Barack and Michelle: Portrait of an American Marriage

I'm not a Fan of Barack but this book was a good read and seemed to be one of the more HONEST things about him.

This book takes a look at what events and people have shaped both Barack and Michelle in who they are. They are portraid as real people who, in all reality, have a very ordinary marriage, yet an extraordinary focus as a couple. It helped me understand who they are and some of the choices they have made.

I've just finished immersing myself in Christopher Andersen's terrific new book "Barack and Michelle Portrait of an American Marriage. Before I started reading, I thought I knew an awful lot about the Obamas. Obviously not. We all know the broad outlines of the their story -- his exotic parentage and upbringing and her more familiar story of growing up bright and black in Chicago and facing bigotry at this country's most elite universities. I was especially interested in and impressed by the story of their early days. What has always impressed me about the Obamas is their elegant ease -- the way they connect with people seems genuine and a welcome departure from the usual stilted, artificial interaction we so often see between politicians, their spouses and voters. Andersen's book gives you insight into what molded the President and the First Lady as the author presents, piece by piece, the experiences, people and places that played a role in who they have become. This book should be required reading for everyone who wants to better understand the Obamas. I loved every page of it.

This book really humanized Barack, and portrays him as a very likable, smart and capable guy. Not just a handsome guy meets smart woman lawyer story you've heard a thousand times before, this is a true insider account of the Obama's mostly harmonious marriage, with a moment or two of disharmony between Barack and Michelle's mother. ;-) A tender, heartwarming tale of a true all American president, with some very shocking documents detailing Obama's collaboration with cop killer William Ayers on his first book "Dreams of My Father".

What were Michelle Robinson's first words regarding Barack Obama? "'Barack Obama?' Michelle asked, one hand planted firmly on her hip. `What the hell kind of name is Barack Obama, anyway? Who names their kid Barack Obama?' It wasn't the first time she had listened to a colleague at Sidley & Austin rave about the gifted, handsome, suavely urbane Harvard first -year law student who was coming to work there as a summer associate.'" Michelle who had graduated from Harvard Law a few months before Barack arrived there didn't like the fact she was purposely assigned to mentor the new associate-summer intern. She felt that she was much too busy "to baby sit some guy." She felt she was deliberately being assigned to help another black employee mostly because she too was black. Well, obviously being instructed to help the new part-time employee Michelle eventually was charmed by the guy with the funny name as he was with her. Thus began the romance of the first Black President and First Lady in United States history. They overcame incredible odds to win the Office of President of the USA. Their victory was also a victory for all Americans. It demonstrated to the entire world that it was possible for a black person to rise to the highest and most powerful elective office in the world. No matter what happened later, Obama would be proof that Americans had come to believe that a person's skin color doesn't bar them from rising to the top of the world in the most freedom-loving nation on the planet. Having an Afro-American family occupy the White House would change America and the world's perception of America forever. It was time for another revival of Camelot. The magic had returned and this is the story of the modern day King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table--and this time as with John, Jackie, Caroline and John Jr. the White House would be filled with the laughter of children playing in the home of the American Presidents. This book gives the readers a glimpse of how this came about and what it is like for the new First Couple. There is a lot of new information that differs from past media reports but not all of it is bad and most of it is good. This reviewer will leave discovering this material to the readers. This is certainly a very readable biography of a family. Even Obama's critics will find this book enlightening because of information that is brought out like Jeremiah Wright "was instrumental in helping him understand the black experience in America." "Although years later Barack would claim not to have been aware of Wright's more incendiary comments, the reverend used this sermon--Barack's favorite--to denounce the bombing of Hiroshima as genocide, attack the callousness of U.S. Government leaders, and proclaim that `white folks' greed runs a world in need.' Still, the overriding message of the sermon was one of hope--or, to be precise, the `audacity' of hope." With these comments about Rev. Wright's "Hope Sermon" there is plenty of