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Obama: An Oral History 2009-2017
The first ever comprehensive oral history of President Obama’s administration and the complex political machine that created and powered a landmark American presidency.
In this candid oral history of a presidential tenure, author Brian Abrams reveals the behind-the-scenes stories that illuminate the eight years of the Obama White House through more than one hundred exclusive interviews. Among those given a voice in this extraordinary account are Obama’s cabinet secretaries; his teams of speechwriters, legal advisers, and campaign strategists; as well as lawmakers on both sides of the aisle who fought for or against his agenda. They recall the early struggles of an idealistic outsider candidate and speak openly about the exacting work that led to cornerstone legislation. They share the failures and dissent that met Obama’s efforts and revisit the paths to his accomplishments. As eyewitnesses to history, their accounts combine to deliver an unfiltered view of Obama’s battle to deliver on his promise of hope and change.
This provocative collage of anecdotes, personal reminiscences, and impressions from confidants and critics not only provides an authoritative window into the events that defined an era but also offers the first published account into the making of the forty-fourth president of the United States—one that history will soon not forget.
In this candid oral history of a presidential tenure, author Brian Abrams reveals the behind-the-scenes stories that illuminate the eight years of the Obama White House through more than one hundred exclusive interviews. Among those given a voice in this extraordinary account are Obama’s cabinet secretaries; his teams of speechwriters, legal advisers, and campaign strategists; as well as lawmakers on both sides of the aisle who fought for or against his agenda. They recall the early struggles of an idealistic outsider candidate and speak openly about the exacting work that led to cornerstone legislation. They share the failures and dissent that met Obama’s efforts and revisit the paths to his accomplishments. As eyewitnesses to history, their accounts combine to deliver an unfiltered view of Obama’s battle to deliver on his promise of hope and change.
This provocative collage of anecdotes, personal reminiscences, and impressions from confidants and critics not only provides an authoritative window into the events that defined an era but also offers the first published account into the making of the forty-fourth president of the United States—one that history will soon not forget.
526 pages, Paperback
First published July 10, 2018
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 33 reviews
December 15, 2018
You can see my full review over on my blog: https://allthebookblognamesaretaken.b...
++++++++++++++++++++++++++
*sigh* I sure do miss having an adult in the White House. Full review to come.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++
*sigh* I sure do miss having an adult in the White House. Full review to come.
July 27, 2018
This feels fairly slight, because 8 years in 400 pages isn't really enough. But it's full of interesting tidbits about Mr. Obama and the process of serving with him for however many years each person stayed.
It'll also make you sad as hell, because two years later, we are mired in a hellish hellscape of hell.
It'll also make you sad as hell, because two years later, we are mired in a hellish hellscape of hell.
August 15, 2021
I was hoping for a good biography of Obama and his presidency. Instead, I found a mishmash of loosely related quotes and blurbs cobbled together into a format that's almost unreadable.
The format goes something like this:
Somebody's name
Somebody's qualifications and jobs and years they were active
A blurb of a couple of sentences
Repeat
So you'll literally have paragraphs like this:
BRAD JENKINS
Associate Director, Office of Public Engagement, White House (2011–2015)
This was early ’07 when Hillary was up like thirty points.
That's the whole thing. Then they switch to some other person.
The quotes are generally organized by time period, but other than that, have very little relation to one another and often don't represent complete or connected ideas in themselves.
The "writing" in this book comes off as lazy to the extreme. It reads and looks like a scrapbook of copy-and-paste entries. No additional context is provided to help ground the reader on what the hell all of this means. It's a good thing this book was free, or I'd be returning it about now.
The format goes something like this:
Somebody's name
Somebody's qualifications and jobs and years they were active
A blurb of a couple of sentences
Repeat
So you'll literally have paragraphs like this:
BRAD JENKINS
Associate Director, Office of Public Engagement, White House (2011–2015)
This was early ’07 when Hillary was up like thirty points.
That's the whole thing. Then they switch to some other person.
The quotes are generally organized by time period, but other than that, have very little relation to one another and often don't represent complete or connected ideas in themselves.
The "writing" in this book comes off as lazy to the extreme. It reads and looks like a scrapbook of copy-and-paste entries. No additional context is provided to help ground the reader on what the hell all of this means. It's a good thing this book was free, or I'd be returning it about now.
November 8, 2018
Overall, I enjoyed reading this book. It was in turns a reminder of better days (for those of a left-leaning political persuasion) and a reminder that it wasn't all rainbows and sunshine. There were no scandals, and life-changing acts of legislation passed during Obama's tenure (DACA, the Affordable Care Act, marriage equality, etc), but so too we had Benghazi and a troop surge in the Middle East.
I appreciated the wide range of voices Abrams includes in his oral history. He interviewed campaign staffers, senior officials, congresspeople and senators, staffers for opposing campaigns . . . the variety is frankly astounding. That many people does make it difficult to remember how people are connected to the Obama White House, though, as their title or position is only introduced once (which is good because it would clutter things up otherwise). I started reading pretty quickly for the information itself, and worrying less about the source, though I did still keep an eye on names I recognized or began to recognize as I read on.
Probably my only real complaint about this book is the way the discussion changes subject so fast. The book is divided into sections by years, but not broken down in any way beyond that. This results in an in-depth discussion about one event, and when you're hoping to hear more views on it, *bam*, the discussion changes to a different subject entirely and you're left wondering what else happened with the first, and in many cases don't return to it. I understand that there's only so much that can be covered in one book, but I wonder if it could've been laid out a little differently.
It was surreal to read this book during Trump's presidency and in the few months leading up to the midterm elections (it took me a while to finish), finishing the day after the election and the "blue wave"-ish results. This oral history is a reminder that while the country may seem divided, there are a lot of people in Washington working to create legislation to help people, with the country's best interests at heart.
I appreciated the wide range of voices Abrams includes in his oral history. He interviewed campaign staffers, senior officials, congresspeople and senators, staffers for opposing campaigns . . . the variety is frankly astounding. That many people does make it difficult to remember how people are connected to the Obama White House, though, as their title or position is only introduced once (which is good because it would clutter things up otherwise). I started reading pretty quickly for the information itself, and worrying less about the source, though I did still keep an eye on names I recognized or began to recognize as I read on.
Probably my only real complaint about this book is the way the discussion changes subject so fast. The book is divided into sections by years, but not broken down in any way beyond that. This results in an in-depth discussion about one event, and when you're hoping to hear more views on it, *bam*, the discussion changes to a different subject entirely and you're left wondering what else happened with the first, and in many cases don't return to it. I understand that there's only so much that can be covered in one book, but I wonder if it could've been laid out a little differently.
It was surreal to read this book during Trump's presidency and in the few months leading up to the midterm elections (it took me a while to finish), finishing the day after the election and the "blue wave"-ish results. This oral history is a reminder that while the country may seem divided, there are a lot of people in Washington working to create legislation to help people, with the country's best interests at heart.
August 9, 2018
A lot of the heavy hitters aren't here - Obama himself, Biden, the Clintons, Kerry, Holder etc., (senior advisors Rahm Emanuel and David Axelrod were interviewed) but many of the lesser-known White House staffers are featured; the ones who did a lot of the behind-the-scenes `grunt' work. While the author's previous books have been about movies and TV, this (surprisingly) is a book for political junkies craving the inside machinations involved in everything from health care to global warming. On the negative side, the narrative jarringly jumps from one topic to another; a string of comments on the Paris Accord are followed - without warning - by Barney Frank's musings on the Affordable Care Act. The author definitely needed to insert more descriptions and introductions giving the reader a less haphazard journey. This isn't a definitive Obama bio but a real Obamaphile can find a place on their bookshelf.
August 10, 2018
Three stars for the book itself, plus one extra for the experience of remembering what it was like to have a thoughtful and principled administration for eight of the last eighteen years.
I usually enjoy oral histories. This one could have definitely used more explanatory paragraphs to break up topics. This was mostly accomplished by footnotes, but it could have been more artful. The Obama administration steered clear of drama when it could, which is great for a presidency but doesn’t always make for an exciting narrative for laypeople.
I usually enjoy oral histories. This one could have definitely used more explanatory paragraphs to break up topics. This was mostly accomplished by footnotes, but it could have been more artful. The Obama administration steered clear of drama when it could, which is great for a presidency but doesn’t always make for an exciting narrative for laypeople.
July 24, 2018
I truly believe this sort of resource should be compiled for each administration. It's illuminating -- insider, candid accounts. I'm a sincere admirer of Barack Obama personally and professionally, and this book both warmed and chilled my heart. Politics is truly a nest of snakes.
August 30, 2018
This was simply an amazing look at the election and presidency of Barack Obama told in first person by numerous people involved in these endeavors. There were personal stories, snippets of history and insightful analyses of those years. I gained a new appreciation for this time period and came away thinking, especially with what is going on now in the White House, how I did not appreciate the professionalism and "no-drama Obama" was as our president. This is a great book for those of us who love examining our history and for those of us are proud to be Americans. There is nothing better than first-hand accounts of event to really understand what happened and why.
December 13, 2020
The book rushes through the history. The campaign to run is a few pages, the. Inauguration then to financial crisis, then health. I get that life is like that. There are big events and there is no time to pat themselves on on the back before the next crisis. This is a book, there should have been time to analyze the event. There is some details in the endnotes but not in the course of the book. The book did confirm for me that Biden was chosen as Vice President for his Rolodex. He did work out some deals with Congress that Obama and Boehner couldn’t do.
Overall it was Ok, details and analysis would have made it better.
Overall it was Ok, details and analysis would have made it better.
March 6, 2024
I really wanted to like/love this book more tham I did. I appreciated an index of important people each year in Obama's presidency for quick look-up/reference. This was all great BUT....
The awful of this book:
1- So many footnotes!!!
2- The actual writing of this "oral history." There was not really a clear narrative. It was more snip-its of interesting conversations compiled into a book form.
3- The readability of this book is poor.
I would love to read a comprehensive book about Obama's presidency but this was not it.
Cannot recommend.
The awful of this book:
1- So many footnotes!!!
2- The actual writing of this "oral history." There was not really a clear narrative. It was more snip-its of interesting conversations compiled into a book form.
3- The readability of this book is poor.
I would love to read a comprehensive book about Obama's presidency but this was not it.
Cannot recommend.
October 31, 2018
It is, of course, hagiographic. What else would an oral history, primarily drawn from his staffers and acolytes, be? There some detractors and critics, but Abrams's book should not be used as a comprehensive and fair understanding of the Obama years. However, it does a great job of capturing that can-do optimism and spirit of that period from 2018 to 2017, or maybe a little bit before 2017, when the world was run by the young and hopeful.
August 14, 2018
Bit boring.
August 25, 2018
the best oral histories include more recapping of what was thought and what was said than just what was done; this read like a history book.
July 16, 2019
I did not like the format of the book, jumping from person to person with quotes that didn't always seem related to me. Too confusing. I quit reading the book.
January 25, 2022
This book features reflections and insights on Barack Obama's rise and eight years as president from a wide range of people: from former Obama campaign and administration staff as well as many other, more outside perspectives. The form is very loose. The book is divided into chapter breaks, by years, but this is kind of an approximation, as many issues discussed spanned multiple years. And the style is generally informal, as one person's comments leads to another's, often suggesting that two, or more, people are in conversation in the same space, though Brian Abrams never really clarifies this, specifying whether this is the case. Also, since there are no breaks indicating the beginning of discussion of a new subject, it sometimes took me a minute to realize that an entirely new subject is now being discussed.
On the one hand, this informal style, with minimal interjections, or structural divisions, from Abrams, made this a book that was easy to read swiftly. On the other hand, though, I wish it was a little more organized. It would be nice to see some identification that a new subject is now being discussed, to recognize that we are now pivoting to talk about something else.
As for what comes under discussion, a little bit of everything is covered. And although many of the voices here are administration insiders, the overall picture that is painted is one of almost continual struggles, obstacles and challenges, particularly out of the gate in 2009 - 10, with the dire economic situation, with the strain of war in Iraq and Afghanistan and with trying to still pass bold legislation despite it all. The summer of 2015 seems to have been one exception, when according to a few people here, there were really a series of key breakthroughs in a short span (normalization of relations with Cuba, Iran nuclear deal, removal of Confederate flag at South Carolina's state capitol, legalization of same-sex marriage in all 50 states...). But in general the breakthroughs are often outweighed by the struggles, setbacks, delays.
On balance, I found this book very interesting, even though I wish it would've been structured with a little more clarity. I'd say that the book is not particularly biased in favor of or against Barack Obama. It feels more like a realistic, sober reflection on what worked, what didn't, short and long-term victories and defeats. I read this after reading Barack Obama's "A Promised Land", which I loved, and which covers a period up through ~spring 2011. This book covers more ground, in a more scattershot way, with many voices overlapping, sometimes agreeing, sometimes diverging on their perspectives of what transpired, and its impact, during Obama's two terms.
On the one hand, this informal style, with minimal interjections, or structural divisions, from Abrams, made this a book that was easy to read swiftly. On the other hand, though, I wish it was a little more organized. It would be nice to see some identification that a new subject is now being discussed, to recognize that we are now pivoting to talk about something else.
As for what comes under discussion, a little bit of everything is covered. And although many of the voices here are administration insiders, the overall picture that is painted is one of almost continual struggles, obstacles and challenges, particularly out of the gate in 2009 - 10, with the dire economic situation, with the strain of war in Iraq and Afghanistan and with trying to still pass bold legislation despite it all. The summer of 2015 seems to have been one exception, when according to a few people here, there were really a series of key breakthroughs in a short span (normalization of relations with Cuba, Iran nuclear deal, removal of Confederate flag at South Carolina's state capitol, legalization of same-sex marriage in all 50 states...). But in general the breakthroughs are often outweighed by the struggles, setbacks, delays.
On balance, I found this book very interesting, even though I wish it would've been structured with a little more clarity. I'd say that the book is not particularly biased in favor of or against Barack Obama. It feels more like a realistic, sober reflection on what worked, what didn't, short and long-term victories and defeats. I read this after reading Barack Obama's "A Promised Land", which I loved, and which covers a period up through ~spring 2011. This book covers more ground, in a more scattershot way, with many voices overlapping, sometimes agreeing, sometimes diverging on their perspectives of what transpired, and its impact, during Obama's two terms.
July 24, 2019
What an incredible human being, and what an incredible team.
On the need to explain the Jeremiah Wright controversy, and the speech in which he did it, Jon Favreau said, "he called me right after: 'Um, I don't know if I can be elected president saying the things I did about race today, but I also don't know that I deserve to be elected if I was too afraid to say them in the first place.'"
Carolyn Maloney on the Credit Card Accountability Responsibility and Disclosure Act: "I was the only woman at the bill signing [May 22, 2009], and all these male senators started standing in front of me. I literally wrote this bill and worked on it nonstop for a long time, and they started pushing me out of the way. And President Obama came over, grabbed my hand, pulled me up and said, 'No, it's her bill.' He had me stand right behind him." (109)
On the climate meeting in Copenhagen in December 2009, where the Chinese misled the team about where they were and did not want to agree to transparency and accountability, and Obama said, "Are you ready for me or do you guys need to talk some more? . . . It's up to you . . . come on, what do you think? Premier, are you ready for me or do you want to wait?" (148)
On Obama's reaction when it became clear the Republicans were willing to crash the train: "When he actually saw them using the threat of defaulting the country as an actual budget tactic, he said to us, 'We can't do this anymore.' . . . He literally looked at me, he looked at Jack, he looked at [Treasury Secretary] Tim [Geithner], he looked at Valerie and he said, 'And you better show that in your body language, because that's how I feel.' He never backed down after that.
Arne Duncan: "On the day of the [re] election, we played basketball in Chicago. I asked him how he was feeling, and he just sort of said, 'I'm good. I got a wife who loves me and I got two great kids. Whatever happens, I'm gonna be fine.'" (283).
On the need to explain the Jeremiah Wright controversy, and the speech in which he did it, Jon Favreau said, "he called me right after: 'Um, I don't know if I can be elected president saying the things I did about race today, but I also don't know that I deserve to be elected if I was too afraid to say them in the first place.'"
Carolyn Maloney on the Credit Card Accountability Responsibility and Disclosure Act: "I was the only woman at the bill signing [May 22, 2009], and all these male senators started standing in front of me. I literally wrote this bill and worked on it nonstop for a long time, and they started pushing me out of the way. And President Obama came over, grabbed my hand, pulled me up and said, 'No, it's her bill.' He had me stand right behind him." (109)
On the climate meeting in Copenhagen in December 2009, where the Chinese misled the team about where they were and did not want to agree to transparency and accountability, and Obama said, "Are you ready for me or do you guys need to talk some more? . . . It's up to you . . . come on, what do you think? Premier, are you ready for me or do you want to wait?" (148)
On Obama's reaction when it became clear the Republicans were willing to crash the train: "When he actually saw them using the threat of defaulting the country as an actual budget tactic, he said to us, 'We can't do this anymore.' . . . He literally looked at me, he looked at Jack, he looked at [Treasury Secretary] Tim [Geithner], he looked at Valerie and he said, 'And you better show that in your body language, because that's how I feel.' He never backed down after that.
Arne Duncan: "On the day of the [re] election, we played basketball in Chicago. I asked him how he was feeling, and he just sort of said, 'I'm good. I got a wife who loves me and I got two great kids. Whatever happens, I'm gonna be fine.'" (283).
August 10, 2018
Does a good job at balancing a bunch of different takes from different people - of course the Republican ones are the most unhinged from reality, mostly, but a lot of the Obama people are pretty nuts, too.
It took me ten minutes to find, but this quote was AMAZING in its ability to just be completely aloof.
Bill Daley: "They thought about those things. They worried about them. And tried to figure out whether you agreed or not that they should have done Al Alwalaki or whether or not you believed that we had the ability to go after people (ED: US citizens) in other countries. But it *was* something the administration struggled with. I didn't think Cheney ever struggled with it. It didn't matter to him. I thought it did to Obama. ***And we may have ended up at the same place that they did***, but I think there was a greater sense of concern around those issues in at least how you could seemingly read how the Bush administration approached these things."
"Sure, we blew people up all across the world with no oversight or accountability or even the knowledge that we didn't just always blow up weddings. But we were thoughtful about it, dammit!"
It took me ten minutes to find, but this quote was AMAZING in its ability to just be completely aloof.
Bill Daley: "They thought about those things. They worried about them. And tried to figure out whether you agreed or not that they should have done Al Alwalaki or whether or not you believed that we had the ability to go after people (ED: US citizens) in other countries. But it *was* something the administration struggled with. I didn't think Cheney ever struggled with it. It didn't matter to him. I thought it did to Obama. ***And we may have ended up at the same place that they did***, but I think there was a greater sense of concern around those issues in at least how you could seemingly read how the Bush administration approached these things."
"Sure, we blew people up all across the world with no oversight or accountability or even the knowledge that we didn't just always blow up weddings. But we were thoughtful about it, dammit!"
Read
November 12, 2025Obama`s charisma and sense of integrity are the highlights of this book. The book takes an interesting approach, following a narrative in which a large diversity of issues of the day are described and then commented on by a variety of people during interviews. It was interesting to hear different people speak on the same issues to provide a rounded commentary. I had forgotten how much of his attempted progress was stymied by obstructionist Republicans, even when he attempted to keep it bipartisan. You get a real sense of the horse-trading that goes on behind the scenes in American politics. This book covered a wide range of topics, from dealing with a crippled economy at the start of his tenure as POTUS to the shocking political demise of the clearly up-and-coming Hillary Clinton, whom I privately think was robbed of her chance in the Oval Office. The world has taken a darker turn since then.
September 4, 2018
I adored this book. It's 410 pages long not counting appendices, but it's a very quick read because each page has only a few paragraphs on it. The author interviewed people in the Obama Administration and campaigns, congresspeople (Dems and a few GOP), and others involved in government and politics. The book is arranged chronologically and within that, by subject matter, with each subject getting about one paragraph of an interview from several different people. I felt that I was reading history by the people who were part of it. If I have one quibble about the book, it's that it would have been helpful to have subheadings for the topics, as it's very disconcerting to be reading about, for example, the ACA and then suddenly switch topics to the SALT treaty. I loved this book so much, I'm thinking about buying it (I read a library copy).
March 6, 2020
Good oral history on Obama years
I liked hearing the thoughts and stories of people who were involved during the Obama years talk about President Obama. I thought the book as good and covered alot of information. The only negative I have is I felt the book would have been better with separations between topics. The book is divided into chapters based upon a year or two years. But during each chapter, while they have several people taking about one topic, the next person may be talking about something entirely different. If you dont pick up the subject change, it can be confusing when you think you are reading one topic but thought it was a different topic. That only happened a few times to me. Otherwise, I felt the book was good and I would recommend it to anyone interested in presidential history or President Obama.
I liked hearing the thoughts and stories of people who were involved during the Obama years talk about President Obama. I thought the book as good and covered alot of information. The only negative I have is I felt the book would have been better with separations between topics. The book is divided into chapters based upon a year or two years. But during each chapter, while they have several people taking about one topic, the next person may be talking about something entirely different. If you dont pick up the subject change, it can be confusing when you think you are reading one topic but thought it was a different topic. That only happened a few times to me. Otherwise, I felt the book was good and I would recommend it to anyone interested in presidential history or President Obama.
February 8, 2021
Oral histories are such a unique gift, and this book is special for that. The Obama Administration was complicated and fascinating, and I don’t think there’s a better way to learn about it than through the eyes of the staff, Democrats and Republicans, as they feuded for progress at the highest level. The dense moments of policy were occasionally dry, but the sharp moments of personality, drama, politics and in-the-moment observation make this book a brisk, informative and entertaining read. Highly recommended.
October 8, 2018
Like so many others, I followed the Obama presidency closely. It was fascinating to read "I was there" accounts of significant events from so many staffers.
Of course, it was disturbing and upsetting to read about many things. The hard work they put into the Paris Accord; the day after the 2016 election; the transition to the new administration.
It's a good read but it will make you mourn what we have lost.
Of course, it was disturbing and upsetting to read about many things. The hard work they put into the Paris Accord; the day after the 2016 election; the transition to the new administration.
It's a good read but it will make you mourn what we have lost.
June 23, 2019
I'd never read an oral history before and thought it was a novel way to retell events. There's nothing revelatory here (most likely because those interviewed are peripheral players in the Whitehouse: No Biden, Obama, Kerry, etc.), But it was a good reminder of the successes and failures of the Obama years. It also serves as a refresher of all the bullshit Obama had to deal with from Republicans for 9 years.
February 15, 2019
Got this free as a Goodreads giveaway, that has not influenced my review.
Solid timeline of the Obama campaign and administration made by talking to the advisors to the president and advisors to his advisors.
Enjoyed it, wouldn't have paid for it had I not gotten it free but would have borrowed it from the library.
Solid timeline of the Obama campaign and administration made by talking to the advisors to the president and advisors to his advisors.
Enjoyed it, wouldn't have paid for it had I not gotten it free but would have borrowed it from the library.
October 6, 2018
It would have been nice to hear from other people. Many of these people I didnt really know so their thoughts and experiences were quickly read and paged over. However, there are some voices in the book that are well worth the read.
August 11, 2018
Very informative read!!!
October 18, 2018
Please come back, Barack! Man, it was melancholy to relive those years. So much hope.
November 22, 2018
Very informative
Very informative and inspiring. Gives you an idea of the politics and all that goes into running a country .
Very informative and inspiring. Gives you an idea of the politics and all that goes into running a country .
June 23, 2020
Fantastic book
I liked the behind the scenes panorama__the whole mess of it all. And the tragedy! Oh, the tragedy. What will become of us, and this nation?
I liked the behind the scenes panorama__the whole mess of it all. And the tragedy! Oh, the tragedy. What will become of us, and this nation?
July 21, 2020
I liked that this book offered a look back at Obama's presidency through the voices of so many different people. However, it did get bogged down after a while and it was hard to stay interested.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 33 reviews