fu**ks in Congress, believe me.”); Rod Blagojevich (“You can’t sell political offices on eBay; I discovered that personally.”); Joe Biden (“I like wrestling.”); and other politicians, media pundits, and buffoons. It is sure to be the most irreverent—and perhaps the most honest—look at American politics today.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780062399816
Publisher:	HarperCollins
Publication date:	03/19/2024
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	333
File size:	6 MB

About the Author

D.L. Hughley is one of “The Original Kings of Comedy.” He hosts the national radio program The D.L. Hughley Show, which is syndicated in more than sixty markets. His comedy specials have appeared on HBO, Netflix, Comedy Central, and Showtime. His satirical documentary special, DL Hughley: The Endangered List, received the prestigious George Foster Peabody Award. He created and starred in the ABC sitcom The Hughleys. He is the author of the New York Times bestsellers How Not to Get Shot and Black Man, White House. How Not to Get Shot was selected as a finalist for the Goodreads Choice Awards and the Audie Awards. D.L. lives with his family in Los Angeles, California.

Table of Contents

Prologue: Democratic National Convention, July 27, 2004 1

1 Senator Obama, 2004-2006 5

2 Becoming the Nominee, 2007-2008 25

3 Winning the White House, 2008 49

4 The Inauguration, January 20, 2009 63

5 Senate Supermajority, 2009 83

6 Making Appointments, 2009 101

7 The Beer Summit, July 2009 119

8 Health Cares, July-October 2009 139

9 Wins and Losses, October 2009-January 2050 159

10 The Shellacking, February-November 2010 177

11 OBL & BS, November 2010-July 2011 193

12 Ready for Romney, July 2011-May 2012 215

13 Long Hot Summer, June-September 2012 237

14 Winner and Still Champion, September-December 2012 273

15 Second Chances, January-December 2013 293

16 Packing the Bags, 2014-2016 311

Index 325

Editorial Reviews

Funny, insightful, and legitimately illuminating.” — Kirkus Reviews

“The book everyone is laughing about!” — Joe Scarborough, MSNBC’s Morning Joe

From the Publisher

The book everyone is laughing about!

Joe Scarborough

The four narrators will have listeners cracking up throughout this comedic look at America's first black president. You've never heard a presidential biography like this one—dubbed an “oral history”—probably because there hasn't been one. Using both general humor and political satire, the authors examine key moments in Barack Obama's career as a senator, presidential candidate, and two-term president. Listeners are also treated to interior monologues from nearly every major figure in American politics as he or she weighs in on topics ranging from Obama's senate election to his life in the White House. The voices that represent well-known people such as Joe Biden and Bill and Hillary Clinton are fully recognizable as delivered by the cast. M.R. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award, 2017 Audies Finalist © AudioFile 2017, Portland, Maine

APRIL 2017 - AudioFile

2016-06-20
The Obama years, through a glass cleverly.In this faux oral history of the Barack Obama administration, comedian and actor Hughley (I Want You to Shut the F#ck Up: How the Audacity of Dopes is Ruining America, 2012)—writing again with Malice (Dear Reader: The Unauthorized Autobiography of Kim Jong Il, 2014, etc.)—consistently amuses and provides a nifty pocket history of the first African-American president's tenure. Bill and Hillary Clinton, Joe Biden, Mitt Romney, Nancy Pelosi, Dick Cheney, John McCain, Rahm Emanuel, Mitch McConnell, David Axelrod, and a host of other (slightly) fictionalized key political figures recount Obama's path from charismatic rising star of the Democratic Party to two-term commander in chief in impressive detail. The running commentary effectively parses the significant events of the Obama presidency through a spectrum of solidly reasoned, clearly delineated opposing perspectives. The humor functions on a higher level than the expected potshots reaffirming media stereotypes of the parties involved (though they are also present); the laughs derive more from the intensity of a respondent's interpretation of an issue, say, than from facile observations of Biden's buffoonery, the Clintons' ruthlessness and appetites, etc. The narrative's most compelling character is first lady Michelle Obama, presented here as unfailingly reasonable, perceptive, and canny about the realities of Washington, D.C.—e.g., "race has been tripping up politicians of every political persuasion since America became a country"; "I don't know that electing someone like Governor Romney would really be all that much of a change, given American history." Offhand lines mocking John Edwards' sleaziness or Cheney's viciousness raise chuckles, but it is Michelle's voice that will stick most with readers: wise, rueful, and human, telling the incredible story of an unprecedented moment in American politics and race relations. Funny, insightful, and legitimately illuminating.

Kirkus Reviews