Rising Star:The Making of Barack Obama: The Making of Barack Obama

New York Times Bestseller Rising Star is the definitive account of Barack Obama's formative years that made him the man who became the forty-fourth president of the United States — from the Pulitzer Prize-winning author of Bearing the Cross Barack Obama's speech at the 2004 Democratic National Convention instantly catapulted him into the national spotlight and led to his election four years later as America's first African-American president. In this penetrating biography, David J. Garrow delivers an epic work about the life of Barack Obama, creating a rich tapestry of a life little understood, until now. Rising Star: The Making of Barack Obama captivatingly describes Barack Obama's tumultuous upbringing as a young black man attending an almost-all-white, elite private school in Honolulu while being raised almost exclusively by his white grandparents. After recounting Obama's college years in California and New York, Garrow charts Obama's time as a Chicago community organizer, working in some of the city's roughest neighborhoods; his years at the top of his Harvard Law School class; and his return to Chicago, where Obama honed his skills as a hard-knuckled politician, first in the state legislature and then as a candidate for the United States Senate. Detailing a scintillating, behind-the-scenes account of Obama's 2004 speech, a moment that labeled him the Democratic Party's "rising star," Garrow also chronicles Obama's four years in the Senate, weighing his stands on various issues against positions he had taken years earlier, and recounts his thrilling run for the White House in 2008. In Rising Star, David J. Garrow has created a vivid portrait that reveals not only the people and forces that shaped the future president but also the ways in which he used those influences to serve his larger aspirations. This is a gripping read about a young man born into uncommon family circumstances, whose faith in his own talents came face-to-face with fantastic ambitions and a desire to do good in the world. Most important, Rising Star is an extraordinary work of biography—tremendous in its research and storytelling, and brilliant in its analysis of the all-too-human struggles of one of the most fascinating politicians of our time. Rising Star is the definitive account of Barack Obama's formative years that made him the man who became the forty-fourth president of the United States. Obama's speech at the 2004 Democratic National Convention instantly catapulted him into the national spotlight and led to his election four years later as America's first African-American president. In this biography, David J. Garrow creates a rich tapestry of a life little understood, until now. Garrow describes Obama's tumultuous upbringing as a young black man attending an almost-all-white, elite private school in Honolulu while being raised almost exclusively by his white grandparents. After recounting Obama's college years in California and New York, Garrow charts Obama's time as a Chicago community organizer, working in some of the city's roughest neighborhoods; his years at the top of his Harvard Law School class; and his return to Chicago, where Obama honed his skills as a hard-knuckled politician, first in the state legislature and then as a candidate for the United States Senate. Detailing a behind-the-scenes account of Obama's 2004 speech, a moment that labeled him the Democratic Party's "rising star," Garrow also chronicles Obama's four years in the Senate, weighing his stands on various issues against positions he had taken years earlier, and recounts his thrilling run for the White House in 2008. In Rising Star, David J. Garrow has created a portrait that reveals not only the people and forces that shaped the future president but also the ways in which he used those influences to serve his larger aspirations. This is about a young man born into uncommon family circumstances, whose faith in his own talents came face-to-face with fantastic ambitions and a desire to do good in the world.--Adapted from jacket As epic in vision and rigorous in detail as Robert Caro's The Years of Lyndon Johnson series, the definitive account of Barack Obama's life before he became the 44th president of the United States-the formative years, confluence of forces, and influential figures who helped shaped an extraordinary leader and his rise-from the Pulitzer Prize-winning author of Bearing the Cross. Barack Obama's keynote speech at the 2004 Democratic National Convention instantly catapulted the little-known state senator from Illinois into the national spotlight. Three months later, Obama would win election to the U.S. Senate; four years later he would make history as America's first black president. Now, at the end of his second presidential term, David J. Garrow delivers the most compelling and comprehensive biography ever written of Obama in the years preceding his presidency. Moving around the globe, from Hawaii to Indonesia to the American Northeast and Midwest, Rising Star: The Making of Barack Obama meticulously unpacks Obama's life, from his tumultuous upbringing in Honolulu and Jakarta, to his formative time as a community organizer on Chicago's South Side, working in some of the roughest neighborhoods, to Cambridge, where he excelled at Harvard Law School, and finally back to Chicago, where he pursued his political destiny. In voluminous detail, drawn from more than 1,000 interviews and encyclopedic documentary research, Garrow reveals as never before the ambition, the dreams, and the all-too-human struggles of an iconic president in a sure to be news-making biography that will stand as the most authoritative account of Obama's pre-presidential life for decades to come As epic in vision and rigorous in detail as Robert Caro's The Years of Lyndon Johnson series, the definitive account of Barack Obama's life before he became the 44th president forces, and influential figures who helped shaped an extraordinary leader and his rise from the Pulitzer Prize-winning author of Bearing the Cross. Barack Obama s keynote speech at the 2004 Democratic National Convention Illinois into the national spotlight. Three months later, Obama would win election to the U.S. Senate; four years later he would make history as America s first black president. Now, at the end of his second presidential term, David J. Garrow delivers the most compelling and comprehensive biography ever written of Obama in the years preceding his presidency. Moving around the globe, from Hawaii to Indonesia to the American Northeast and Midwest, Rising Star: The Making of Barack Obama meticulously unpacks Obama's life, from his tumultuous upbringing in Honolulu and Jakarta, to his formative time as a community organizer on Chicago's South Side, working in some of the roughest neighborhoods, to Cambridge, where he excelled at Harvard Law School, and finally back to Chicago, where he pursued his political destiny. In voluminous detail, drawn from more than 1,000 interviews and encyclopedic documentary research, Garrow reveals as never before the ambition, the dreams, and the all-too-human struggles of an iconic president in a sure to be news-making biography that will stand as the most authoritative account of Obama's pre-presidential life for decades to come Obama's Speech At The 2004 Democratic National Convention Instantly Catapulted Him Into The National Spotlight And Led To His Election Four Years Later As America's First African-american President. Garrow Has Created A Vivid Portrait That Reveals Not Only The People And Forces That Shaped The Future President But Also The Ways In Which He Used Those Influences To Serve His Larger Aspirations. The End Of The World As They Knew It: Chicago's Far South Side, March 1980 - July 1985 -- A Place In The World: Honolulu, Seattle, Honolulu, Jakarta, And Honolulu, August 1961 - September 1979 -- Searching For Home: Eagle Rock, Manhattan, Brooklyn, And Hermitage, Pa, September 1979 - July 1985 -- Transformation And Identity: Roseland, Hyde Park, And Kenya: August 1985 - August 1988 -- Emergence And Achievement: Harvard Law School, September 1988 - May 1991 -- Building A Future: Chicago, June 1991 - August 1995 -- Into The Arena: Chicago And Springfield, September 1995 - September 1999 -- Failure And Recovery: Chicago And Springfield, October 1999 - January 2003 -- Calculation, Coincidence, Coronation: Illinois And Boston, January 2003 - November 2004 -- Disappointment And Destiny: The U.s. Senate, November 2004 - February 2007 -- Epilogue: The President Did Not Attend, As He Was Golfing. David J. Garrow. Includes Bibliographical Reference (pages 1085-1391) And Index. The end of the world as they knew it: Chicago's far South Side, March 1980 - July 1985 A place in the world: Honolulu, Seattle, Honolulu, Jakarta, and Honolulu, August 1961 - September 1979 Searching for home: Eagle Rock, Manhattan, Brooklyn, and Hermitage, PA, September 1979 - July 1985 Transformation and identity: Roseland, Hyde Park, and Kenya: August 1985 - August 1988 Emergence and achievement: Harvard Law School, September 1988 - May 1991 Building a future: Chicago, June 1991 - August 1995 Into the Arena: Chicago and Springfield, September 1995 - September 1999 Failure and recovery: Chicago and Springfield, October 1999 - January 2003 Calculation, conincidence, coronation: Illinois and Boston, January 2003 - November 2004 Disappointment and destiny: the U.S. Senate, November 2004 - February 2007 Epilogue: the President did not attend, as he was golfing. "Barack Obama is arguably the most dynamic political figure to grace the American stage since John F. Kennedy. His meteoric rise from promise to power has stunned even the cynics and inspired a legion of devout followers. For anyone who wants to know more about the man, David Mendell's Obama is essential reading. Mendell, who covered Obama for the Chicago Tribune, had far-reaching access to the Chicago politician as Obama climbed the ladder to the White House, the details of which he shares in this compelling biography. Positioning Obama as the savior of a fumbling Democratic party, Mendell reveals how Obama conquered Illinois politics and paved the way brick by brick for a galvanizing, historic presidential run." -- Provided by the publisher.