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A review by maggiemaggio
The Obamas by Jodi Kantor
3.0
I'll start by saying that I voted for Obama twice, but this isn't going to be a political review.
After reading this book I can't believe that Obama was elected again, the picture the book paints is just so terrible and depressing that it seems to make his reelection seem like a fantasy. I have no doubt that Obama has struggled as president, it's a fairly impossible position, but this book just is just so depressing I found it difficult to read.
The story started out great, I knew the Obama's background story prior to reading this, but there was some additional information thrown in that I wasn't familiar with and I would say the first 100 pages were great. Then it just depressing. Obama is so much smarter than everyone else, Congress hates him, everyone in America hates him, he can't get anything done, no one appreciates all the amazing things he has by some miracle managed to get done, Michelle hates being first lady, the West Wing and East Wing fight nonstop, there is so much infighting between Obama's staff, and on and on and on. It was 200 pages of defeat, sadness, and angst. And that wasn't fun to read. And perhaps it is all true, I just wish the author had found a different way of relaying that truth.
Also, I don't think there was a lot of particularly new or insightful information in the book. And a lot of it felt repeated, yes, we get it, Obama is really good friends with a small group of people, you don't need to keep repeating that. Honestly maybe that's why much of the book seemed so difficult to read, all of the (mostly depressing) repetition.
After reading this book I can't believe that Obama was elected again, the picture the book paints is just so terrible and depressing that it seems to make his reelection seem like a fantasy. I have no doubt that Obama has struggled as president, it's a fairly impossible position, but this book just is just so depressing I found it difficult to read.
The story started out great, I knew the Obama's background story prior to reading this, but there was some additional information thrown in that I wasn't familiar with and I would say the first 100 pages were great. Then it just depressing. Obama is so much smarter than everyone else, Congress hates him, everyone in America hates him, he can't get anything done, no one appreciates all the amazing things he has by some miracle managed to get done, Michelle hates being first lady, the West Wing and East Wing fight nonstop, there is so much infighting between Obama's staff, and on and on and on. It was 200 pages of defeat, sadness, and angst. And that wasn't fun to read. And perhaps it is all true, I just wish the author had found a different way of relaying that truth.
Also, I don't think there was a lot of particularly new or insightful information in the book. And a lot of it felt repeated, yes, we get it, Obama is really good friends with a small group of people, you don't need to keep repeating that. Honestly maybe that's why much of the book seemed so difficult to read, all of the (mostly depressing) repetition.